|
BY ERIKA ANDERSON
Staff Writer
DUNWOODY--Family and friends filled All Saints Church to capacity Dec. 12 to
celebrate the final steps to the priesthood for two men and their first steps
in a new life of service to the church.
The fourth-degree honor guard of the Knights of Columbus, swords in hand,
stood on either side of the center aisle as Rev. Mr. Dennis Juan and Rev. Mr.
Augustine Tran processed to the altar, along with Archbishop John F. Donoghue
and dozens of concelebrating priests of the archdiocese.
As the two men listened intently, Archbishop Donoghue commended them on the
years of commitment and hard work that led to their ordination.
“Today, two very fine men, and friends to all Catholics of North
Georgia, are of their own hearts and minds, ready to take up this mantle of
service that the Lord has cast around His beloved, around His Church, so that
she may be cared for, for all time,” he said. “Through long years of
preparation, and across countless moments of self-examination, they have
journeyed now to the moment of certainty, the moment of self-giving, the moment
when the fullness of Christ’s Sacrament of Holy Orders will complete the
call they have heard, the call they have answered.”
The archbishop also prayed that those who will be served by the new priests
will benefit from their ministry.
“May these men-about-to-be-priests, find a joyful reception in the
hearts and homes of the Faithful, wherever the work of the Lord may call them
to serve, and may the whole Church, who rejoices in their Ordination, know for
many years to come, the benefits of their talents, and the comfort of their
friendship,” he said.
During the ordination rite, Father David Talley, archdiocesan director of
vocations, presented the candidates to the archbishop and the congregation, who
accepted them with applause. Then each knelt before the archbishop, pledging
respect and obedience to him and to his successors as chief shepherd of the
archdiocese in the years ahead.
As the two humbly prostrated themselves, the kneeling congregation asked in
song for the intercession of the saints on behalf of their priesthood.
Then in silence, the archbishop placed his hands on the head of each man
individually as he knelt before him, conferring ordination upon him. Each
priest present repeated this gesture of ordination.
Following the archbishop’s prayer of consecration, chosen friends and
family members helped to vest each new priest.
Father Talley assisted Father Tran. Father Juan was assisted by his mother,
Carmen, and by Father Serge Ward, pastor of Christ Our King and Savior Church,
Greensboro. Father Juan later said that having his mother help him vest as a
priest was the most moving part of the celebration. His father is deceased.
The archbishop also anointed the hands of the new priests in preparation for
celebrating the Eucharist for the first time.
“Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to
Him,” the archbishop prayed, giving each a chalice and paten.
After this prayer, Father Juan and Father Tran were embraced by their
brother priests and joined the archbishop on the altar.
Following Mass, joy and excitement was evident as the new priests processed
out of church and were greeted with applause from the other priests.
At a reception following the Mass, Father Tran and Father Juan gave first
blessings to their many supporters and friends.
Father Juan, 40, said he was both happy and relieved.
“I feel like I’ve reached what I wanted,” said the new
priest, a native of British Guyana, who studied for the priesthood in Colombia.
“I’ve reached my goal.”
More than 100 people from Christ Our King and Savior Church, where Father
Juan has served an internship since August 1997, traveled over an hour on buses
from Greensboro to support him with their presence.
Father Ward said that the parish has been blessed by Father Juan’s
ministry, which included developing Hispanic outreach in the parish and
community. and that it was important for his parishioners to be at the
ordination.
“It just shows how God has used him to touch people’s lives and
how he will continue to use him,” he said. “It was a great honor to
vest him, but what means the most to me is the support he has from the people
of God who really love him.”
Father Juan’s brother, Cedrick, one of four siblings, said that he saw
the seeds of a vocation to the priesthood when his brother was very young. He
said that he was overwhelmed by emotions during the ordination.
“It’s been a wonderful day,” he said. “I feel very
honored to be here and very proud of him. I know that he is going to be a great
influence on any community that he has to serve.”
Father Juan will serve in his first assignment as a parochial vicar at Holy
Family Church, Marietta.
A long line of supporters eager to receive first blessings also formed in
front of Father Tran, 30, who moved to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1974. He
completed his seminary formation at Pontifical North American College in Rome,
after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace
engineering from Notre Dame University and the Georgia Institute of Technology
respectively.
Father Tran will serve in his first assignment as a parochial vicar at St.
Theresa’s Church in Douglasville, where he has been assigned since July
for a pastoral internship.
Lisa Wheeler, parish youth minister, brought over 30 teens from the church
to witness the ordination.
“In (the teens’) own faith formation, at this point in their
lives, it is important for them to have the opportunity to experience an
ordination,” she said. “This is someone who is already beloved and to
watch him become a priest is really powerful for them as young people.”
Wheeler said that the parish, and especially the youth group, is thrilled
that Father Tran will continue to serve there.
“As far as youth ministry, he is totally committed. By far he has had
an unbelievable impact on the teens’ lives so far and it is something he
will continue to do,” she said. “He is a model of virtue for them and
he is young and passionate. They really admire his devotion to God and his
amazing devotion to Catholic tradition.”
Father Tran’s sister, Hao, one of four siblings, traveled from
Baltimore to attend her brother’s ordination.
“It’s an incredible day,” she said. “He’s worked
really hard and I feel very blessed to be here.”
Father Tran’s mother, Huong Pigulski, said that she was filled with
many emotions throughout the ordination.
“It’s just so wonderful,” she said. “I’m so proud
of him and I’m so glad that all these people are showing up to support
him. It was such a moving ceremony that I was overcome.”
|
