Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Admission of Andrew Iswahyudi as a Candidate for Sacred Orders
6 July 2025
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather today in joy and gratitude to witness a moment of profound significance in the life of the Church and in the life of our brother Andrew, as he is formally admitted as a Candidate for Sacred Orders.
In this act, Andrew is enrolled in a public and ecclesial way as one preparing for ordination, not by personal ambition or isolated discernment, but by the discernment and recognition of the Church: the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, made visible in a particular way through the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.
The Gospel today brings us back to the mission of the seventy disciples, sent out by the Lord, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.
It is no coincidence that we hear this Gospel as we admit Andrew to candidacy. The words of Jesus Christ are as fresh today as when they were first spoken: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” Jesus sends His labourers into the world, not to speak their own message, but to proclaim the kingdom of God: “Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house!” This is the peace of Christ, a peace borne not of ease but of self-giving love, of the Cross, and of the Resurrection.
Andrew, in presenting yourself today as a candidate, you have offered to be one of these labourers, to proclaim peace, to heal the sick, and to announce that “the kingdom of God has come near to you.”
The words of Saint Paul in today’s epistle remind us that the priesthood is not a position of prestige or power, but of humble identification with Christ crucified. “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Andrew, candidacy is not just a step toward ordination. It is a commitment to be conformed ever more deeply to Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and reigning.
The Church does not admit you to this path lightly. Rather, in calling you today, the Church recognizes signs of maturity, of prayerful discernment, and a desire to offer your life in service to Christ and His people. You are enrolled not only in the universal Church, but in a particular way within the community of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, which holds a unique and sacred vocation within the wider Catholic communion.
The Ordinariate is entrusted with preserving and sharing the richness of the English patrimony, its liturgical beauty, its pastoral warmth, its deep spirituality, within the full communion of the Catholic Church. By offering yourself for ministry in this context, you are responding not only to a general call, but to a specific mission within a distinct ecclesial identity.
This is both a privilege and a responsibility.
You are being formed not for yourself, but to serve Christ and His Church, through the gifts and the people of the Ordinariate, and in fidelity to the Church’s apostolic tradition.
As the Church calls you today, know that you do not walk this path alone. Your journey of formation is undertaken in communion with your bishop, your pastors, your seminary formators, and the faithful who surround you now with prayer. The whole Church accompanies you, nurturing your gifts, calling you deeper into holiness, and encouraging you to remain faithful to God’s will. Ultimately, this path is not just about ministry, it is about love. Love that takes the form of self-gift, of pouring yourself out for others, as Christ did.
My sisters and brothers, the sacred liturgy today invites all of us to recall that to serve in the Church is not to be elevated above others, but to be drawn downward, into humility, into sacrifice, into the service of others, for the salvation of souls.
Andrew, this is what you are stepping into. And so, we give thanks today: thanks to God for your vocation, for your courage, for your “yes.” We pray that you may continue to discern and deepen your readiness, and that the Holy Spirit may fill you with wisdom, perseverance, and joy.
May the Lord who began this good work in you bring it to completion. Amen.