More than 1,000 people filled the grand ballroom at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven on March 18 for the 34th annual Bishop?s Seminary Brunch.
The event began during Bishop Anthony Pilla?s tenure as bishop of Cleveland and continued through Bishop Richard Lennon?s episcopacy. This is the first year Bishop Nelson Perez, who was installed as bishop of Cleveland in September, participated in the event.
A brief video featuring the Avilas, who pray for vocations; the Serra Clubs, who support priestly vocations; school children from around the diocese and the Parents of Priests organization, welcomed Bishop Perez to the diocese.
Nearly 80 young men are information for the priesthood at Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries. According to Tom and Ginny Barnish, who chaired the event for the past three years, its purpose is to help support the seminarians both financially and prayerfully. The Barnishes are the parents of Father Jeffrey Barnish, parochial vicar at St. Bernadette Parish, Westlake. He was ordained in 2015.
This year, four men will be ordained as priests on May 19: three for service to the Diocese of Cleveland and one for the Congregation of St. Joseph. Also, nine men will be ordained as transitional deacons on April 27.
Bishop Perez said he was pleased to attend the brunch to lend his support to the seminarians and priests.
?There are lots of service ministries in the Church,? he said, listing lay ecclesial ministers, music ministers, ministers of the Word, Catholic school teachers, etc. ?But the role of a priest is singular. Priests set the Eucharistic table for us,? he said.
The bishop noted that priests offer their lives to the Church ?with great generosity of heart.?
He said he finds the Church of Cleveland to be spirit-filled, which elicited applause. ?You know a tree by its fruit. This diocese is filled with history, with Catholic values deeply rooted in the Catholic faith and the fruit of all these is vocations. It was incredible when I came here and learned there were nearly 80 men in the seminary, including 60-some for our diocese,? the bishop said. Several religious orders and the Diocese of Youngstown also send young men to the seminaries here for priestly formation. Cleveland also has a relationship with the Archdiocese of Daegu, South Korea, and some seminarians travel here for formation.
Nineteen men will be ordained between 2017 and 2019, the bishop said, adding, ?Cleveland is the envy of many dioceses. Some dioceses, including some that are much larger, don?t have that many (19) enrolled in their seminaries. We need to keep this going,? he said, offering thanks to those who support vocations.
He acknowledged the role the parents of priests of priests play by giving their sons to the Church. He mentioned Father Steve Flynn, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Gates Mills, where the bishop celebrated Mass earlier that day.
?He?s a young pastor
