ORDINATION OF OUR FATHER ANTOINE
It is with joy that we announce the priestly ordination of our Brother Antoine, on the feast of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, on June 29, in France, by Cardinal Gérard-Louis Müller.
The model of the monk priest is Saint John at the foot of the Cross, and, like the beloved disciple, he exercises his priesthood through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother and model of the contemplative life. Both lived the mystery of the Cross of Jesus in silence and adoration of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Thus, as Dom Gérard said: the monk is a worshiper of God and a saviour of souls. Indeed, by the daily and silent offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the monk priest, although not devoting himself to the external apostolate, accomplishes the essential Work of the Catholic priesthood, the Holy Sacrifice being the inexhaustible source of all graces.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, so be it
My Reverend Father, my dear brothers,
“Joy, joy, joy, weep for joy”, these words of Blaise Pascal, after his conversion, cannot they also translate the feelings of the priest who has just been ordained?
Yes, my brothers, yesterday’s beautiful ceremony, on this feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, is still very much present in our minds, and it is with all my heart that I give thanks to Our Lord for having been called, despite my unworthiness, to the grace of the priesthood, which is, said Mgr. Ollier, priest of Saint-Sulpice, “the highest participation in the holiness of God and his sovereignty over creatures.” That’s quite a program!
Let me first express my deep gratitude to our dear Reverend Father Prior, Father Jehan, for this call to the priesthood. In these troubled times, the Church, assailed to the heart of its faith represented by the traditional Liturgy and in particular the holy sacrifice of the Mass, our Father Prior has courageously and perseveringly kept intact what he received and transmitted to our community, and I thank him with all my heart.
I also wish to express my gratitude to the Superior General of the Institute of the Good Shepherd who, following the example of the divine master of his institute, had the kindness to receive among his ordinands a sheep who was not from his fold but who had been looking for a good-natured shepherd for a long time; and finally, although she is not present, I warmly thank our Benedictine nuns of the Immaculate who prayed so much for the advent of this happy day, and worked hard to make the altar linen for the new priest; thanks also to all our Oblates, friends and benefactors, who supported us with their prayer and affection.
My dear brothers, we all need the graces of God and it is through prayer that we can obtain them, and where will we find a more sublime prayer than the Holy Mass? It is indeed from the Mass that come to us the graces of salvation which sanctify and elevate us. The Mass is also the sweetest consolation of the Christian in this land of exile, which is why ordinations are a reason for joy and thanksgiving for the whole Church. We must therefore pray for priestly vocations, especially in our time of apostasy and atheism or abandonment of the faith. In the ages of faith, vocations were numerous and Christian families were proud to have a priest among their children.
Let us ask our Lord to revive the faith of all his children, that it may spread everywhere and that it may awaken a growing zeal for the worship of God, the one of which the Church speaks in the collect of this Sunday: “O Almighty God… pour out in our hearts the love of your Name and increase in us the virtue of religion…” May God raise up many priestly vocations for the honour of his Holy Name and the salvation of souls.
Amen!
