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BY PRISCILLA GREEAR
Staff Writer
DULUTH--On the clear, bright morning of June 19, three men from different
nations came together at the Church of St. Benedict to be ordained as priestly
shepherds for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Rev. Mr. Joseph Liem Nguyen from Vietnam,
Rev. Mr. Fabio Sotelo-Peña from Colombia,
South America, and Rev. Mr. John Durkin, Jr., from
Pennsylvania processed into the church for the Mass and rite of ordination
celebrated by Archbishop John F. Donoghue. Among the more than 50 priests
concelebrating the Mass were Dom Bernard M. Johnson, OCSO, abbot of the
Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, and Father David Talley, archdiocesan
director of vocations. Deacon Whitney Robichaux was master of ceremonies.
Approximately 850 gathered to support the candidates for ordination, coming
from as far away as Colombia and California.
Scripture readings were in Vietnamese, Spanish and English, reflecting the
native tongues of the candidates.
As Christ saves the lost and protects the faithful, Archbishop Donoghue
described in his homily how priests follow Christ’s example and share a
special responsibility for the safety and prosperity of God’s people. The
archbishop said priests must be devoted to defending and understanding the
truth of Christ and must have exemplary certainty of faith, which is every
baptized person’s surest protection against evil.
“The priest must be the lens whereon the light of truth is focused for
the sight of any and every believer,” he said. “In order for the
light to shine through him ... the priest must be polished to a state of
clarity, of clear and transparent understanding ... by the Catechism, by the
wisdom of the saints and by the knowledge of the great thinkers and preservers
of the Church’s Tradition.”
He said priests must be loyal on a daily basis to their primary duty to
offer the sacrifice of the Mass, uniting Christ’s body to mankind through
the Eucharist.
“By this banquet which only they can offer, all graces are given, and
all charity, all good work, is begun.”
The archbishop said that priests sacrifice much in their lifelong commitment
to God, giving up the human comforts of wife and family.
“So long as the sheep may graze, he (the priest) must be there --
watching over them, leading them from pasture to pasture, clearing the way
before them, and with vigilance, holding their enemies at bay,” he said.
“But what a grace he gains in exchange -- the grace of knowing in his
heart and soul an intimate imitation of the Son of God, the truest Shepherd
Jesus Christ, and the unique fraternity that Christ’s ordained priests
come to share.”
During the solemn rite of ordination, the candidates affirmed their intent
to serve in the order of priests with a clear conscience and prayerful spirit
and to obey and respect the archbishop and his successors. The archbishop then
called on all present to pray for the candidates who prostrated themselves in
humble prayer before the altar.
The archbishop laid hands on each candidate, signifying the conferral of the
Holy Spirit and ordaining them. Following the archbishop’s silent prayer,
each of the priests present then laid hands on the candidates.
After the archbishop’s prayer of consecration, which completed the
action of ordination, chosen friends and family members vested the newly
ordained priests with chasubles and stoles. The archbishop then anointed their
hands with chrism to signify the priest’s ministry of healing, sanctifying
and offering prayer for God’s people.
Relatives then presented gifts of bread and wine to the archbishop. With a
welcoming spirit, he and the other priests then hugged the newly ordained
priests.
As Tuan Nguyen directed the Vietnamese Choir of Holy Cross Church, Atlanta,
the archbishop, the newly ordained and the other priests gathered around the
altar for the Eucharist. Throughout the Mass, St. Benedict’s traditional
choir, directed by Paul Tate, provided music.
Following the ceremony, Father Durkin said that he is eager to administer
the sacraments and remain faithful in prayer for the glory of God and to be
obedient to the church’s needs as a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann
Church in Lilburn.
“I’m just looking forward to what the Lord wants me to do and the
main thing is to be obedient to what the church wants, not to put my opinions
forward, which will be the hardest thing,” he said, adding that “I
love and yearn to preach God’s word.”
Father Durkin, 41, said he first seriously considered his vocation five
years ago on the feast day of the Blessed Mother, to whom he has always had a
strong devotion. He decided to fully give his life to Christ at 35 after
reading an encyclical addressing the radical Gospel challenging the rich man to
give up his earthly riches and follow Christ.
After accepting his call to the priesthood, Father Durkin, who has a
master’s degree as an English teacher, said he later doubted his calling
for one week while in his pastoral year at St. Peter’s Church, LaGrange.
