Rite of Admission to Candidacy

Twenty-five men were admitted to Candidacy for Holy Orders at Mount Saint Mary Seminary, including William Sylvia of the Diocese of Fall River. Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita, Kansas celebrated the Mass which was celebrated on Friday, November 17, 2006.

The rite is celebrated when it has been established that a man who aspires to the priesthood is supported by the necessary qualifications and has achieved sufficient maturity. Their intention to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders must be expressed publicly and accepted by the bishop or major superior of a religious institute or his delegate. In accordance with Canon 1034, a person is not to be ordained unless he has first been enrolled among the candidates through the liturgical rite of admission to candidacy.

In the rite, the bishop addressed the candidates saying, “Aware of the Lord’s concern for his flock and realizing the needs of the Church, our brothers consider themselves ready to respond generously to the call of the Lord. Trusting the Lord in whom they put the hope of faithfully pursuing their vocation, they say with the Prophet, ‘Here I am, send me.’”

As William journeys toward his ordination to the Diaconate, we remember him in our prayers:

In your kindness, Lord, grant that your servant may understand and live more fully each day the mystery of your love. May he prepare himself with a willing heart to exercise sacred ministry in the Church. And thus, filled with the spirit of your charity, may he freely devote himself to the salvation of his brothers and sisters for the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.