Cincinnati Seminarian Blog

After highlighting the diaconate ordinations of the men in our house this year… I’m afraid I failed miserably to give due attention to “the main event(s)” in recent weeks. I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, but…

On Saturday May 23, seven men were ordained new priests for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Fathers Marty Bachman, David Endres, Robert Hadden, Shawn Landenwitch, Matthew Lee, Barry Stechschulte, and Tony Tozzi are now grisled two-week veterans of the priesthood. It was a glorious celebration at the Cathedral on their ordination, and the ensuring Masses of Thanksgiving are also huge highlights for everyone privileged to celebrate with them. The joy and hope that this relatively large, vibrant ordination class offers to the Archdiocese cannot be overstated. I was privileged to attend Mass this morning celebrated by Fr. Tony Tozzi, and it was awe-inspiring to have a recent seminary brother out there in a parish celebrating Mass.

Then, last weekend three of our seminarian brothers were ordained in the beautiful Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio. With two other ordinands, these men were ordained by Bishop Blair in yet another striking and beautiful liturgy. I have to say, I particularly enjoyed not having to worry about the behind-the-scenes “work” of an ordination while up in Toledo. While it is a true privilege to assist at the big liturgies in Cincinnati… it can become a challenge to truly abandon oneself to deep prayer while worrying about “what needs to happen next.” So, in any case, the liturgies were very similar yet I could experience this second ordination in a new way as Fathers Chris Bohnsack, Jason Kahle, and Tony Recker were ordained. Toledo even has a fancy YouTube video of the ordinations–very snazzy.

Between these two ordinations I had my final week as the official “in-residence” seminarian intern at St. Albert the Great parish in Kettering, Ohio. To be honest, I was spoiled in so many ways while an intern. The pastor, associate, staff, and parishioners were wonderfully kind and encouraging, and last week was in many ways a fun “goodbye-for-now” celebration. But, it was busy. Just moving out most of my stuff back here to Cincinnati, plus visiting my family, etc. led to a somewhat chaotic time.

And… (trumpet blasts!) tomorrow my classmates and I get on a plane for Israel.

Every year, the class that has just completed the internship year goes on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The generosity of a benefactor makes this possible year-by-year, and I can’t believe our time is upon us. Fr. Earl Fernandes will be our faculty leader, and with my five classmates the six of us will be visiting incredible sites such as Caesarea, Capernaum, Cana, Nazareth, Mt. Tabor, the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Masada, Bethlehem - and many more places. The itinerary is mind-blowing. All of the men who have gone on this trip in years past rave about the profound influence it has on them, not just practically (i.e. while preparing homilies, you can picture how and where the Scriptural events happened) but mostly spiritually, as walking in the footsteps of Christ, the Apostles, and the Prophets before them moves the heart and mind in life-transforming ways.

Suffice it to say, I’m pumped.

Currently, it is quite late on the night before the trip. I’m packed and I’m just hoping to get some decent sleep on the fourteen-hour trans-Atlantic flight… but I’m not worried about having a jolt of adrenaline to get things moving once we get there.

At least a modest account, with pictures, will be on the way. Pray for us and for our newly-ordained priests!