The Second Saturday in May

The custom each year in the Archdiocese of Toronto - for as long as I can remember -  is to celebrate ordinations to the priesthood on the second Saturday in May at St. Michael's Cathedral.  It was so in 1993 when I was ordained on May 8th, and it was so in 2005 when Fr. Sherwin was ordained this day - May 14th.  This year we are celebrating the priestly ordinations of 3 men for service in the Archdiocese of Toronto:

1. REV. FR. ALLYN ROSE, 34, was born and raised in Orangeville, ON. He is the middle child of three. He studied accounting at Sheridan College and then at the University of Windsor. Allyn began volunteering in various capacities, including youth ministry, at his home parish of St. Timothy's in Orangeville, Ontario. It was then that he began to realize that he found more fulfillment in his voluntary ministry than he did working full-time and decided to answer the call to priesthood that he had been denying for years. Allyn worked in an accounting office for two years before leaving to enter the seminary in 2005.
2. REV. FR. ERIC MAH, 34, was born in Vancouver. Attended the University of British Columbia where he obtained a B.A. (English Literature) in 1999. Graduated from Dalhousie University with a law degree in 2002. Moved to Toronto and was called to the bar in 2003. Practiced insurance law on a full-time basis before entering St. Augustine's Seminary in 2005. Pastoral internship was completed at Blessed Trinity Parish under Msgr. Ambrose Sheehy. Studying to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Toronto.
3. REV. FR. RUSSELL ASCH, 39, was born in Montreal and is the younger of two brothers. His parents, opera singers, brought the two sons up with much music, conversation and travelling. Spending formative years in England, he became an active member of Bevis Marks Sephardic synagogue (when studying Restoration Stone-carving). Baptised in 1997, he began to look towards Religious life and/or Ordination; spending the next five years working in a bookshop. While visiting his mother, he became increasingly familiar with the Toronto Catholic community and entered St. Augustine's Seminary in 2004.

We pray for each of these men and the communities they will serve in the coming years.
At Holy Family we have the Funeral of Giovanni Pincente this morning and the Marriage of Brian Coronel and Lesley Ruiz this afternoon. An interesting fact is that both Brian and Lesley were in grade 8 when I was sent to St. Jerome's Parish in 1993, and they were confirmed the following year - in February 1994.  That means that they were confirmed with the same Chrism Oil that I was ordained a priest with in the Easter season of 1993!
And now - years later - I have the privilege of celebrating with them their commitment of marriage before their families and God.
God is good - all the time.  All the time - God is good!
Peace