Below is an old news but I am sharing this with you because one of the 7 priests is a native of Cogon, Tagbilaran City. He is Father JOvito Rata. Father Giovanni Gamas is also a Filipino!
'The Magnificent Seven'
Capital diocese to ordain its largest group of priests in decades
By Jennifer Garza - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 29, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A22
Print | E-Mail | Comments (33)| Digg it | del.icio.us
Some got the calling young in life, others later. One has a doctorate in engineering. The one thing they all have in common -- joy in joining the priesthood today in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. From left: Jovito Rata, George Snyder Jr., Chris Frazer, Derek LaBranch, Uriel Ojeda, Matthew Blank and Giovanni Gamas.
José Luis Villegas / Sacramento Bee
See additional images
They have been called "The Magnificent Seven," a reflection of the size of the group and their significance to the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.
These men make up the largest number of new priests to be ordained here in more than four decades -- and among the most by any diocese in the country this year.
This morning, they will don the vestments that symbolize their commitment to the church in an elaborate ordination ceremony and celebration at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
They trained to be priests in the midst of the recent turmoils of the Catholic Church. Several entered seminary in 2002 -- the year the national clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted. Accusations and costly settlements stained the church.
But the calling for these men -- Matthew Blank, Chris Frazer, Giovanni Gamas, Derek LaBranch, Uriel Ojeda, Jovito Rata, and George Snyder Jr.-- rose above this acrimony.
Now, after years of training and more rigorous screening than priests of previous generations, the seven will prostrate themselves at the cathedral and begin a new life as the church enters a new era.
"All the troubles of recent years made them examine if this is what they really want, and they do," said Bishop William K. Weigand, spiritual leader of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. "They're going into this with their eyes wide open. They're an exceptional group."
"The Magnificent Seven" nickname -- given to them by church leaders -- embarrasses the men, and several laugh when asked about it. They are much more comfortable talking about the priesthood. It's a life they know many people don't understand.
Two answered the call to the ministry in their 30s after years in the work force. Three made their decision to become priests as teenagers. And two others say they felt the presence of divine intervention as children.
"I knew, I just knew," said Rata, 29, who says he has wanted to be a priest since he was 6.
Why someone would choose the priesthood is a mystery to some people, unthinkable to others. But these men are joyfully prepared to take vows of celibacy and obedience, serve others and work long days that often begin with an early morning Mass and end with nightly meetings. They will earn about $950 a month.
"I've been searching all my life for this. I've truly been blessed," says Snyder, 38, who was active at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Vallejo before entering the seminary.
Snyder said his family members had mixed feelings about his decision. "They said, 'You already do enough for the church.' But I told them, 'This is what I was meant to do.' " Now, he said, they are his biggest supporters.
Frazer, 28, was baptized a Methodist and converted to Catholicism in the eighth grade. Raised in the Lincoln and Roseville area, he attended Jesuit High School where he first considered becoming a priest. He said the scandals only made him more certain.
"It just made it clearer," he said. "The church needs more good priests, and I hope that I can be one."
Fewer men are finding life in a clerical collar appealing. In 2007, 466 men will be ordained for the priesthood in the United States, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
That's more than a 50 percent drop since 1965 when 994 men took their sacred oaths. The number of Catholics in the United States has increased to about 70 million, making it the largest faith group in the country.
"We need more priests, that's clear and simple," says Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the USCCB. "There are communities without priests, there are dioceses that haven't ordained in years."
As he prepares for ordination, LaBranch, 28, thinks about his pastor, -- the late Rev. Richard Doheny of St. Mel Parish in Fair Oaks -- who asked him to consider life in the priesthood. LaBranch realizes how influential priests can be.
"It's a huge responsibility. Believe me, I think about it every day," he says.
They are a close group. There's a constant buzz of conversation when they're together, even some jokes in Latin.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=5940.0
