The day I was ordained a priest is one that I will never forget. The day was May 21st, 2016. The event took place at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Toronto. Along with my ordination to the priesthood, four fellow Jesuits were ordained deacon.

                  It was a day that I had long prepared for, both through organizational preparations and through prayer, including on an eight day retreat. This thorough preparation contributed to how I experienced the day, I would say. At one point, prior to the big day, I had thought to myself: if I just get through this day, show up and do my part, and don’t experience it as amazing or as deeply consoling, that would be OK with me. In the end, thanks be to God, it turned out to be a pretty amazing and consoling experience. I was given the blessing of being present to the day and of enjoying it; and now, a while later, I remember a lot of what happened that day and a lot of my experience of the events. I will restrict my comments, here, to two or three of the more memorable moments.

                  That morning, upon arriving at the church, one of the first people I met was Fr. Doug McCarthy. Doug told me, as we chatted, that Rose Peltier had died the previous day. Doug and I had both known Rose from our time spent in Wikwemikong, on Manitoulin Island. Rose was a wise and saintly woman, and a leader of the local church community. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I had dreamed about Rose the night before she died. I shared this with Doug. Later in the day, someone else spoke to me about Rose’s recent death, and suggested that Rose was with us and looking down on us, on this day of the ordinations.

                  In the sacristy, prior to the Mass, I met Mike Robinson. Mike is a deacon and had travelled all the way from Thunder Bay, along with his wife Tammy, to be present for the celebration. I was grateful for, and cherished the presence of, guests of mine who had come from as far away as Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, the Manitoulin area, and Ottawa. Now, while Thunder Bay is not as far away as Winnipeg, Mike and Tammy had made the longest journey to be there, time-wise – as they had driven all the way to Toronto! I was glad to see Mike, but also heard from him some not too happy news: their van had just been towed, during the night. Welcome to the big city!

                  Later that day, I had a conversation with two old friends from Winnipeg, Marc and Kevin. During the course of this conversation, Kevin paid me a nice compliment; and, at the same time, he shared an insight related to life and meaning and vocation. He suggested that I had found my place in the world, had found the path through life that was right for me – and that this was a rare occurrence. He suggested that many people stumble into a certain career or a certain situation in life, without being sure about (or sometimes without even considering) whether the situation is the right one for them.

                  These conversations informed my experience of the ordination Mass and of the whole day. Hearing about Rose’s death was sad news; and yet memories and thoughts of her, including the thought of her being with us in spirit, warmed my heart. Similarly, hearing about a car being towed is not very pleasant news. Yet, Mike did not seem to be too upset about the incident; and I became even more grateful for the presence of friends who had taken the time, and taken on some expense, to be there with me. Talking with Marc and Kevin was an experience of confirmation of my vocation, and also a moment of recognition of how God can work and can direct us through life.

                  I pray that the graces received on this day, and the memories of it, will sustain me through my coming years of priestly ministry.

++++++++++++++++

Photos by Moussa Faddoul – fotoreflections.com