Ordination as Catholic priest for Iowa diocese brings man's vocation full circle

By Barb Arland-Fye

DAVENPORT, IOWA  -- Chris Young will become a pioneer in the Diocese of Davenport this summer when he is ordained to the Catholic priesthood by Bishop Martin J. Amos.

Young, 53, is a married, former Episcopal priest, and Pope Francis has given Bishop Amos permission to ordain for the diocese him under a 1980 pastoral provision admitting former Episcopal priests who have become Catholic into the Catholic priesthood.

Under the provision, more than 100 men have been ordained to the Catholic priesthood in U.S. dioceses since 1983.

For Young, it's been a long, arduous process prolonged by the historic resignation of one pope and election of another.

On Feb. 3, while teaching his fifth-period religious class at Assumption High School in Davenport, he took a phone call from Father Thom Hennen, diocesan vocations director, with the good news about ordination.

Bishop Amos anticipates ordaining Young as transitional deacon before Easter and as a Catholic priest June 7, along with two other men studying to be priests for Davenport.

When Young called his wife, Jody, "she was ecstatic. ... She's so grateful to Pope Francis and to Bishop Amos that I have this opportunity," Young told The Catholic Messenger, Davenport's diocesan newspaper.

The pastoral provision requires she agree with her husband's ordination as a Catholic priest.

"It's like I'm giving him away to my Church, which gives me joy," said Jody Young, a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation nurse. "It's a sacrifice; there's a lot of sacrifice in this role (as a priest's wife). But it's a beautiful sacrifice."

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Read the rest of the article in the St. Louis Review at: http://stlouisreview.com/article/2014-02-26/ordination-priest

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller.

BISHOP ORDAINS FR. CHORI SERAIAH

Bishop Richard Pates lays hands on
Father Chori Seraiah invoking the presence
and action of the Holy Spirit during
Fr. Seraiah's priestly ordination.

Anne Marie Cox reported on July 8th on the diocesan blog of the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa:

Bishop Richard Pates ordained Father Chori Seraiah on Sunday, July 8, to the priesthood for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, which is the equivalent of a diocese. The ordinariate was created on Jan. 1 and is composed of parishes, groups, religious communities and invidiuals of the Anglican heritage. The members of the ordinariate include "those faithful, of every category or state of life, who, originally have belonged to the Anglican Communion, are now in full communion with the Catholic Church, or who have received the sacraments of intitiation within the jurisdiction of the ordinariate itself, or who are received into it because they are part of a family belonging to the ordinariate" (Decree of Establishment, 1). Joning the new pilgrims may also be the clergy and people of the Anglican use parishes, who have been the pioneers in the noble work of living out the Anglican heritage within the Catholic Church.

Congratulations to Fr. Seraiah and many blessings on him and his family as he undertakes his mission in Iowa!

Anglicanorum Coetibus in Action

A Traditional Catholic in Iowa reports:

I received the following correspondence from Deacon Chori Seraiah yesterday. I have been given permission to pass this along. I have my own thoughts to follow!

Please check his blog at: The Maccabean

Andy,

I wanted to let you know that both Bp. Pates and Msgr. Steenson have encouraged me to begin working to form an Ordinariate community here in the Des Moines area. If St. Aidan's eventually chooses to join, we will just merge the two together, but for the time being, we can begin meeting as soon as we have just a few people who are interested. Feel free to get the word out to whomever you wish.

Also, I will be saying my first couple of Masses (Anglican Use) at St. Anthony's on Monday, July 9th at 10:00am, and Tuesday, July 10th at 6:00pm. All are invited to this as well (and it may be a good introduction for folks who are curious about an Ordinariate community).

In Christ,Chori Jonathin Seraiah

I cannot express to you how many prayers are being answered. I know that God works in his own time, but this is providential.

An Historical Event

Seraiah family with Bishop Pates.

This past weekend an historical event took place in Des Moines, Iowa. (Father) Chori Jonathin Seraiah was ordained to the deaconate. Some might wonder why the significance, well, he is one of the first Americans to enter into Orders under the provisions of Anglicanorum Coetibus. You see, (Father) Seraiah was an Anglican priest.

Reconciliation with Rome is a monumental event, when anyone does it, but there is special significance related to this. The true meaning of religious tolerance and catechesis really shines forth. It has always been the goal for the Church to convert the masses, but it has had varying success over the years and since the Protestant Revolt (some call it a Reformation), it has been very difficult. This is a watershed moment and the reverberations will be heard for all time! A Protestant ecclesial communion is in the process, very real process of reuniting with Holy Mother Church. And (Father) Seraiah couldn't be happier about it...

Read the rest of the story at the blog A Traditional Catholic in Iowa

Hat tip to Georges-Henri Galey.