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Ordination of Priests

Twenty-seven faithful of the Prelature of Opus Dei received the sacrament of the priesthood at the hands of Bishop Echevarría. The ceremony was held on Saturday, April 23 in the Basilica of St. Eugene, in Rome. The new priests come from thirteen countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Congo, Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, and the United States.

In his homily, the Prelate told the new priests: “You will be priests in order to serve all souls.” And in words of Pope Francis he reminded them: “Without the cross you will never find the true Christ; and a Cross without Christ makes no sense.”

“You will become,” the Prelate said, “priests of the New Covenant. Acting in the person of Christ, you will be able to act with authority in the administration of the sacraments, proclaiming the Word of God in his name and serving all souls as our Lord did.” And he added: “It is Jesus who, through you, will forgive the sins of the faithful who come, well prepared, to the sacrament of Penance... It is Jesus who, in you and with you, will serve all men and women, Christians and non-Christians, when they ask for a word of consolation, a light to illuminate the darkness in which they often find themselves submerged.”

Bishop Echevarría invited everyone “to pray for Pope Francis, for the vicar of the Pope for the diocese of Rome, Cardinal Vallini, for all the bishops and priests of the world, and to accompany all seminarians, so that they be faithful to their call.”

The new priests are José María Pérez-Seoane Mazzuchelli (Spain), Vincenzo Arborea (Italy), Fernando Hernansanz Serrano (Spain), Odon Swamotz Wazaka (the Congo), Carlos Iza García (Russia), Luis Cruz Ortiz de Landázuri (Spain), Alejandro Muñoz Vizcaíno (Spain), Mario Medina Rodríguez (Spain), Michael Nievales Quilantang (the Philippines), José Omar Espíritu Castro (Mexico), Manuel Valdés Mas (Spain), Julio Agustín Sánchez León (Costa Rica), Francisco Javier Córcoles García (Spain), Agustín Pablo González Alonso (Spain), Juan Cruz Bustillo (Argentina), Manuel Valentini Colomer (Chile), Albert Penella Mas (Spain), Javier Aranguren Sánchez-Ostiz (Spain), Guillermo Arregui Cussi (Mexico), John Paul Mitchell (the United States), Kalle Oskari Juurikkala (Finland), Gonzalo de la Morena Barrio (Spain), Marcelo José Monteiro (Brazil), Martin Abonyo Onyango (Kenya), Michael Joseph Fagan (the United States) and José Antonio Cordero Becker (Chile).

Romana, n. 62, January-June 2016, p. 84.

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