This was ordination weekend – a busy time around our household. Another one of my boys, Alonzo, was ordained a priest this past Saturday.
Stephen missed last year’s because he was off in Rome & England but this year – he’s home! He served at the ordination along with a bunch of my other boys. He & I drove over to the cathedral together (an adventure driving in traffic with my son, let me tell ya!)
Steve was wearing his clerical blacks & collar so that he wouldn’t have to dress once he got there. As we pulled up in front of the cathedral, the cops directing traffic saw the collar and waved him into a spot right in front. After that, I think I will always travel with him – as long as he’s wearing the blacks.
I went off to hunt for a seat as close as possible while Steve went into the sacristy with the rest of the guys. The cathedral isn’t all that big & the first half was reserved for family, priests, seminarians, deacons, etc. That meant even though I was only 1 row back from the reserved seats, I was pretty far back. And let’s not forget the height factor. When you’re short…well you don’t get to see much what with all those taller people surrounding you.
The Mass & ordination, as usual, were beautiful. I found myself sitting in the middle of a crew from the parish where Alonzo did his pastoral year. I could tell they loved him by how they cheered quite loudly. I also got a chuckle at another point in the ceremony. After the bishop lays hands on them (at which point, the men are officially priests) the other priests there all come up and lay hands on the men. We have a newly ordained priest in our parish who is a friend of Steve’s and also a close friend of Alonzo. When he got to Alonzo to lay hands on him, the people behind me whisper, “That’s his best friend.”
I love the actual ordination but I also love seeing all these priests there – all smiling, all so happy in the life they’ve chosen. Everyone is greeting everyone else & it’s such a joyful atmosphere. I can go every year and it just never gets old.