Saturday, May 14, will be a most happy day in our Archdiocese. At 11 a.m., in the Cathedral of St. Joseph, I will be ordaining to the priesthood five impressive men: The Reverend Mr. Iain Highet, the Reverend Mr. Diego Jimenez, the Reverend Mr. George Mukuka, the Reverend Mr. Anthony Smith, and the Reverend Mr. Robert Turner II.

Their stories will be reported in the June issue of The Catholic Transcript. The space of one column now would not suffice to describe their cultivated backgrounds, their zeal, their love for the priesthood and the Church, and their commitment to people.

Everyone is invited to the Cathedral that morning for the celebration. It will be a special opportunity for us to pray ardently for rich blessings to come from their priesthood. Their training in the seminaries and their pastoral experience in parishes through the years of preparation have been comprehensive. Our prayers, whether we all say them in the Cathedral or not on that day, are with them now in anticipation of their Ordination and will be with them, as with all priests, as they exercise their priesthood.

No matter how intensive their preparation has been, they will be facing situations in the priesthood they might never have dreamed possible. They know that the decisive opening of the human heart is our opening to God. Their lives will be encounters, engagements with the living God, responses to God’s love. Their days and nights will not be bland, beige, boring, drab or dull. There is nothing balmy about being alive in the Church today.

Every day will be an adventure, not a sedative, palliative, opiate or anodyne. Their sensitivity to God’s love and their respect for God’s people will carry them forward through all the challenges and difficulties. As doctors of souls, they will be conscious of the report from the Connecticut Hospital Association as to what people expect from their medical doctors: that they heal, that they avoid doing harm, and that they be nice to people.

Priests are called in their Ordination to serve Jesus Christ, the Teacher, Priest and Shepherd. They are to preach by what they say and do, administer the Sacraments and other sacred rites, and be leaders among the people. They may at times feel fatigued or even overwhelmed. They may have a sense of being whipsawed from one end of the day to the other. Yet, they know that they are called to be mediators of meaning and mediators of grace. Reconciliation crisscrosses their lives all the time.

We know that priests are called to be men of character, fortitude, valor and courage. Growth in the sacraments and development of preaching remind us of the depth and meaning that bestow a higher purpose in our lives and the lives of others. When we reflect on our authentic selves, we understand that life is not aimless, random, or without purpose.

It is interesting to note that when polls are taken, in which respondents are asked how highly they esteem and admire people whom they know personally, they consistently place parish priests at the top of those lists. As I visit parishes around the Archdiocese, it is encouraging to note how much people love their parishes and how much they love their priests.

In the Ordination Ritual, the Bishop anoints the palms of each new priest with the following prayer: "The Lord Jesus Christ, Whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you, that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God."

Priests are normally embarrassed when they hear favorable things said of them, but it is fascinating to read the results of polls in which they themselves are consulted. They consistently identify priests’ spirituality as the key to pastoral excellence. They say that prayer is the first thing, that you have to be alive in the faith. "Listen to God in prayer," they advise, "and listen to the parishioners."

They also do so many things quietly. No one really knows all the work a priest does. One example, which priests do not like cited, is their contribution to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. Last year their average gift was $1,204. It is higher than that this year, but there still is more time to go. Obviously, the inspiration and advocacy they deliver in the Archdiocese come directly from the heart.

Our five new priests on May 14 will be entering a renowned fraternity. They will be most welcome, and their talents in God’s grace will continue to build the Church. It should be reported that currently there are 43 seminarians studying for the priesthood in the Archdiocese. Their number continues to grow, and we look forward to the day of their Ordination, when they will be "Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1). We go forward in thanksgiving to God and appreciation to those who are willing to make such selfless commitments.

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 2011

The good news advances impressively. As I write this report, the amount for this year’s Appeal is $7,745,017.16, which is $780,090.78 higher than last year’s. You clearly appreciate the critical services the appeal enables and you are most encouraging. We still have months to go, as you know, but may God continue to bless us in our continuing service to his people.