By Peter Bugden
BRISBANE Archbishop Mark Coleridge warned the two men he ordained on June 27 that faithfulness to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was costly, but assured them that “it alone can open the door to joy”.
Archbishop Coleridge ordained Fr Leonard Uzuegbu and Fr Marty Larsen at St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane, on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In his homily, the archbishop drew on a piece – The Man with the Pierced Heart – written by German Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner in 1966.
Archbishop Coleridge said the piece about the priest of the future “turned out to be prophetic”.
“(The priest of the future), says Rahner, may not have a power drawn from the social prestige of the Church, but will have the courage to carry out his ministry even without prestige and power,” he said.
“When I entered the seminary and was eventually ordained priest, the Catholic priesthood enjoyed considerable prestige in this culture and the new priest was applauded far and wide.
“To be a Catholic priest was really to be someone – almost super-human it seemed at times.
“In part, this was because of the prestige of the Catholic Church and her institutions.
“We were a very large, successful and powerful community – and we had every right to feel proud.”
Archbishop Coleridge said things had changed.
“The decision to enter the seminary and to be ordained priest no longer carries the prestige it did,” he said.
“It is much more counter-cultural than it was.
“The Catholic Church has suffered diminishment in various ways, not least because of sexual abuse and its mishandling.
“We are a Church which has in some ways been humiliated by our own, and inevitably that has its effect on the priesthood and those who offer themselves for ordination.
“So, Leonard and Marty, yours is a humbler and more arduous path.
“It takes a real courage to say yes to that path – not just once, but again and again through the years.”
Archbishop Coleridge said “faithfulness to the way of the Sacred Heart can be costly, demanding, embarrassing, even humiliating”.
“But it alone can open the door to joy; and it is surely joy, the joy of the Gospel, that Jesus wants for you, Leonard and Marty, through the years of your priestly service,” he said.
Fr Uzuegbu said his ordination was a fulfilment of his dream to serve God in a special way as a priest.
He said it wasn’t the end of the journey but a beginning.
“During the ordination I felt humbled that God has called me in spite of my weaknesses…” Fr Uzuegbu said.
He said having his mother Valentina there from Umuahia in south-east Nigeria “was the crown of the whole celebration”, apart from the ordination itself.
“Every time I would phone home I had the feeling she’s not convinced I’m settled here,” he said.
“She’s always concerned for my welfare.”
Fr Uzuegbu said having his mother at the ordination was a chance to reassure her.
“I saw the joy on her face when I welcomed her at the airport,” he said.
“It was a reunion that will always live with me for a long time.”
Fr Uzuegbu’s elder brother Chinazom also attended the ordination.
His father Daniel and six other siblings were at home in Nigeria.
Fr Uzuegbu, who will continue as a priest in the St Stephen’s Cathedral parish, will return to Umuahia for a reception on July 20.
“I’ll meet with my extended family and friends and the entire Catholic community in my home village,” he said.
Fr Larsen said it was an “overwhelming experience” to have his family and friends at the ordination.
“To have them all there supporting you is quite a big thing,” he said.
Ten teachers from San Sisto College, Carina, and former students Fr Larsen had taught there attended.
He had been a teacher for 10 years.
“But the ordination is not just about me; it’s about God,” Fr Larsen said.
“It’s about being in God’s service. It’s a very humbling experience.
“It’s daunting but it’s relying on God’s grace to get through it.
“The really big thing is it’s not about me; it’s about the Church and about God, and we’re really the servants.”
Among Fr Larsen’s family at the ordination were his mother Enya, from Toowoomba, and his triplet brother Simon. His other triplet brother Andrew was overseas.
Sisters Anna and Janina were there, and other relatives included uncle Fr Harry Bliss.
Fr Larsen has been appointed to Maroochydore parish.
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