He was considering a return to his 12-year teaching career. Then a policeman
brought a crack addict to him who was considering suicide. Durkin affirmed
Christ’s love to the addict and from that point on his acceptance of a
priestly vocation solidified.
“(The addict) came in and I knew that there wasn’t anything I
could do, but that the Lord was working through me to help him; and I saw,
it’s more fun to have the Lord working through me than to get lost on your
own and to try to build your own reality, which isn’t a reality at
all.”
John Durkin, Sr., a North Carolina resident, said that he thought of his
late father during his son’s ordination.
“He just would be so happy to see Jack and what he’s doing.
I’m really happy he’s where he wants to be in life.”
He believes his son will be a great teacher and preacher, with a preaching
style similar to that of a Baptist minister.
“He’s always been a good person and I think he influenced other
people to be good before he even thought about becoming a priest. When he
studies religion he goes into it very deeply and I think he can carry that
sincerity to other people.”
Father Durkin’s best friend from college, Birney Bull, accompanied by
his daughter and Father Durkin’s goddaughter, said that he was raised in
the Episcopal church and his friend was instrumental in his conversion to
Catholicism. Father Durkin invited him to Mass every Sunday at college and
taught him the faith.
“If I had questions ... he had a lot of knowledge. He was my first
really close friend who was Catholic so I learned a huge amount about the faith
from him. If it weren’t for Jack I wouldn’t even know the use of a
scapular,” he said.
“He has a superior mind and yet he’s very compassionate and
empathetic. He’s able to pick out the salient part of the experience that
parishioners or people who come to him for counseling are relating to
him.”
Father Sotelo-Peña also expressed his eagerness to serve others
during his first assignment at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.
“I feel at home because I have looked forward to this for a long time
and finally I’ve arrived. It’s a great joy for me, for my family, for
the people of God. I know this is a big responsibility and I accept it with
love, deep love,” he said. “I want to be a priest because I want to
serve his people. I feel a peace in my heart.”
Father Sotelo-Peña, 34, recalled how he went through a crisis for a
year where he questioned his vocation. After completing a master’s degree
in philosophy and literature in Colombia, he came to America for seminary and
felt stronger in his calling after seeing the great need for more priests here.
He hopes to serve as a bridge between the Hispanic and Anglo communities,
helping Hispanics as they face the differences in American culture. He wants to
sharpen his English skills and cultural understanding as well.
“My goal is to be more comfortable with everyone because I want to
serve everyone without limits,” he said.
Father Sotelo-Peña’s brother, Oscar, who made the trip from
Colombia, said his brother is the first person in many years in his family to
become a priest and that he had that desire since he was 16. He said he has
taught their family about faith and brought more unity among them.
“I know that he is very devoted. He is a hundred percent
dedicated,” he said.
Father Padea Claudio Pinzón, also from Colombia, is pastor of Father
Sotelo-Peña’s hometown parish in Boyacá. Only days after his
ordination, Father Sotelo-Peña traveled to Colombia to celebrate Mass
there. Father Pinzón was also director of Vida Pastoral magazine
where Father Sotelo-Peña worked after making temporal vows to enter the
Society of St. Paul religious order. Father Pinzón described Father
Sotelo-Peña as very happy, very enthusiastic and very spiritual.
“(He was) very well liked by the fathers of the community. The
community felt a lot the loss of (Father Sotelo-Peña) because he was a
very valuable member of the community.”
Kim Phan Tran, the mother of Father Nguyen, came to the ordination from Ohio
with about 30 friends and family members. While a friend translated, she said
in Vietnamese that she was very proud and happy that God had called her oldest
son to the priesthood. She said he has always helped people, having served as a
Boy Scout leader, traveling to Vietnam last summer to help those with
disabilities and having collected money as a youth to support the disabled.
Father Nguyen’s youngest sister, Van, 25, also affirmed her
brother’s concern for others. She said he has taught her and her family
about Christ, love and God’s presence in the world. She asks her
brother’s counsel on her struggles in daily life.
“Sometimes I struggle and I ask him almost every week to help me to
(improve) my life.”
Lieu Nguyen, a Vietnamese who attended the ordination with her husband and
four children, met Father Nguyen at St. Pius X Church in Conyers where he did a
summer pastoral internship. She said that at St. Pius he collected money for
the disabled in Vietnam and that “he played guitar. He’s very
talented. I think he’ll be very helpful for the Vietnamese community
because he has a lot of ideas.”
Father Nguyen, 39, will serve as a parochial vicar at St. Michael’s
Church, Gainesville.
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