The Western Kentucky CATHOLIC Western Kentucky Catholic, 600 Locust Street, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301 Volume 36, Number 6, August, 2009 Fr. Daniel Dillard and Fr. Josh McCarty, Ordained May 30, 2009, Enter Priestly Service for Diocese of Owensboro By Tami Schneider Top: Fr. Daniel Dillard and Fr. Josh McCarty impart their first priestly “You are a priest forever, in the line blessing on the congregation present of Melchisedech” the cantor sang and at their ordination, with Bishop John the overflowing congregation at St. McRaith in closest proximity. Larena Stephen Cathedral responded. Only a few Lawson photo minutes later, Daniel Dillard and Josh Center: Josh and Daniel prostrate themselves before the altar as McCarty, lay men just 6 months prior those present intercede for them and Transitional Deacons just seconds by praying the litany of the saints. before, promised loyalty to God and the Jeffrey Estacio photo Diocese of Owensboro as they received Bottom: Bishop John McRaith, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese the sacrament of Holy Orders on May of Owensboro consecrates Josh 30th. Close to 100 priests joined John McCarty’s hands by pouring sacred McRaith, Bishop Emeritus, in the laying chrism into them. Tami Schneider on of hands. Bishop McRaith filled their photo. hands with Holy Chrism, consecrating them and making them holy. The two prostrated themselves before the altar as all invoked the intercession of the angels and saints. Fellow clergymen vested them in priestly garb for the first time, and dressed in beautiful Marian chasubles they turned so that those present might congratulate them. It has been a long road for both of these young men, but both of them have made it! Fr. Andy Garner, Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians, led a Holy Hour on the eve of the Ordinations. From the heart of a father toward his sons, realizing that in less than 24 hours they would be his brothers, he gave a few final words of advice and support. With tears in his eyes, he implored Daniel and Josh to spend time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. “You spend time with those you love;” he said, “spend time with Christ.” Both Fr. Daniel and Fr. Josh began their journeys back in 1999, when they began Continued on page 2 Disciples Response Fund continues to impact lives! For seventeen consecutive years, the people of the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, Ky have continued to make the DRF annual appeal their charity of choice. Thank You! On the weekend of September 12th and 13th the faithful will once again listen from their pews and have another opportunity to contribute to this wonderful cause. A packet of materials will be mailed to your home the week before DRF Sunday. You can return the commitment card with your pledge of prayer and/or financial gift or fill out a card in your parish on the weekend of September 12 & 13. There will be an additional two mailings in November and January to those we have not received a response from. (You will not receive another letter in this campaign year, if you have responded with a financial Owensboro, KY Permit No. 111 Nonprofit Org. gift or a gift of prayer.) While the process seems routine, it is effective. The results of this effort continue to grow because so many U.S. Postage homes choose to respond. 42301 Paid So what difference does the money make? Disciples Respond Fund dollars enable the Diocese to increase its investment in vocations, religious education and evangelization efforts. This appeal also supports the poor and indigent. Back in 1996, Most Rev. John J. McRaith, D.D. was quoted as saying, “I believe people want to see their money do great things and we are doing very important things for the Catholic Church with these dollars. My hope is that more will see the value of their gift and contribute.” Those sentiments are still true today; your dollars contributed to the DRF appeal impact lives! 2 The Western Kentucky Catholic, August, 2009 Fr. Daniel Dillard and Fr. Josh McCarty, Ordained May 30, 2009 Pope opens Year for Priests, says they (Continued from page 1) their bachelor’s degrees. Fr. Daniel studied at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul must witness God’s compassion Minnesota, while Fr. Josh attended Brescia University. After completing their undergraduate work, priests to strive for holiness and said the they transferred to St. Meinrad Seminary for a Masters in Theology. Since formation of young ordained ministry was indispensable for men for the priesthood does not entail only intellectual aspects, but human, spiritual and apostolic the church and the world. “The church as well, they took part in a variety of experiences throughout their seminary years. Fr. Daniel and needs priests who are holy ministers