Ronald Onyekwelu and John Dyson were admitted to candidacy for the priesthood on Sunday, Aug. 4, at the 10 a.m. Mass at the Boise Cathedral. (ICR Photo/Vero Gutiérrez)
By Emily Woodham
Staff Writer
Bishop Peter Christensen celebrated Mass with the Rite of Admission to Candidacy (also known as “the Candidacy Mass”) on Aug. 4 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. Through that Rite, the Church received Seminarians Ronald Onyekwelu and John Dyson as candidates for the final stage of preparation for the priesthood.
During his homily, Bishop Peter explained to the congregation that being accepted as candidates is similar to becoming engaged to the Church. “It’s a formal proclamation. They commit themselves to the people of God, the Bishop, and, most importantly, God,” Bishop Peter said.
He then turned his remarks directly to the seminarians. “All of us here are glad to be part of this, and we’re glad to witness what you both are doing. We’re here for the long haul. We’re here for your journey, and we will support you.”
Bishop Peter encouraged the seminarians to be faithful to the Lord’s call. “As we all know, there’s a blessing in commitments,” he explained. “Because when we’re not committed to things, it’s like building … in the water—it’s not real solid. When we commit to something of importance, standing on a rock and building upon that rock, it’s a structure that will endure.”
There is also freedom in commitment, he said. “When you don’t have a commitment, your life is kind of wishy-washy.”
Seminarians Onyekwelu and Dyson recently finished their propaedeutic year at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., during which they retreated from the world to focus on their spiritual growth and discernment. They took non-academic classes for formation, did volunteer work and took time for contemplation. Now, they have four more years of seminary formation before ordination to the priesthood.
With all that is involved in academics and the practicum of seminary, Bishop Peter said the most important thing for the seminarians is to focus on their relationship with Jesus Christ. “Take on the heart of our Lord. When you do that, then you’ll become a minister after His very likeness. You will become one with Him, and you will have a heart for the people you serve, knowing the Lord will fill you with His own Heart.”
He used the Wedding at Cana as an analogy: empty water jars were filled with water, and then that water was changed into wine. “You’ve been baptized with living waters that are with-in you. The days are coming when those waters will be transformed into something even greater—the very wine of delight of God. And we liken that to the Eucharist: The Lord needs you to spill over and bless others with His grace as He desires.”
This was Bishop Peter’s first public Mass at the Cathedral after his hospitalization in June. He spoke of his illness at the beginning of his homily, thanking everyone who has prayed for him. He said he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that stems from a virus that attacks the nerves.
“After seven days at Saint Al’s Hospital, six of those in intensive care, I was so impressed with the nurses, the staff, and I realized they all have a gift,” he said later in his homily. “They have common sense. They have the gift of foresight; they can anticipate. They’re very organized. But the gift that touched me most was the ability these nurses have to touch heart-to-heart. You knew you were getting not just the practical, the practicum, but the actual heart-to-heart of love that helps in the healing.”
Bishop Peter likened that heart-to-heart love to the priesthood. “As priests, you could be administrators, but the Lord is calling you to more: Give the Heart. Give the Blood. Give life to His people. They need to be nourished and know the love of God given through you.”
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