Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Profession of Faith, Oath of Fidelity, and Promise of Celibacy
Huy Tran, Tân Nguyen, and Shayne D’Cunha
31 August 2025
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Today is no ordinary day. Today, in this cathedral, the heart of our diocesan Church, we gather not only in joy and prayer, but in profound communion. Because what is about to happen here, in the lives of these three men, Huy, Tân, and Shayne, touches each and every one of us. They will stand before us to profess the faith of the Church, to take the Oath of Fidelity, and to make the Promise of Celibacy. And yet, though the moment may seem to belong to them, it belongs to all of us. For they are part of us. They are members of this Body, which is the Church. What they are doing, what they are becoming, is not for themselves alone. It is for Christ. And it is for you.
The letter to the Hebrews reminds us of something startling, something we too easily forget: “What you have come to is nothing known to the senses… You have come to God Himself.” (cf Heb 12:18-23) The journey to priesthood is a holy ascent, not to a career, not to power, not to human achievement.
My sons, you are not being trained to climb a ladder, but to descend, to the depths of God’s love and the needs of God’s people. You have come to God, and that makes all the difference. This formation, this daily surrender, this yes to God, is not primarily shaping you to do something. It is shaping you to become someone. And that someone is the man God dreamed of when He formed you in the hiddenness of the womb: a beloved son, called into the heart of His Church.
This year, 2025, is the Holy Year of Hope. But it is also the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a moment when bishops gathered not to draft political documents, but to defend the truth about Jesus Christ: that Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” The creed they gave us, crafted with prayer and struggle, is the same creed you will profess publicly today.
But you are not alone in professing it. This creed belongs to the entire Church. We say it every Sunday. We said it at our baptism. We repeat it at confirmation. You, Shayne, Tân, and Huy, profess it today in a solemn, public, definitive way, but every believer here is bound by it. United by it. Shaped by it. So, what you do today is not apart from us. It is deeply, inseparably for us, and with us.
In a few moments, you will take the Oath of Fidelity. This is not a legal contract. It is a covenant of love. You are pledging your very self, not merely your words, to the service of the Truth that is Christ. The world is awash in half-truths and shifting ideologies. But the Church does not belong to an age. She belongs to the ages. And fidelity is the beating heart of ministry.
You are promising to stand, with humility and courage, not as owners of the Gospel, but as servants of it. This oath says: I will not serve my own preferences. I will not follow my own design. I will serve Christ. I will serve His Church. I will speak His truth, in season and out of season, with love and clarity.
On 12 September you will be ordained here in the Cathedral, not to be your own man, but to be Christ’s man, for the sake of His Body.
And here is the deeper truth: fidelity is not only personal, it is communal. Your fidelity strengthens the Church. It sustains the Body. It gives hope to the weary. It anchors the young. It reassures the doubtful. It glorifies God.
Let us turn now to what may be the most interior, most personal, and yet most public gift you will offer today: the Promise of Celibacy.
There is a temptation to see celibacy merely as deprivation, a giving up of marriage, family, intimacy. But that is not the truth. Celibacy is not a “no” to love. It is a profound and powerful yes. Yes, to a deeper intimacy with Christ. Yes, to radical availability to God and to His people. A yes that echoes the life of Jesus Himself.
Celibacy is not a burden to carry; it is a sign to live. A sign that says God is enough. That God reigns. That divine love satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.
In a world that chases after pleasure, possession, and self-fulfilment, celibacy stands as a bold witness that true joy comes not from grasping, but from giving. It is a way of life that proclaims: “I belong entirely to Christ, so that I may belong entirely to you, His people.”
Yes, it will require sacrifice. But every great love does. And celibacy, when lived in freedom and with a heart planted in Christ, bears abundant fruit, quietly, often invisibly, but always powerfully.
You are saying today not just, “I will not marry,” but “I will love with the heart of Christ, totally and without reserve.” You are making room in your life and in your heart for the lonely, the suffering, the searching, for every soul Christ entrusts to you. This promise is not a retreat from love, but a radical act of love. Not an escape from intimacy, but a deeper embrace of it, spiritual fatherhood that goes beyond bloodlines to bind you to souls for eternity.
So do not be afraid. The Church is with you. Christ is in you. And the Spirit of God will sustain what you offer today.
And how will you live this life? With ambition? With bravado? No. The Book of Ecclesiasticus gives us the answer: “My son, be gentle in carrying out your business. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly.” (Ecclesiasticus 3:17-18) And Jesus Himself reminds us today: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. But the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
So, walk humbly. Laugh easily. Weep with the broken. Listen more than you speak. Let Christ grow in you slowly, quietly, daily. And remember, this path, your vocation, is not meant to be a burden, but a joy. Not a performance, but a transformation. Not just work, but worship.
And now, to all of you, the faithful people of God, this moment is yours too. These men are offering their lives for the Church, for you. And they cannot do it without you. They need your prayers, your friendship, your witness. They will laugh with you, cry with you, baptize your children, bury your dead, preach the Gospel, and feed you the Eucharist. But they will also lean on you. Pray for them. Challenge them. Support them. Love them.
Today is not the celebration of a few. It is the celebration of the whole Body of Christ. In this Year of Hope, in this anniversary of Nicaea, in this sacred cathedral, we remember that the Church is alive, and Christ is calling still.
And finally, to you, Tân, Huy, and Shayne:
You are not called simply to do something.
You are being formed to become someone.
Not a role. Not a public figure. Not even just a “holy man.” But you, as God imagined you from the beginning. You, transformed by grace, shaped by humility, living in fidelity, and burning with love. You are a beloved son. And today, you are saying with your life: “Here I am, Lord. I come to do Your will.”
Go forward with joy. Go forward with trust. Go forward as men who belong to Jesus Christ, and through Him, belong to His Church, now and forever. Amen.