A PRIESTLY BEGINNING

Drawing parallels between the sacraments of the priesthood and marriage, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger told the five deacons during a Mass and Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood on June 19 that he wanted this day “to be not only the happiest day of your life but the beginning of many, many other happy days.”

Listening intently, Deacons Matt­hew Duclos, Kyle Gorenski, Daniel McHale and Nathaniel Resila and Stephen Yusko were ordained into the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany on the warm, but sunny Saturday.

Just like married life, Bishop said in his homily that the priesthood is also about the “journey … but one thing that you can be sure of is that the same Lord that led you to this day is the same Lord that will be with you every day of your priestly life. And I would like to think and hope that 50 years from now when you approach your 50th jubilee of your priesthood that you will be able to say that maybe the best day of my priestly life, as nice as today was, was not this day.

“(There are) many other graces and blessings and so many other lessons and so many other triumphs and struggles and so many other humiliations and joys that you will experience though your priestly life in which you will be able to say none of this would have been possible without God. And the same thing, of course, is true for married life. And I speak of married life and the priesthood almost as if they were the same sacrament.

“Because in many ways there are similarities: Walking up the aisle, taking those vows and promises, all the adulation and praise. … There are many, many parallels to that. .... We have the same common mission of disciples of Christ to make Christ’s presence felt in the world.”

After the ordination, Father McHale celebrated his first Mass on June 19 at St. Mary’s Church in Hudson; Father Gorenski’s first Mass was on the same day at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Cohoes. On June 20, Father Yusko celebrated his first Mass at St. Mary’s in Hudson; Father Resila’s first Mass was celebrated at Historic St. Mary’s Church in Albany and Father Duclos celebrated his first Mass at Corpus Christi Church in Round Lake.

“Thank God for this call. Thank God for this sacrament,” the Bishop said nearing the end of his homily. “Thank God for the people of God that called you forth and that now are praying for you and loving you to make this momentous choice that you make today. And even though some of the things that occurred today and some of the things I may have said or some of the things you may have thought, may fade a little bit into memory, remember that this is by no means meant to be the best day of your life. It’s the most important day of your life, perhaps since your birth and baptism and confirmation and first Communion, but the best days are yet to come because you have an eternal future and that’s what you are meant to lead us all toward, toward a reminder that nothing that is happening in this life, at this time, sums up all that there is in our story or our history.

“What will come to us is glorious and yet to come. Witness to that belief, witness to that truth that each and every one of us is loved by God and called to something higher than we can possibly imagine. Be a man of vision, of faith. A man of love who trusts the love of God, that is strong enough to let him love others through you. Be who you are, love as you are called to love, witness to the world without fear the truth of the wonderful Gospel that brings joy, healing and salvation to the world.”