On Saturday morning, May 22, 2021, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household and Benedict XVI’s Secretary, ordained 27 priests of the Opus Dei’s Prelature in the Basilica of Saint Eugene in Rome. The Opus Dei’s Prelate, Monsignor Fernando Ocàriz attended the ceremony from the presbytery and imposed his hands on nine priests after the consecrating Bishop. Given the pandemic’s containment measures, attendance at the ceremony was restricted to a few family members of the new priests and some faithful. The ceremony was broadcast live on the Opus Dei’s site www.opusdei.org/live
Abide in Christ
In his homily, the Archbishop exhorted the new priests to “abide in Christ.” “At a time when there is so much talk of being progressives, you are asked to abide in Christ.” In a priest’s life, to walk away from Christ “doesn’t mean to progress but to decline.” “Progress in faith, in hope, and in love exists only when we abide in Christ and are faithful to His Word. One who receives priestly Ordination has decided to abide in the Lord,” he explained.
“No one becomes a priest alone. A priest is bound to the mandate that leads men to Jesus, encouraging them to live in Him and in His Word,” he added. For Monsignor Gänswein, “the most beautiful expression to describe a priest’s task is ‘a man that blesses.’ He can bless from the Lord. And this task implies the fact of putting one’s life under the mystery of the Cross with courage and humility.”
The Priest’s Mission
“It is pitiful when a priest or a Bishop doesn’t proclaim the Gospel forcefully and integrally but dispenses his own opinions or ideas,” said Archbishop Gänswein, who concluded his homily entrusting the 27 new priests to the Lord’s Mother. “Stay your whole life next to Our Lady: you will be protected under Her mantle because you will find yourselves in the shadow of Christ, in the light of the Resurrection. Being next to the Mother of God you will be in the right place.”
The Prelate’s Gratitude
Concluding the ceremony, Monsignor Fernando Ocàriz thanked Archbishop Gänswein for his presence, which leads us immediately to that of the Holy Father Francis, whom we want to support with our prayer,” he said. And he then addressed the families of the new priests. ”I say thank you to all; thank you for having collaborated with God to make the vocation to the priesthood germinate in your sons.” Our gratitude goes “especially to Saint Josemaria, of whom these priests are sons. May he guide you from Heaven in the mission to serve all souls.”
Fadi’s Story
Among the new priests is 49-year-old Fadi Sarraf. Born in Damascus, he arrived in Canada at 17 to study Engineering at McGill University. He came to know the Opus Dei in 1989 when a University companion invited him to visit the Riverview Study Center, a students’ residence close to the University’s campus. Sarraf says that, in addition to the spirit of service, another characteristic of a priest is openness. “The priest is there to help all; it’s the example Jesus gives in the Gospel, hence, the priest’s message, the Christian message is no only for a few but for all. A priest must welcome all and must do so in such a way that any person with whom he enters into contact can discover the love of God and want to correspond to this love,” he explains.
From Vallecas
Another new priest is Mariano Almela from Vallecas, Madrid. He recalled that it was at Vallecas that Blessed Alvaro del Portillo received a blow to the head while going to impart catechesis to children of the area in the 1930s of the last century. “Thank God, things changed and many people of Vallecas are praying for me today. I realize I am in great need of these prayers because to be a priest means to be at the disposition of all; to walk together to God who is the One who makes us happy.” During his years in Italy, he combined his Theology studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross with the formation of young people in Naples.
“Calm the Heart”
Nigerian Obilor Ugwulali is another new priest whose name means: “Calm the Heart.” His grandfather died while he was being born, so his parents said to him that he came into the world to calm their hearts. A native of Afikpo, Obilor studied Accounting at the Enugu premises of the University of Nigeria. He worked for a few years before going to Pamplona to study Theology at the University of Navarre. He wants to live in keeping with his name: calming the hearts of people he’ll meet in his new ministry.
The Beginning in Rumania
José I. Mir is from Palma de Mallorca. At 57, he is the veteran. After studying Philosophy and Theology at the University of Navarre, He worked as Director of Colleges in Pamplona and San Sebastian. Ten years ago he went to Rumania to promote the beginning of the apostolic work of the Opus Dei’s Prelature in that country. While there he worked in several companies and coordinated the construction of a residence for students in Bucharest. “The priesthood is not an acknowledgment but rather an unparalleled opportunity to dedicate all your life to serve God and others.”
The First Lithuanian
Mexican Josemaria Mayora asks for prayers, so that “all of us priests are able to be mediators between God and men.” Vytautas Saladis, 30, is Lithuanian and studied Law at the University of Vilnius. He is the Opus Dei’s first priest from Lithuania, where the Prelature began stable apostolic work in 1994.
The Years in Lebanon
Pablo Alvarez was born in Gran Canaria. He said that on May 23, the day after his Ordination, he will celebrate his birthday with the best possible gift: “to be able to celebrate Mass!” He added he wants to contribute to people’s happiness through the Sacraments, preaching of the Word, and spiritual accompaniment. He considers it a gift to have lived for a time in Lebanon. “My years in the Middle East, working with refugees of the War in Syria, opened my eyes on a wounded world, which can only be cured when we put God at the center. Now I feel like one who is about to jump from a plane with a parachute. God has a wonderful adventure full of work ready for souls. We count on everyone’s prayer to be the holy priests that God wants us to be,” he concluded.
The 27 new priests of the Opus Dei come from England, Germany, Rumania, Slovakia, Spain, Lithuania, Japan, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, Perú and Canada. Here are their names: Francisco Javier Alfaro, Mariano Almela, Pablo Alvarez, Juan Manuel Arbulú, Francisco Javier Barrera Bernal, Alexsandro Bona, Branislav Borovsky, Gaspar Ignacio Brahm, Kevin de Souza, Borja Díaz de Bustamante, Juan Diego Esquivias, Rafael Gil-Nogués, André Guerreiro, Alejandro Gutierrez de Cabiedes, Casimir Kouassi N’gouan, Fernando Lopez-Rivera, Josemaria Mayora, Jose Ignacio Mir, Jaime Moya, Juan Prieto, Hector Razo, Vytautas Jonas Saladis, Fadi Sarraf, Fumiaki Shinozaki, Marc Teixidor, Álvaro Tintoré and Obilor Bruno Ugwulali.
