Tarquinia, (ROMA). It was a celebration in Paradise which took place in the Romanesque Church of St. Francis in Tarquinia, Rome last March 25, 2009. It was the sacerdotal ordination of five priests of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Burke, archbishop emeritus of St. Louis and prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

After arriving at the Church, his eminence paused for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in few minutes in adoration before heading towards the sacristy for the ceremony of “vesting of the liturgical vestments” prescribed in the Roman Pontifical.

From the church’s pews one can experience an atmosphere of particular grace : on the altar of the sanctuary decorated with flowers and embellished with candles; on the left side one can see the Bishop’s throne; on the other side were pews for the numerous priests present for the celebration. The rest at the back were the choir and the people. The bell announcing the entrance procession from the sacristy was heard. The organ Mascioni had sounded Bach’s Toccata Dorica. All who are present looked towards the main door to gaze at the procession of the Cross, and then the ministers, the deacons and subdeacons, the servers and ultimately, the Archbishop. What a spectacle to contemplate the procession with solemnity almost like an experience of heaven. From one’s heart spontaneously springs a great gratitude to His Holiness Benedict XVI giving anew to the Church the opportunity to celebrate again according to the extraordinary rite which constitutes the ancient splendor of our faith. The friars’ choir intoned the Introit Vultum tuum, while before the altar the prayer at the foot of the altar began. Then the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Reading which was sung, the Gradual, the Tract and Gospel. It was followed by a brief homily by His Excellency in which he exhorted the five ordinandi with fatherly tone yet with firmness: “Be you faithful to Pope Benedict XVI! Do not fear those who try to destroy the Church!” After the homily, the rite of Ordination began, according to the Pontificale Romanum, compiled by Guglielmo Durando (c. 1230-1296), great canonist of the 13th century. It was to him that the composition of the Pontificale Romanum can be attributed for the use of the Catholic Church until the liturgical reform of Vatican II.

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The call of the Assisting Priest of the ordinandi, vested in piviale, was followed by the admonition of the Bishop to them: “Be strengthened to receive worthily the Sacred Order and to exercise it with praise.” After the admonition, five deacons were prostrated to the ground while two friars knelt at the center of presbytery, began the chanting of the Litany of the saints. Many were moved to tears at the moment when the Bishop laid his hands on each ordinandi and was followed by all priests present. The sacredness of those moments in which the Holy Spirit, by means of the Bishop and the priests, descended upon these five Deacons, has been extended as well to the faithful with an abundance of extraordinary sanctifying grace. Msgr. Burke chanted with solemnity and with his hands folded over his chest a long prayer: “Send, we implore you, omnipotent Father, in these your servants, the dignity of the Priesthood, renew in their being your Spirit of holiness….” Every ordinandi presented themselves before his Excellency with his mitre on his head, and each one receives from him the stole while the bishop says: ”Receive the yoke of the Lord: the yoke which is easy and the burden which is light.” Then he imposed upon each one of them the chasuble (pianeta) saying: ”Receive the sacerdotal vestment, which signifies charity of God that allows you to grow in charity and perfect work.” While everyone remained kneeling, the Bishop intoned the solemn consecratory prayer, at the end of which he faced the altar, genuflected and intoned the Veni Creator Spiritus; and it was continued with majestic polyphony by the friars’ choir.

Afterwards, after removing his glove and pontifical ring, the Bishop while seated, anointed with the oil the hands of each by making a sign of the cross and binding it with a white purificator. Then he gave each one of them the chalice with wine and water and the paten with host. Guglielmo Durando writes:

”The hands of the priest are anointed by the Bishop, to render them holy and to transmit, through the Holy Spirit the power and the grace to consecrate…. And their hands are anointed with oil in order to accomplish all works of mercy in favor of men: in fact it is in the hands of the priest one can find the meaning of such works together with the oil of mercy. Moreover, the hands were anointed with oil so that it will become generous in offering to God the Victim for our sins…”

At this time the Bishop, after washing his hands, intoned the Responsorium Jan non dicam vos servos, followed by the Schola, while the Ordinandi professed their faith by reciting the Symbulum Apostolii before the Bishop. Seated on his chair, the bishop imposed his hands to each one of them, conferring to them the power to absolve sins with the words: ”Receive the Holy Spirit, whoever sins you remit will be remitted, whoever you retained will be retained. The Mass continued as usual and concluded with the solemn blessing by the Bishop to each newly ordained while saying the brief exhortation to the new priests: ”Dearest children, consider attentively the Order you have just received and the weight of yoke placed upon your shoulder: live a holy way of life with generosity and fullness to please the omnipotent God in order to receive His Grace which He deigned to grant you out of His mercy.” Everyone stood up with great joy and with majestic polyphonic voice sung Angelus Domini, during which the sisters united themselves with the friars in thanking the Immaculata for the sublime gift of the five newly ordained priests. How one can express the beauty of such celebration which lasted for three hours where in reality they seemed to be only three minutes. The new priests descended from the sanctuary and the faithful with friars and sisters came to kiss their hands in veneration.

The presence of the Bishop, the successor of the Apostles, and of the entire Church, representing the Vicar of Christ, the Pope; the numerous priests, symbol of the richness of the Catholic Church’s ministry, the many friars, sisters and religious, testimony of the eschatological reality which is most often forgotten today; the ministers and assistants at the altar, who are like Angels ready to listen to the voice of the Lord; the Gregorian chant and classical polyphony which embellish its proper place, the Holy Mass; the faithful present in great number, image of elected People who searches and thirsts for truth and genuine and pure faith; finally, the rite, that extraordinary rite according to the Pontificale Romanum, rich in history, rich in tradition, rich in true music, rich, above all in the sacredness of the mystery being celebrated--- can they not increase in the hearts of the Christian the flame of love to Him who merits, in this earth, as in heaven, every honor, veneration, praise and glory?

Translated and edited from the original Italian by Fr. Martin Mary, FI

Source: Il Settiminale di Padre Pio