“We are to constantly seek to be one with the Lord’s mind and heart,” Bishop Barry C. Knestout said as he ordained William C. Buckley to the priesthood, on June 3, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond.
“It is God the Father who is the source of all fatherhood and from whom our fatherhood comes,” said the bishop during his homily.
“This fatherhood is much more than an intention that accompanies your ordination,” Bishop Knestout told Father Buckley, “It is a daily commitment, renewed and practiced in each situation as we are called to be Christ’s priest – in teaching, sanctifying and shepherding God’s people.”
During the rite of ordination, the tall and reserved young man’s voice and actions were steady as he answered the bishop and resolved to accept all the responsibilities of the priesthood.
Father Buckley said he was a little nervous at different points during the ordination, “but it was comforting to remember to focus on what God was doing, and to just allow myself to be present and open to receiving this awesome gift of being ordained a priest.”
He knelt and placed his hands in Bishop Knestout’s hands as a sign of obedience, promising his fidelity. He then prostrated himself on the floor in front of the altar, an act of humility and surrender to God, as everyone in the church sang a litany to the saints, asking for their prayers on behalf of Father Buckley.
“When I was laying on the floor during the litany, I knew the Holy Spirit was there, opening my heart … It was surreal,” Father Buckley said after Mass, with a big smile on his face.
Becoming brother priests
The newly-ordained priest was vested with the stole and chasuble by his former pastor, now-retired Msgr. William H. Carr. In a previous interview with The Catholic Virginian, Father Buckley said Msgr. Carr was very influential in his discernment to entering the seminary.
“It meant a great deal for Msgr. Carr to be there and to vest me at the ordination,” said Father Buckley. “From the very beginning of my discernment of the priesthood, he has been there for me and has encouraged me to keep following the Lord’s call.”
From the time Father Buckley was a child, he sang and played music in church. As the Rockville Centre, New York, native grew older, he became a talented musician and worked as a music minister. In 2017, he was working as a music minister at Saint Bridget, Richmond, when he began hearing the call to the priesthood.
Msgr. Carr was pastor at the time and recalled Father Buckley being a “superior” musician and vocalist, but also “shy, humble, and eager to learn about parish life.” Msgr. Carr said “something in his (Father Buckley’s) heart touched him” about the music minister becoming a priest.
Before the ordination began, Msgr. Carr said he was thinking about the “spiritual handing off of priesthood, from my own time to William’s.”
“I had 54 years of fulfillment and I’m glad I did it,” Msgr. Carr said about his life as a priest. “I wish the same for him, and more.”
Father Buckley also spoke of the new bond he has with his former pastor. “His priestly fatherhood really shaped me in many ways, and so it is an amazing gift to have been able to have him at the ordination and to be a brother priest with him now.”
Prayers from family, friends, strangers
The new priest’s father, Christopher Buckley, also talked about the impact of Msgr. Carr on Father Buckley’s path to priesthood.
He said the path may have started when his son was very young. “He was always very dedicated to the Church. From the time he was six years old, he was singing in the choir. We knew he would always have that connection.”
Father Buckley’s parents and 10-year-old sister Abigail traveled from New York for his big day, along with other family members. Father Buckley said the six years of his formation felt long at the time, but “looking back … it’s surprising how quickly it seemingly went by!”
Abigail sings in the church choir back home like her big brother once did; she was bouncing up and down after Mass. “I was really excited!” she said about her brother’s ordination. “I couldn’t believe this day was finally here – and finally happening!”
“It’s overwhelming,” said Christopher Buckley, “An extraordinary day for the entire diocese and for our family.”
A long line of people stretched inside the cathedral after Mass, waiting to receive a blessing from the new priest. Father Buckley was grinning ear-to-ear after blessing dozens of people. When asked if he needed a break to sit down, he replied with a big smile, “No, I’m doing great! God is good!”
A group of six women religious from the Little Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi in Williamsburg traveled to Richmond for the ordination. After receiving Father Buckley’s blessing, the women had their picture taken with the new priest, then sang a beautiful song of praise, their voices filling the large cathedral.
A member of the order, Sister Rose Michael said joyfully, “I just told him (Father Buckley) to keep the faith, be close to Christ everyday and he will be close to you!”
A new reality
Father Buckley would return to Saint Bridget the following day to celebrate his first Mass. Bishop Knestout noted during his homily that the following day would be the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – a “fitting feast for the celebration of a first Mass.”
“By our openness to the Holy Spirit’s gifts, we receive the grace to follow in Christ’s priestly footsteps and bring the Father’s love and providential care to his people, so that we all share in the fullness of life and love in the Blessed Trinity,” explained the bishop.
The bishop also announced at the end of the ordination Mass that Father Buckley’s first assignment as a priest would be at Saint Andrew, Roanoke. The newly-ordained priest said he is looking forward to returning to the parish; he was assigned there as a seminarian in 2019, but it would be a new experience this time serving as a priest.
Father Buckley said he is excited to settle into his “new reality” as a priest.
“I’m most excited to finally get to fully embrace and enter into this identity the Lord has given me as a priest,” he added, “and to experience how he uses me to allow others to encounter him, especially in the sacraments.”
Most of all, he said, “It’s comforting to trust in Jesus’ promise, ‘what you say of me does not come from yourselves; it is the Spirit of my Father speaking in you.’”
‘Handing off’ from one priest to another
The chalice was a gift from Msgr. Carr. It is originally from 1891 and was the chalice of Father Joseph Frioli. It was given to Msgr. Carr as a gift upon his ordination in 1969 and he decided to hand it down to me. We had it replated gold before the ordination; it was in decent condition but had seen much use over the years. For me, it is very meaningful to know that I will be celebrating the Mass with the same chalice both Father Frioli and Msgr. Carr used for many years. It’s a beautiful way for me to experience the connection I have with the priests who have gone before me, whose ministry I share. And it is a blessing that Msgr. chose me to carry on this chalice’s history in the diocese.
-Father William C. Buckley
Editor’s notes:
View “Called to the priesthood” featuring Father William Buckley.
You can also read his story on being called to the priesthood, featured in our May 29th issue.
View images from Father William Buckley’s ordination.