BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA-One week after the feast of Pentecost, when the apostles were sent out to spread the Good News to all nations, five candidates for that same priesthood were ordained in a rite which featured the Vietnamese, Spanish and English tongues.

Rev. Mr. Daniel J. Fleming, Rev. Mr. Thomas J. Hennessy, Rev. Mr. John T. Howren, Rev. Mr. Carlos Alberto Rocha and Rev. Mr. Peter Duc Ngoc Vu were ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John F. Donoghue Saturday, June 1, at Holy Spirit Church,.Atlanta.

Fifty-two priests from the archdiocese including Dom Bernard Johnson, OCSO, of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Msgr. Edward Dillon, vicar general, and Msgr. Donald Kenny, chancellor and director of vocations, concelebrated the Mass.

After years of prayer, discernment and study the five candidates followed a gold cross down the central aisle of the church. As they approached the pews reserved for family and friends they found their relatives crying tears of happiness.

The first reading was presented in Vietnamese by Joseph Minh Ngoc Vu, brother of Rev. Vu. The second reading was read in Spanish by Hernan Quevedo, friend of Rev. Mr. Rocha. The Gospel was proclaimed by Rev. Mr. Guyma Noel, seminarian for the archdiocese. The text in alternate languages was provided in the program.

The rite of ordination included the presentation of the candidates by Msgr. Kenny, their acceptance by the archbishop and finally the consent of the people, which was expressed with a thunderous applause that echoed throughout the church. The candidates then took their places on the altar where they listened to Archbishop Donoghue's homily.

The archbishop stressed that every contact one has with the Church is of great importance.

"Whether it is a simple and unobserved visit to our Lord in his tabernacle, or whether it is a grand and glorious occasion like today--every contact we make with the Church is of vital concern to the health of our souls. For it is on such occasions that we are reminded...of the helplessness of our condition before unseen circumstances--that without the mercy and goodness of God, life is meaningless, no matter how well--ordered it might be."

"God loves us--every instance of Christ's life makes this first premise clearly visible. Every hardship he endured, from his homeless birth to his painful, and I emphasize his painful death, is the steadied, conscientious unfolding of God's pure desire to love the most favored of all his creation, to love mankind."

The archbishop described how the plan of God for our salvation unfolded completely during the last night the Lord spent on earth when he celebrated the Last Supper. "And when he said, 'Do this in memory of me,'" it was as if he said, 'Alright. This is the plan. Now take it and put it into action."

"Since that night this plan, the plan for salvation, has been in operation without interruption," the archbishop said. "Persisting through periods of intense persecution, maintained in the midst of apathy and even corruption, the plan goes forward, and operates smoothly, securely and triumphantly. It triumphs on a day such as today, when these five men like Christ, solemnly present their lives across the altar of sacrifice, to the service of God through the service of his people. It triumphs when the people of God, drawn to the Eucharist and knowing the necessity for priests, give their affection, their support and their prayers to men like these..."

"And finally this plan, the plan for salvation, triumphs when it calls us all to that original awareness of the merciful God and of his bountiful goodness. We are aware--our presence here-our humble presence makes this clear, and our actions today, actions of thanksgiving and obedience, confirm our belief that God has saved us--that God is saving us."

Finally the archbishop addressed the five candidates who were to be ordained. "My beloved sons, for such has the Holy Spirit made you to me, I offer you these simple instructions, not of my own device, but from the ancient wisdom of the Holy Mother Church," he said.

"You are now to be advanced to the order of the presbyterate. You must apply your energies to the duty of teaching in the name of Christ, the chief teacher. Share with all mankind the word of God you have received with joy. Meditate on the law of God, believe what you read, teach what you believe and put into practice what you teach; never forsake the guidance, the wisdom and the protection of our Holy Church. Do your part in the work of Christ the Priest with genuine joy and love, and attend to the concerns of Christ before your own."

The rite of ordination then continued as the candidates promised their obedience to the archbishop and his successors and prostrated themselves on the marble floor while the members of the community invoked the prayers of the saints. The five men formed a semi-circle around the altar as the morning sunlight beamed through the stained glass windows of the sanctuary.

Archbishop Donoghue laid his hands on the head of each candidate and the other priests did the same. The five men responded with a resounding, "I am," to the prayer of consecration which followed.

