By Paula Day

The priestly lives of five golden and two silver jubilarians totaling 300 years of ministry were celebrated May 14 during a special jubilee Mass in the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, ordained 25 years ago this June 24, was the main celebrant for the Liturgy. Concelebrants were the other jubilarians and approximately 80 priests of the archdiocese.

Father Vincent Brennan, SM, Father Thomas Gilroy, SM, Monsignor John McDonough, Father Philibert O'Hara, MS, and Father John O'Shea, all celebrating the 50th anniversary of their ordinations, and Father Francis Pham Van Phuong, a silver jubilarian, along with Archbishop Lyke, renewed their priestly commitment during the Mass.

In his homily the archbishop pointed out that when they were ordained none of the gathered clergy realized the full outcome of their vocational choice. They could not foresee how personal needs and the needs of others would lead them from the "safe avenues" of theological and liturgical study to the unexpected and unforeseen bypaths of "human emotion, human conflict and human despair."

"We are more often than not called upon to be great improvisers," he said. In that respect he noted, priests today are not unlike the early leaders of the Church. Confronted by a vacancy in their ranks, the first pope asked for divine guidance in direct and uncomplicated prayer: "O Lord," Peter prayed, "you read the hearts of men. Show us..." Then those first priests drew lots to decide to admit Matthias into the Apostolic group.

"Almost two thousand years later," the archbishop concluded," much of our praying remains the same: 'O Lord, you know who we are, so give us what we need.'"

Archbishop Lyke called the celebration of the Eucharist with the other jubilarians and gathered priests "a joyful moment" which linked them with all who had gone before them.

"We are never alone," he said. "Through the Eucharist, history presses itself upon us and Jesus and the Twelve ... our brothers who have died and gone before us ... are around us at this table."

The jubilarians were joined by their brother priests at a meal in their honor at Lagrotta Ristorante following the jubilee Mass.