FATHER Conor Power became the first man ordained to the priesthood for Brisbane Oratory at a packed Mass at Mary Immaculate Church, Annerley, last Saturday.
Fr Power said it was a “beautiful” Mass with his mum and siblings supporting him as well as friends from the Brisbane Oratory community.
When Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge laid his hands upon him to ordain him, Fr Power said there was a profound feeling of the culmination of all his years in formation.
“When you feel his hands lay upon your head, it becomes all very real and brings everything together into that one moment,” he said.
He had spent seven years anticipating the moment – three years at Toronto Oratory learning philosophy and the meaning of an Oratorian vocation from the priests there, two years in Rome studying theology, and the last few years back in Australia, completing his studies and serving as a deacon in the Annerley-Ekibin parish.
He said fellow Brisbane Oratorians Fr Adrian Sharp, Fr Andrew Wise, Fr Scot Armstrong and Br Tyson King were instrumental in his vocational calling.
He said without them, there was no Brisbane Oratory.
“I wouldn’t have this place to call my home,” he said.
“They have been with me since day one.”
The idea of living and ministering in an Oratory community was central to his choice of vocation, he said.
The life of an Oratory priest was stable and enduring because Oratorians committed themselves to one parish for the rest of their lives.
Fr Power said this was deeply attractive to him because it meant he could journey with families in his community across their entire lives.
“It gives us the great ability and great gift to get to know your parishioners in a truly sincere, genuine and deep way,” he said.
“And not just your parishioners, but when they have children, you get to know their children and then their children’s children.
“As you’re maturing and growing and going through your own priestly ministry, you’re also there side by side with the families and members of the parish in their hardships and in their moments of joy.
“You get to see that throughout the entire lifespan of a family.”
At the heart of the community were the Sacraments of Holy Mass and Penance.
Fr Power had heard his first confessions only 30 minutes prior to the interview with The Catholic Leader and said it was a “deeply humbling” experience.
“It’s a great grace of God to be able to provide that for people, so that they know the Church door is always open,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful gift.”
He looked to Oratory founder St Philip Neri as an inspiration, who championed the need for regular confession as well as the appreciation and proclamation of Holy Scripture.
His Thanksgiving Mass was held at Mary Immaculate Church, which was a solemn high Mass in front of another full church and brought on plenty of nerves, he said.
But nerves aside, he said, it was a profound moment and another step on his priestly journey.
Behind everything, driving him to his ordination last weekend and his first Mass, was a “just do it” attitude that Fr Power encouraged for other young men and women discerning their vocation.
“What I mean by that – we live in a day and age where we like to think every scenario through to its very end and all its potential endings, but whether you’re a man or a woman and you feel God is calling you, the best way to learn is to put yourself forward and ask to be accepted,” he said.
“It’s in those moments when you give yourself over at least for that first year when you can really start to see what the life is about.”
He said he was yet to meet anyone who gave the life a go and looked back on it with regret.
“In fact, they’ve always said it was the most formative time of their life,” he said.
He said he wanted to offer his heartfelt thanks to everyone from across Brisbane archdiocese and Australia who had reached out with prayers for his ordination.
“In the lead up it was a really touching moment whenever I’d receive a message saying I was in someone’s prayers – people I’d never met before… it was very humbling,” he said.
