For the second time in five years, Archbishop Anthony Randazzo has ordained three priests at once for the Diocese of Broken Bay, with Fathers Shayne D’Cunha, Tân Nguyen, and Huy Tran committing themselves to a life of service to the People of God.
On the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena, at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara, Archbishop Anthony, Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay, laid hands on the three priests, imploring their priesthood be shaped by a life given in love, just like St Catherine of Siena.
"Today, Deacons Shayne, Tân, and Huy, my dear sons... You are being configured to Christ, the sweet and loving Word, who gives himself as food for the life of the world," Archbishop Anthony said.
"Shayne, Tân, and Huy, this is the shape of your priesthood. A life given in love. A love that is not abstract, but concrete. A love that tends the sick, listens to the troubled, forgives the sinner, strengthens the weary, and gathers the scattered into unity."
All three ordinands had family fly in from across the globe to be present for the ordination, including Bishop Dominic Nguyễn Tuan Anh, Auxiliary Bishop of Xuân Lộc, Vietnam. He joined Bishop Robert McGuckin, Bishop Emeritus of Toowoomba, and Bishop Danny Meagher, Bishop-Designate of Rockhampton, on the sanctuary. More than 100 clergy, including some from overseas, packed into the Cathedral for the occasion, joining hundreds of friends, family and faithful of the Diocese.
In his homily, Archbishop Anthony said the life of the priest was not one to be measured by worldly or human standards, but by fidelity to God.
"The Scriptures today speak clearly. “If we live our lives in the light, as God is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus… purifies us from all sin”. The priest is called to live in that light, not for himself, but so that others may walk in it. And yet, we must speak honestly. The life you are embracing is not measured by worldly standards," he said.
"In priestly life and ministry, the temptation is real: to measure yourselves by human standards. Is my preaching effective? Am I being liked? Are people coming back to church? Or worse, to condemn yourselves when you do not see the fruits you hoped for. But my brothers, these are the wrong metrics. The only thing God asks of you is fidelity. Fidelity to prayer. Fidelity to the Eucharist. Fidelity to the people entrusted to you. Fidelity to the truth of the Gospel."
He asked the three priests to look to St Catherine as a model, putting the Eucharist at the centre of their priesthood.
"Catherine understood life as a pilgrimage. She reminds us in The Dialogue: “This sweet and loving Word… left you himself as food, so that you, still pilgrims in this life, might not faint on the way”," he said.
"Here we are brought to the very heart of the Church: the Eucharist. Jesus Christ does not abandon his people. He feeds them. He sustains them. He accompanies them every step of the journey. The Eucharist is not an occasional comfort; it is the daily bread of pilgrims, the strength for the road, the presence of Christ who walks with his people from beginning to end.
"What Catherine says of Christ in the Eucharist must, in a real and sacramental way, be reflected in your priesthood. You are to be men of union with God, men whose lives are immersed in him, men who nourish his people not only with the Bread of Life but also with the living Word. The priest does not belong to himself. He belongs to Christ, and in Christ, to his people."
Following the ordination on Wednesday, the Diocese of Broken Bay has ordained eight men to the priesthood in the past five years. Only two men were ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese in the 20 years prior.
It has eight men in formation for the priesthood currently, with more set to begin seminary formation next year. Matthew French has been admitted as a candidate for Holy Orders.
Following the ordination, there was a celebration at the neighbouring Light of Christ Centre, where the priests imparted their first blessings to the hundreds gathered.
Fr Shayne has been appointed to serve at the Parish of Epping & Carlingford, Fr Tân has been appointed to serve the Parish of St Ives, and Huy has been appointed to the Hornsby Cathedral Parish.