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| Holy Orders: Archdiocese of Detroit welcomes nine new priests
By Robert Delaney
Of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 4, 2004
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Photo by Shawn D. Ellis
Standing with Cardinal Adam Maida (center) in front of the rectory of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament after their ordinations are (from left) Frs. Paul Ward, Aaron DePeyster, James Smalarz, Siaosi Patau, Richard Lewnau, Chris Talbot, Ronald Richards and James Lopez. Behind them stand Auxiliary Bishops (from left) Francis Reiss, Earl Boyea, Walter Hurley, John Quinn, Walter J. Schoenherr and Moses Anderson, SSE. |
DETROIT — Cardinal Adam Maida ordained nine men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit last Saturday before a standing-room-only congregation of about 1,000 people in the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
About 100 more watched via closed-circuit TV in an overflow tent on the cathedral grounds.
The nine new priests are Frs. Aaron E. DePeyster, Richard M. Lewnau, James F. Lopez, Todd C. Mistor, Siaosi E.B.L. Patau, Ronald S. Richards, James A. Smalarz, Christopher J. Talbot and Paul T. Ward.
Eight of the nine completed their seminary education and priestly formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. Fr. Richards completed his in Rome, studying at the Gregorian University and the Angelicum through the North American College house of studies.
In his homily, Cardinal Maida thanked the nine men for their "openness to the grace of God" and their willingness to offer their lives to the service of the Church.
"Here in the archdiocese, we will be greatly blessed in the decades ahead by the service the nine of you will offer in various capacities hidden from our knowledge or imagination at this time," the cardinal said.
While he thanked all those involved in their formation to this point, he also cited the message of Pope John Paul II, in his recent address to bishops from Michigan and Ohio in Rome for their ad limina visits, that the "priesthood requires continuing personal formation aimed at deepening and harmonizing the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral aspects of priestly life."
"Even after the ceremony is over and you are ordained, you will continue to grow and change as you hand over to the Lord more and more of yourself through a life of prayer and service," Cardinal Maida said.
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Photo by Shawn D. Ellis
The newly ordained priests confer their first blessing on Cardinal Adam Maida at the ordination Mass last Saturday at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. |
As spokesman for the ordination class, Fr. Smalarz spoke at the conclusion of the Mass. "Together as a class we rejoice in being ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Detroit. We look forward to serving God's people in union with all of you, our brother priests, and all deacons, auxiliary bishops, and with you, Cardinal Maida, as we work together as a team to build the Kingdom of God here on Earth," he said.
He expressed the gratitude of all the new priests toward all those who encouraged and supported them on their road to the priesthood. Expressing their thanks to parents, both living and deceased, Fr. Smalarz said, "Your love, example of Christian marriage, dedication and commitment cultivated and nourished the seed of our Catholic faith planted in each of us at our baptism years ago. Thank you for your unwavering love, guidance, prayers and support. We love you."
Well-wishers had a chance to offer personal congratulations to the new priests at an outdoor reception following the ceremony on the cathedral plaza.
Of the parents and other relatives who came to see the ordinations, none traveled farther than those who came to see Fr. Patau ordained. His mother and father, a sister and a brother, an aunt and a great nephew all traveled from Auckland, New Zealand, where almost all of his family now lives. Only one brother currently lives in Fr. Patau's native Western Samoa.
They spent nearly 16 hours in the air, changing planes in Los Angeles, said his brother, Filipo Patau.
For Natalene Patau, seeing her son being ordained brought a feeling of flying without an airplane. "I felt like I was flying through the air, and God touched me and I sat down and saw my boy up there," she said.
Fr. Patau's father, Lipa Patau, said, "I was very happy. I thanked God He had invited Siaosi to help Him with His work."
Bernadine Mistor said it was "exciting and joyful" to see her son ordained. Fr. Mistor told his parents he felt a vocation to the priesthood during his second year in college, but Bernadine Mistor said she suspected it when he was still in high school.
Ronald Mistor called it "quite an honor and a privilege" to see his son ordained.
Richard Lewnau called it ordination of his son "very moving – we lost another son last year to cancer, and we were praying that he was there with us." He said he was especially impressed with the preaching ability Fr. Lewnau developed in the seminary: "After he was ordained a deacon, we went to hear one of his first homilies, and I wanted to get up afterwards and tell everyone, 'That's my son.'"
Carol Lewnau said of seeing her son ordained, "It felt so natural, because even when he was a little boy, he liked to play priest. He would have a little altar and have his brothers as congregation."
Dolores Smalarz called the ordination ceremony "overwhelming" for herself and her husband. "We're real proud of him, and he's going to make a good priest. He's a very energetic, hard-working guy, and he gets the job done."
Fr. Ward's parents are both deceased, but he had two sisters in attendance for the ceremony. Because he had told the family about his calling to be a priest when he was just 15 years old, Monica Ward Weiss said the ordination ceremony was just the natural culmination of that process.
"I just felt like it was about time, perfectly natural, totally organic," she said. Sheila Borse said she is confident her brother will make a great priest: "I think Paul was born to be a priest, because there were five kids in the family, and he would always say, 'Would you like my last piece of pizza?' and we'd all be trying to get as much as we could, but Paul was always a very generous person."
Gloria Lopez admitted to shedding tears during the ceremony at which her son was ordained, "but it was just wonderful – they were tears of happiness for him, because he's enjoyed every minute of being in the seminary."
She recalled when she and her husband picked Fr. Lopez up at the end of his exploratory weekend at Sacred Heart Major Seminary: "When we walked into the seminary and saw him at the top of the stairs where he was waiting for us, I said to Joe, 'He's going to join the seminary. I just knew it; it was written all over his face.:
Antoinette Talbot said, "I just felt it was a wonderful gift God gave me, to have my son have a vocation to the priesthood. I had four sons, and mothers always pray for one son to become a priest, and I just felt that prayer has been answered."
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