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April 16, 2023
Candidacy for the Priesthood
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I asked Seminarian Dan Roberts to offer the following in
anticipation of his candidacy for the priesthood.—Fr. Mac
I’m very grateful to have spent these past 10 months with you all at Holy Spirit Parish! I’ll still be with you until the end of June, but before that, I’ll be taking another formal step on my formation journey.
Next Sunday, April 23rd, I will receive the Rite of Candidacy during the 9:00AM Mass at St. Vitus. I had the opportunity to reflect a bit on this step in January, when I went on a week-long retreat with my seminary classmate, Alec Scheuer. (He’ll be receiving candidacy the following week at his assigned parish, Blessed Trinity in Pittsburgh.)
Put simply, admission to Candidacy is a rite by which the Church, through the diocesan bishop, formally accepts a man as a candidate for Holy Orders. I’ve been a seminarian for almost five years now, so I’m grateful to have made it to this point! The rite has three parts: First, I will be called by name. Second, the rite contains a “scrutiny,” in which the bishop will ask me about my intention to complete my preparation for ordination. Finally, the rite concludes with the bishop’s blessing and prayers for my perseverance in following God’s will.
In the past, Pittsburgh, seminarians were admitted to candidacy in more private ceremonies. However, it’s special to me that I’ll be able to share this day with all of you, who have welcomed me, prayed with me, and been so generous to me over this past year. I’ll write more in upcoming bulletins, and share more with you as I finish my pastoral year (and look ahead to two more years of seminary)... but for now, I simply want to say:
Thank you for making me feel at home at Holy Spirit Parish, and for helping me grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
--Dan Roberts