who Fr. Josh spent a summer doing Clinical Pastoral work in a hospital setting, a summer studying help the faithful experience the merciful intensive Spanish in Guatemala, a summer studying Integral Priestly Formation in Nebraska and love of the Lord, and who are convinced a couple summers ministering at parishes in the diocese. They each completed a Pastoral year in a witnesses of that love,” the pope said at parish after their second year of theology. a prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica As smiling faces silently wished the best for the newly ordained, the two joined in the words June 19. At the same time, in an apparent of the Eucharistic Prayer for the first time. They would no longer serve at Mass as acolytes. They reference to cases of priestly sex abuse, he would no longer assist at the altar as Deacons. They were now ordained priests, spouses of the warned of the “terrible risk of damaging Church, who each day would act “en persona Christi” to feed souls who hunger and thirst for those we are obliged to save.” The pope God. said, “nothing makes the church and the Serran Larena Lawson, dubbed as the “official Seminarian Cheerleader” who extended “tireless body of Christ suffer so much as the sins support and relentless optimism” to these young men, commented: “I have known these two of its pastors, especially those who trans- young men, Daniel and Josh, for about six years or so. My involvement in the Serra Club has form themselves into ‘robbers of sheep,’ been a tremendous blessing to me. Because of its mission, I was afforded the opportunity to meet either because they lead them astray these men, along with all of our other seminarians, and it has truly been a gift to me to have been able to walk with them on their journey to the priesthood. I receive so much more than I have Pope Benedict XVI waves with their private doctrines, or because they bind them in the snares of sin and given to them through my prayers and support, so I am very humbled to have been included in after leading an evening their gracious remarks. I have learned so much about their vocation, their sacrifice and all that prayer service June 19 in death.” Thousands of priests packed the St. Peter’s Basilica at the basilica for the evening prayer service, encompasses their courage to say yes to God’s call in their life. They have taught me so much Vatican, formally opening which was preceded by a procession of about my own vocation and how to love and be faithful. And now these two young men have made the Year for Priests. (CNS the relic of the heart of St. John Vianney, it to their ultimate goal, to be men of God, holy priests, and to serve others with love through the photo/Giampiero Sposito, the patron saint of parish priests. The pope living out of their vocations.” Reuters) (June 19, 2009) proclaimed the yearlong focus on priestly VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For- ministry to coincide with the 150th an- TOTAL NUMBER OF PRIESTS WORLDWIDE stands at 408,000. That’s one priest for about mally opening the Year for niversary of the saint’s death. Priests, Pope Benedict urged all every 2,800 Catholics. Priesthood is ‘an enormous gift,’ says Cardinal NUMBER OF PRIESTS CATHOLICS PER PRIEST IN 2007 WASHINGTON (CNS) -- “Priesthood is such an enormous gift and we need to 200,000 AFRICA 4,759 rejoice in it every day and renew it every 2002 2007 day,” said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick AMERICAS 4,680 150,000 June 19. “There is no sacrament, I think, more filled with love as the sacrament we ASIA 2,290 took when we became priests,” the retired 100,000 archbishop of Washington said in his hom- OCEANIA 1,931 ily during a special Mass at the Basilica EUROPE 1,457 of the National Shrine of the Immaculate 50,000 Conception to mark the beginning of the Year for Priests. Pope Benedict XVI an- nounced the church’s yearlong focus in March in an effort to further appreciation and support for priests around the world. ASIA AFRICA EUROPE Source: Statistical Yearbook of the Holy See OCEANIA Lasting almost 80 minutes, the Mass at the AMERICAS ©2009 CNS shrine in Washington was planned to occur simultaneously with a Mass Pope Benedict XVI celebrated at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to open the year. Thirty-one priests concelebrated the Mass with Cardinal A statue of St. John Vianney, Prayer for the Selection of a Bishop for patron of parish priests, is McCarrick at the shrine. In his homily the seen at Cure of Ars Church cardinal stressed the importance of keeping in Merrick, N.Y. The Year the Diocese of Owensboro a constant focus on love of God’s gifts to for Priests coincides with his believers and maintaining a steadfast the 150th anniversary of his Almighty God, giver of every good gift, You are our eternal shepherd and guide.