The new priests were vested in stole and chasuble by fellow priests who had contributed to and nurtured their vocations. Father Fleming was helped into his vestments by Father Paul Berny, pastor of St. Gabriel's Church, Fayetteville. Father Michael Roach, a member of the faculty at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Md., assisted Father Hennessy with his vestments. Father Howren was helped into his vestments by Msgr. Henry Gracz, pastor of St. James the Apostle Church, McDonough. Father Rocha was vested by Msgr. Don Kenny. Msgr. Francis Pham Van Phuong, administrator of Our Lady of Vietnam Mission, Forest Park, assisted Father Vu with his vestments.

The archbishop then anointed the palms of the new priests with holy oil as they knelt before him. Each newly ordained priest then received a chalice and paten from the archbishop. At the conclusion of the ordination rite sustained applause followed the archbishop's embrace of his newest priests.

During the offertory procession the gifts were brought to the altar by Jane Fleming, niece of Father Fleming; Regina Hennessy, mother of Father Hennessy; Annette Dorries, mother of Father Howren; Maria de Rocha, mother of Father Rocha and Anna Quy Thi Vu, mother of Father Vu.

The newly ordained priests concelebrated Mass with their priestly brothers for the first time. Each shared a part in the recitation of the Eucharistic prayer. The new priests offered the Eucharist to friends and family as they stood in long lines before them to receive the sacrament.

After the celebration the new priests gave first blessings and hugs to those who had attended their ordination. A bountiful reception supplied by the Serra Clubs followed the Mass.

Family members stood behind the crowds seeking out the newly ordained priests reflecting with quiet pride upon the years they spent nurturing their son's call to the priesthood.

"I will never forget the Thanksgiving dinner in 1988 when John told us he wanted to enter the seminary," said David Dorries, Father Howren's stepfather. "At first we were caught a little off guard by his announcement; at the same time his mother and I could see that he had the characteristics necessary for a vocation to the priesthood. He will be a strong leader for the Church. His love for music, his philosophy of liturgy and his trust in the Holy Spirit will be his greatest strengths as he ministers to people throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta."

Father Howren's guests also included four Felician Sisters, two of whom are his great aunts, from Lodi, N.J.

"We've been praying for this day for years," said Sister Ramona, Father Howren's great aunt. "We are so proud of him."

Father Fleming's mother, Margaret, wearing a corsage that her son had sent her in honor of the special occasion, beamed with pride as her son gave first blessings to his seven brothers, one sister and their respective families.

"I always thought that with eight boys one of them might become a priest," Mrs. Fleming said. "At least the odds were in our favor. I had about given up on that notion, and then Dan told us that he wanted to enter the seminary. My husband and I are so proud of our son. We're so happy to be able to share this day with him."

Members of the Vietnamese community embraced Father Vu, his mother and stepfather, who just moved to the United States last year and are in the process of learning English. Parishioners from Our Lady of Vietnam Mission wore red roses and spoke to them in their native language while posing for photos with the newly ordained priest. Members of Our Lady of Vietnam Choir, wearing native dress sang the communion meditational hymn, "Cam Men Hong An." Approximately 100 people from the Vietnamese community attended the ordination Mass and were planning to attend Father Vu's first mass at the mission that evening.

"This is a day for celebrating," said Msgr. Phuong. "Peter began his studies for the priesthood in Vietnam but was unable to complete them because the Communists closed his seminary. He came to the U.S. so that he could fulfill his dream of becoming a priest. Today we all watched that dream become a reality. We are so proud of him."

Father Rocha handed out holy cards to all those at the reception. His parents, Maria de Rocha and Juan Rocha of Bogota, Colombia, happily watched as their son gave out first blessings and was embraced by parishioners of Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta.

"When I first met Carlos he was a seminarian at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary and had been assigned to Sacred Heart Catholic Church for a six month pastoral assignment prior to his ordination to the diaconate," said J. Scott Carlyle, a seminarian who worked at Sacred Heart Church with Father Rocha. "I found Carlos to be a good friend with a fine sense of humor. He was always ready to offer encouragement and support to those in need and was much loved by members of our Hispanic community at Sacred Heart. Carlos has adapted very well to life in Atlanta and will be capable of ministering to both English speaking and Spanish-speaking communities with equal effectiveness."

Father Hennessy's line for first blessing was so long that he was unable to attend the reception or remove his ceremonial vestments. He often would spend five to ten minutes praying with people who had special intentions.

"Tom has always been a very caring person and I think that really showed today," said his mother Regina Hennessy. "During the last four years we all have watched him grow so much personally and spiritually. Because of his time in the military he has an appreciation and understanding of people from many different cultures. We feel very fortunate to be able to be so close to him as he begins his ministry."