A shorter version of this story appeared in our July, 2018 print edition.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr ordained Fathers Craig Best, Jarred Kohn, Andrew Smith and Jacob Willig to the priesthood May 19 during a joyous Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains. Concelebrating were Bishop Joseph R. Binzer, Father Steve Angi, chancellor, Father Jan Schmidt, cathedral rector, Father Anthony Brausch, seminary rector, and the priest faculty of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.

The Rite of Ordination took place after the Gospel reading, at which time the candidates for the priesthood were called by name to express their readiness to be ordained. Father Brausch presented the candidates to the archbishop and testified to their worthiness. After questioning the rector, Archbishop Schnurr “elected” or consented to ordain the candidates. The people present then showed their approval of the candidates with applause.

During his homily, Archbishop Schnurr noted that families are “God’s special instruments in nurturing and sustaining the vocational call. This requires prayer, great love and generosity,” he said. “For this reason, I give special acknowledgement and special thanks to the family members of the candidates for Holy Orders. The generosity of these candidates in responding faithfully to the will of God is a reflection of the generosity that was experienced, learned and fostered in the domestic church, that is in the home and family. The local church of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati owes a debt of gratitude to all of you, candidates and family members.”

“The happiness of priesthood lies in recognizing that he is called personally by Christ, and it means recognizing that the people for whom he has pastoral responsibility have been entrusted to him by Jesus Christ,” the archbishop told those gathered. “The heart of the priesthood lies in the inextricable connection between love of Christ and love of our people.”

To the ordinands, Archbishop Schnurr said, “Craig, Jarred, Andy and Jacob: on behalf of your soon-to-be fellow priests, I welcome you into the Order of the Priesthood. Know of our prayers, know of the prayers of all the faithful of this archdiocese, as you begin your priestly service to God and His people.”

The Promise of the Elect followed the homily, at which time the archbishop questioned the candidates about their intentions to serve the people of God and perform their ministry as ordained priests. The candidates then renewed their promises of obedience and respect to the archbishop and his successors.

During the invitation to prayer and litany of supplication, the candidates prostrated themselves as the assembly sang the ancient prayer of the church, asking the saints to pray for God’s blessing upon the men. Archbishop Schnurr laid his hands on the heads of the candidates in silence, followed by the concelebrating priests. The archbishop then offered a solemn prayer, which praised and thanked God for His unfailing gift of ministry to the church and asked for the gift of the Spirit for ministry upon these the candidates. At its conclusion, the assembly responded with a resounding, “Amen.”

The newly ordained were vested with the eucharistic garments of their office, the stole and the chasuble. The archbishop anointed the hands of each new priest with sacred chrism and each received a chalice and paten. The Mass then proceeded with the new priests concelebrating at the altar.

The Mass was followed by a reception hosted by the Serra Club in the cathedral undercroft, where the new priests greeted family members and friends and offered blessings.

For our feature about ordination traditions, click here. For more ordination coverage, including same-day coverage, search “ordination.”)