Twenty-five young men, all students at Saint Mary Seminary who are advancing in their formation for the priesthood, were admitted to candidacy during a Mass on March 23 in Resurrection Chapel at the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe. They are entering their final years of priestly formation. Some will be ordained as transitional deacons next month. Ordination to the priesthood for that class will be in spring 2019.
Bishop Nelson Perez was the principal celebrant. Concelebrants included priests from the seminary faculty, pastors of the seminarians? parishes, ordained family members and friends of the seminarians being admitted to candidacy. Filling the rest of the chapel were their family, friends and fellow Borromeo (undergraduate) seminarians.
Bishop emeritus Anthony Pilla also attended.
Those who were admitted to candidacy represent parishes from throughout the Diocese of Cleveland, as well as three from the Diocese of Youngstown and one from the Archdiocese of Daegu, South Korea. The Cleveland diocese has a partnership with these dioceses to train their seminarians for the priesthood.
Admitted to candidacy from the Diocese of Cleveland and their parishes were Ryan Michael Arto, St. Francis de Sales, Akron; Michael Joseph Bedell, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cuyahoga Falls; Michael Joseph Crookston, St. Sebastian, Akron; Ian William Kelly, St. Charles Borromeo, Parma; Joseph Daniel Menkhaus Jr., St. Monica, Garfield Heights; Cameron David Popik, St. Adalbert, Berea; Scott Edward Swinerton, St. Mary of the Falls, Olmsted Falls; David Michael Verbsky, St. Mary, Chardon; James Thornton Winnings, St. Dominic, Shaker Heights; Alexander Vincent Clark, St. Francis de Sales, Akron; Joseph Patrick Robinson, Mary Queen of the Apostles, Brook Park; Benjamin Matthew Schweigert, Queen of Heaven, Uniontown; Alexander Charles Spenik, Mother of Sorrows, Akron; Joshua James Cochrac, St. Mary of the Falls, Olmsted Falls; Martin James Dober, St. Mary, Berea; Kevin Jerome Fox, St. Justin Martyr, Eastlake; Andrew John Gonzalez, St. Mary of the Falls, Olmsted Falls; Michael Arthur Petkosek, St. Peter, Lorain; Danile Martin Samide, St. Mary, Hudson; David Alexander Stavarz, St. Francis de Sales, Akron; and Joshua Francis Trefney, St. Ladislas, Westlake.
Those from the Diocese of Youngstown and their parishes are Connor James Hetzel, St. Charles Borromeo, Boardman; Chad Edward Johnson, St. Peter, Canton; and Brook Martin Benedict, Our Lady of Peace, Ashtabula.
The candidate from the Archdiocese of Daegu is John Inwoo Jeong, St. Andrew Kim, Cleveland.
Candidates work dark suits, dress shirts and ties as they processed into the chapel and filled the first rows in the main portion of the church and one nave. Clergy members filled the other nave.
In his homily, Bishop Perez recalled his own admission to candidacy more than 30 years ago. ?Where are the scissors?? he quipped, noting that in earlier times, the candidates were tonsured, meaning some of their hair was cut, during the liturgy.
He told the candidates their strength comes from their relationship with the Lord.
