During the Mass celebrated at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 June, at Saint Henry’s Cathedral, two priesthood candidates from the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary were officially admitted to the final stage of their priestly formation. This rite of admission is known as Admissio ad ordines.
At this stage, after having discerned their vocation, the candidates submit a written petition to the bishop, who, in the name of the Church, accepts them as candidates for ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood. The rite of admission is therefore the first public step on the path to the priesthood.
According to the general practice of seminaries, candidates are asked from this point onward to wear clerical attire. By presenting the candidates to the Christian community, the bishop also invites all the faithful to support them with their prayers, so that they may continue their preparation faithfully and wholeheartedly.
The priesthood candidates are Elia Musicanti, a 24-year-old Italian who grew up in Malmö, Sweden, and Vítor Daher Montandon, a 29-year-old of Brazilian background. Their families were also present for the ceremony, and Bishop Raimo Goyarrola expressed his gratitude to them on several occasions.
Fr. Pedro Perez