Well, thanks be to
God, Father McCabe, and a few other of my brother priests who stepped in, I was
able to scoot away last weekend to make sure that our man Father Corey Krengiel
was well and rightly ordained. Not that
anyone in Illinois required my stamp of approval, but I thought you would be
fortified by my witness.
So, 1620 miles later,
I can say that his ordination in the cathedral of Peoria with three other men
was splendid, and every step observed to guarantee the life-changing touch of
the Holy Spirit to conform him to Jesus Christ the High Priest. None of that shows up in pictures, but I
grabbed a photograph with him in the sacristy of his home parish of Saint
Patrick, in Lemont, IL, immediately after his first Mass. Yes, that is exultation you detect in his
eyes!
The homily for that
great event, attended by a large congregation of friends, family, and
parishioners, was given by my friend and seminary classmate, Father Tony
Dittmer. I stayed with him on his
rectory in LaSalle, IL and caught up on everything that had happened in his
life since we were last together six years ago.
At the ordination
Mass, when all the concelebrants made their ways back our seats, I found myself
sitting next to a fine young priest from Indiana, whom you should
recognize. Father Clayton Thompson was
our weekend deacon last year; I brought evidence of his new state, too.
So aside from the
Nats game at PNC Park with my cousin on the trip out, and a good visit with my
aunt and uncle on the trip back, it was a very priestly excursion.
It is a fortifying
and encouraging experience to be present when a man you have known in his
formation is raised to the priesthood. I
was glad to be with Father Corey Krengiel for this life-changing event after
all the time we had together over the past year. I was glad to represent you, and convey your
affection and support.
You could not be at
that event, but you can come to the priesthood ordination of several men you
have accompanied on their preparatory journeys.
Deacons Chris Seith and Ken Gill, who spent the summers here in our
parish in 2012 and 2013, respectively, will both be ordained priests later this
month, along with five other men. You
can see their pictures on the posters around the church, which advertise our
Holy Hour this weekend for them and all vocations. Plan
to come down to the Basilica on Saturday, June 21, for the 10:00 Archdiocese of
Washington Priesthood Ordination. The
new priests will be fortified by your presence at this great sacrament, and so
will you.
Monsignor
Smith
