Homily for the Priestly Ordination of Isaac Joseph McCracken
May 24, 2025
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Numbers 11:11b-12, 14-17, 24-25
Psalm 111:1, 2, 3, 4
Acts 20:17-18a, 28-32, 36
John 12:24-26
In today’s second reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear Saint Paul’s farewell address to the local Church of Ephesus gathered together: Apostles, presbyters, and faithful. Saint Paul with a heart full of hope directly instructs the presbyters of Ephesus, “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that He acquired with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group men will come forth perverting the truth to draw the disciples away from them.”
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Homily for Priestly Ordination of Rev. Benjamin Grothouse and Rev. Eric Flores
May 18, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Jeremiah 1:4-9
Psalm 116:12-13, 17-18
1 Timothy 4:12-16
Luke 10:1-9
Bishop Michael Olson’s homily in English begins at paragraph 3.
El evento real de la ordenación sacerdotal ocurre en silencio en la imposición de las manos. Es un gesto sencillo pero lleno de significado. Por medio de este gesto silencioso, una comunión ocurre entre el Señor y el que va a ser ordenado por medio del obispo, el presbiterado y toda la iglesia. Es decir que el Señor los agarra a ustedes; acepta su disponibilidad que acaban de expresar. Es como si esté diciendo, “Tú eres mío. Y tus caminos deben llegar a ser mis caminos. Esta comunión se expresa tan radicalmente que la persona de Cristo—su “Yo”—se identifica por medio de la persona del sacerdote: “Este es mi cuerpo.” “Yo te absuelvo de tus pecados.”
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Homily for Priestly Ordination
of Fr. Randolph Ed Hopkins, Fr. Brandon LeClair, and Fr. Austin Hoodenpyle
May 20, 2023
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Numbers 11:11b-12, 14-17, 24-25 (English)
Psalm 116
1 Timothy 4:12-16 (Spanish)
John 10:11-16 (English)
El evento real de la ordenación sacerdotal ocurre en silencio en la imposición de las manos. Es un gesto sencillo pero lleno de significado. Por medio de este gesto silencioso, una comunión ocurre entre el Señor y el que va a ser ordenado por medio del obispo, el presbiterado y toda la iglesia. Es decir que el Señor los agarra a ustedes; acepta su disponibilidad que acaban de expresar. Es como si esté diciendo, “Tú eres mío. Y tus caminos deben llegar a ser mis caminos. Esta comunión se expresa tan radicalmente que la persona de Cristo—su “Yo”—se identifica por medio de la persona del sacerdote: “Este es mi cuerpo.” “Yo te absuelvo de tus pecados.”
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate.” This gesture of the imposition of hands enjoys a great deal of emphasis in the pastoral epistles of Saint Paul. We have just heard it proclaimed in Spanish in our second reading whereby Paul speaks to Timothy of this great gift that Timothy has received through the imposition of hands of the presbyterate. Paul will return to this focus when he writes to Timothy in the first chapter of his second epistle, “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God: that you have through the imposition of my hands.”
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Homily for the Priestly Ordination of Fr. Pedro Martinez
Photo by NTC/Juan Guajardo
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Homily for the Priestly Ordination of Fr. Pedro Martinez
June 29, 2020
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
Keller, Texas
Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 34:2-9
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16:13-19
Life on the Chrism Trail 