Bishop: Let what you teach be nourishment for God’s people

Father Dillon Bruce listens to the homily given by Bishop Barry C. Knestout during the Mass at which the former was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Richmond, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Saturday, June 25, 2022. (Photo/Michael Mickle)

Father Dillon Bruce’s ordination celebrated

 

With the sun shining brightly over the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, on Saturday morning, June 25, Father Dillon Bruce was ordained a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.

The 10:30 Mass was attended by more than 150 friends and family members of the newly ordained, 47 priests, 14 deacons and several religious.

Father Dillon Bruce’s parents, Brian and Jeannette, and brother applaud the newly ordained priest at his ordination Mass, Saturday, June 25, 2022. (Photo/Michael Mickle)

In his homily, Bishop Barry C. Knestout noted that through his ordination to the priesthood, Father Bruce would be entrusted to serve the people of God as Christ’s teacher, priest and shepherd.

He said that although the first reading, Numbers 11:11b-12, 14-17, 24 -25, clearly illustrates that the life of a priest has its challenges, the Lord always “sends his grace and the help of his Holy Spirit,” and Father Bruce should “turn frequently to the Lord in prayer, offering him all your needs, worries and concerns.”

The elect lies prostrate in an act of humble prayer and surrender to God as the congregation sings the litany. (Photo/Michael Mickle)

“With ordination,” Bishop Knestout said, “you are ontologically changed, configured to Christ the Head, so that you may be an instrument of reconciliation.”

The bishop reflected on the second reading, 2 Corinthians 5:14-20, in which St. Paul reminds us that in order to be an instrument of reconciliation, we must first meet our own need to be reconciled.

“All of us – laity, consecrated and clergy – fall into sin and are in need of God’s grace,” he said. “We all are called to be vigilant and seek the holiness of Christ within ourselves if we hope to better lead others to that same holiness.”

Father Dillon Bruce distributes communion to his mother, Jeannette Bruce, during his ordination Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond. (Photo/Michael Mickle)

Bishop Knestout advised Father Bruce to focus his energy and life as a priest toward serving the people of God. By proclaiming the word, celebrating the sacraments and expressing charity to others, “you will grow in priestly life and devotion.”

Bishop Barry C. Knestout kneels to receive a first blessing from newly ordained Father Dillon Bruce, Saturday, June 25, 2022. (Photo/Michael Mickle)

The bishop concluded his homily by emphasizing how important it is for a priest to understand what he does and to imitate what he celebrates:

“Remember when you gather others into the people of God through baptism, and when you forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of penance, when you comfort the sick with holy oil and celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God throughout the hours of the day, not only for the people of God, but for the whole world, that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns, but to those of Jesus Christ.”

On Sunday, June 26, 2022, Father Bruce will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Staunton. He will continue studies for his licentiate degree in sacred theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome later this year.

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