During a liturgy on Feb. 9 in Sacred Heart Chapel at the Center for Pastoral Leadership, seven Saint Mary seminarians took another step in their formation for the priesthood when Bishop Edward Malesic instituted them in the ministry of acolyte.
Five of the men are from the Diocese of Cleveland:
- Sean Christopher Home of St. Stephen Parish in Cleveland
- Alexander William Krukemeyer of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Tallmadge
- William Joseph Reed of St. Helen Parish in Newbury
- Joshua Storm Stecz of St. Francis De Sales Parish in Akron and
- Joseph Damian Rohan of St. Joseph Parish in Cuyahoga Falls.
Two are from the Diocese of Youngstown:
- Daniel Joseph LaPolla of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Warren and
- Craig Justin Ziobert of Our Lady of Carmel Basilica in Youngstown.
Concelebrants included Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost and Father Andy Turner, seminary president/rector.
Instituted acolytes have the responsibility to assist priests and deacons in carrying out their liturgical ministry. They serve as special ministers of the Eucharist, may distribute Communion to the faithful at Mass, to the sick and they can expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. Acolytes have a special relationship to the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Church’s life.
(See photo gallery above.)
The bishop recalled a tweet the previous week in which the Sesame Street character Elmo asked how everyone was doing. The inquiry went viral with more than 12,000 people responding. Many replied by saying they were tired or at their lowest, which the bishop said was much like Elijah who prayed for death as he sat under a tree.
These sentiments of sorrowful resignation are visible on many each day, he said, but “hopefully, not so much in here. It is a reminder that we must constantly be aware of our own spiritual temperature,” he said, adding we must ask ourselves how we are doing.
“When we find we need some healing, we know that Jesus is ready to provide for us, if we only ask and are willing to receive it from him,” the bishop said.
The previous week’s Gospel told the story of Peter’s mother-in-law who had been ill until Jesus healed her. After that, she began serving those in her house.
“The desire to serve is the greatest sign that we have encountered Jesus, who makes us whole, In fact, if we don’t want to serve others out of live, we haven’t found healing just yet – and we say, ‘Elmo, we are tired.’” The bishop said.
The seven men installed as acolytes have come to believe in the real presence of Jesus, he said, and his love present in the Eucharistic sacrifice. “These men are inspiring us to have the Catholic faith they have – that Jesus is the bread of life come down from heaven. He is the cup of salvation for the world. They have felt his healing forgiveness and the grace of his redemption. Now, in turn, they are ready to serve us as acolytes of the altar – a sign of their divine encounter,” the bishop added.
He said he must ask ourselves if Jesus is the source of true happiness for us, if we believe he can give happiness to those who are struggling in their daily lives and if we believe that if we give ourselves to Christ asking for help, if he will be our source of happiness.
When reading the beginning of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in the Word on Fire Bible, the bishop said, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God …” understood that he was following someone else’s agenda – God’s – not his own. “Paul was not setting his own path, God is doing the calling,” he added.
The bishop told the men being instituted into the ministry of acolyte that they are part of a higher divine will. During their spiritual journey, he said they were asked to become servants of Jesus and the people he loves, the Church.
“You have come to find happiness in giving yourselves over to Jesus present in the Eucharist. We see the security of your faith in your desire to serve. It is a sign of your divine encounter with him. While many people are looking for happiness somewhere else and not finding it, you are saying to Jesus, ‘Master, to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,’” the bishop said.
He told the seven new acolytes that in their own witness to the love “that comes forth from the medicine of immortality – the Eucharist – you are pointing us and others in the direction of Jesus, our salvation and our hope. He is our happiness. Your calling by God is to point us in the right direction. To do that, you must never take your eye off of him, especially Jesus present in the Eucharist,” he added.
The bishop also read from the ritual for the institution of acolytes, explaining the ministry.
“You should seek to understand the deep spiritual meaning of what you do, so that you may offer yourselves daily to God as spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Jesus Christ,” the ritual said.
The new acolytes also were told they should have “a sincere love for Christ’s mystical body, God’s holy people and especially for the weak and the sick,” the ritual said, adding they should “Love one another as I have loved you.”