New priests address members of their future parish
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will ordain five men to the priesthood during the Rite of Ordination on Saturday, May 29, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. As is tradition, afterward, the Cardinal will meet individually with the new priests and give them their parish assignment.
Jersey Catholic caught up with the five priests-to-be recently and asked them what message they’d like to give to the members of your future parish? Their responses are below.
Gabriel Celis Camacho
“I am in awe with the fact that God finds me worthy of such a task. I only ask for your prayers that I may be holy and God-fearing.”
Luis Carlos Rodrigues de Araujo
“Courage, brothers, and sisters! We are not alone. Christ is with us, and he sends us angels to give us the Good News. Do not be afraid! The Scriptures says, ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Is 41:10) ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Rm 8:31)
Moris Montoya
“Please, pray for me that I may be a true instrument of God in your parish. As I approach Ordination to the priesthood, sometimes people ask me, what parish would you like to go to? To which I respond, I am open to where the Lord sends me. I go with an open heart where the Lord sends me. And I am confident that God will bless me with the people I will be serving, and I hope I can be a blessing for them as a priest.”
Christian G. Scalo
“I have one simple message that I would give to the members of my future parish: that they are beloved sons and daughters of God, who have been treasured in the heart of God since the beginning of time. We are so precious to God as His sons and daughters, and it is from this identity that we should live and act!
God understands all of the things we go through – the heartbreaks, failures, temptations, sufferings – and desires to walk with us each day on our journey of life. He wants to replace doubt with faith, fear with trust, and hopelessness with the hope of Eternal gladness that only He can give.
Even in those times that we may distance ourselves from God, God is always there, ready to embrace us and welcome us home. Jesus showed exactly that message throughout his public ministry – as he gathered people to Himself, always with love.
Our job is to have a posture of openness and faith – to courageously allow God to enter into our minds and hearts, in the places where we need his healing the most, so that we can be transformed into the people that He has called us all to become.”
Lynx J.M. Soliman
“I would say to the parishioners that I will serve that I am a sinful man, a son of Mary, who is in love with Jesus and His Church, and who looks forward to going deeper in our faith with you.
I would also like to bring Christ to the people in the parish territory who have been away from the Church and need the Gospel to be proclaimed to them anew. But I cannot do this alone. I need your help as evangelizers and missionaries so that as we deepen our trust in the Lord while daily giving ourselves over to Our Lady, we will be ready to work together in the vineyard the Father has sent us to.”
All are welcome to join in prayer and watch the livestream of the Rite of Ordination on the archdiocesan YouTube channel or Facebook page.
