A Gift To The Church: Ordinations in Winona
On June 3, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, nine deacons and seven priests were ordained by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta at the Seminary of Winona MN, one of the six seminaries of the SSPX.
The SSPX is a work of the Church founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre to preserve and transmit the Catholic priesthood.
Families of the newly ordained priests and almost 3,500 faithful assisted at the ceremony of ordinations. From Canada, a grand total of 34 parishioners from Winnipeg and its missions travelled all the way to Winona to witness this marvellous and most beautiful event. About two thirds of those who attended were young people and young families with many children.
Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta spoke in his sermon of the nature of the priest, "sacerdos", charged with officiating sacred things (“sacra”), making sacrifices (the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass) and the three missions of the “sacerdos”: teaching, giving and bringing souls to God; in Christ, for Christ and with Christ. The new priests will be “alter Christus” (another Christ). They will administer the sacraments and they will teach in a world in crisis, where there is much confusion, the Truth and perennial Doctrine of the Holy Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Immediately after, the newly ordained priests gave their first blessing to many of the faithful, while kneeling, who kissed the now anointed hands of the priests who will give the Sacraments.
In the afternoon most of the families and attendees greeted old friends and made new acquaintances.
Some Traditional religious orders (Benedictines, Dominican sisters, SSPX sisters and Franciscan sisters) also were present.
Some of the religious orders, as well as the Angelus Press, had information stands on the grounds of the seminary.
In the evening, there was a sold out dinner for 400 people with a slide presentation reminiscing 20 years of the SSPX seminary in Winona.
The following day, the new priests celebrated their first Masses.
The Priestly Society of St. Pius X now has 600 priests around the world. It is one of the fastest growing priestly societies, with an ever increasing number of vocations.
Next fall, the seminary will be moving to a much bigger location in Virginia that the SSPX has built to accommodate the large number of new vocations from North America. (To watch a video of the seminary, please go to: www.newseminaryproject.org).
Young Traditional Catholics speak about the ordinations in Winona:
“The most important reason for me to be here is of gratitude for our priests. They are the most precious people on this Earth, and we wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
“I am here today because I believe the SSPX has a pivotal role to play in the restoration of the Faith and the Church, and I want to be part of it, and I want to support it.”
“Here we have young men making a sacrifice and imitating the life of Our Lord.”
“I think God has chosen the Society of St. Pius X to do great things for the Church, and I’m just very happy to be part of it.”
“I’m here to see the ordinations of priests the way it has been done for centuries.”
“I’m here because I’m attached to the Tradition of the Church, the SSPX and the Mass they offer, and, of course, to the traditional doctrine they expound.”
“I came here to see the Tradition of the Church in action. There are not many places in the world where you can see it any more. You can only find it in places like this one.”
“The reason why I came here was to witness wonderful young men becoming priests.”
“Coming to the ordinations is a reminder that we are not alone. We fight the good faith in company with many other traditional Catholics, witnessing the “birth” of new priests, and seeing a crowd of seminarians willing to give their lives to God is a real encouragement, so needed in the times we live in.”
The Children Speak about the Ordinations
“Beautiful, impressive and awe-inspiring! There is hope for Tradition to remain in this world!”
“A simply wonderful spiritual experience! So many graces to be gained, and it is so encouraging to see that there are Catholics who are fighting like myself, my family and so many others!”
“Amazing choir, gorgeous day. Thank goodness it didn’t rain. I was so glad to see other Traditional Catholics at the ordinations.”
“Nice to go to! Fun to be there! Nice ceremonies! Fun trip.”
“Very colourful, with lit candles that shone bright and cheerful (even though I could hardly see!), with the songs in perfect harmony. I felt as I was floating in air.”
