Diocese welcomes four new priests
Bishop: Large class illustrates ‘beautiful growth in the church’
For the Rev. Daniel T. Kushner, the road to priesthood in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh was a long, difficult one.
Rev. Kushner, 29, a New Castle native whose home parish is Saint Thomas the Apostle in Homestead, said his decision to join the priest hood was formed when he had brain cancer in childhood. And now, after being ordained in front of thousands at St. Paul Cathedral in Oaklandon Saturday, he was thankful for everyone who helped him along the way.
“I feel very blessed. Priesthood is a beautiful gift,” he said after Saturday’s Mass.
Along with Rev. Kushner, three other young men were ordained by Bishop David A. Zubik on Saturday, the first time so many priests have been ordained in years. The three other new priests (all former deacons) and their home parishes are:
• Nicholas R. Clinton, 29, Saints Martha and Mary Parish, headquartered in Hampton.
• John F. Ferguson, 28, All Saints Parish, headquartered in Butler.
• John L. Kist, 27, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, headquartered in Mt. Lebanon.
St. Paul Cathedral was at nearly at full capacity Saturday, with activities buzzing from late morning into the early afternoon. Many attendees pulled out their cellphones to record various parts of the ordination, capturing the pomp and circumstance and importance of the day for the diocese, which has consolidated
many of its parishes and churches in recent years.
Dozens of priests and deacons from the diocese’s 61 parishes crowded into several pews in the front left and right sections of the church. And Bishop Zubik said during his homily that the ordination of four priests signifies that brighter days lay ahead for the church.
“Through them, we’re going to see beautiful growth in the church,” he said.
Bishop Zubik said after the Mass that he was optimistic about that growth. There are more than 30 men in the diocese’s formation program for aspiring priests, and another eight are scheduled to join that program this fall, he added.
Last year, three new priests were ordained, and it’s fortunate, given the challenges the church has faced, that at least one new priest has been ordained every year recently, Bishop Zubik said.
Ultimately, the bishop said, it’s God’s calling that persuades men to join the priesthood, but he added that he and other members of the diocese are doing their best to grow the church.
“We’re going to do our part to turn people’s minds and hearts to God in their own life, and then hope that they’re going to be able to respond in one of the four vocations, either to be ordained or to be married or to be single or to be in the consecrated life,” Bishop Zubik said.
The four new priests have worked hard and leaned on each other to reach ordination, he added. And he said he hopes they will teach scripture in ways that will encourage others to connect more with God.
One of the challenges, Bishop Zubik said in an interview in March and again Saturday, was that people are becoming more disconnected by interacting through mobile devices and not through face-to-face conversations. The new priests are part of teaching the value of the latter, he said.
“Even when people are in the same car, they’re connecting with each other on their cellphones, instead of talking to each other,” Bishop Zubik said. “So that plays an important part. Relationship is something we’ve got to work to build up with God, and with each other.”
For Rev. Clinton, seeing the crowded cathedral — which erupted in applause multiple times for the new priests — was a sign that his journey was worth it.
“I think that people are looking for meaning and purpose, especially young men, and once we show them that the priesthood has the purpose of guiding God’s people to salvation, and that is the most exciting and joyful thing that we could imagine, that attracts people naturally to the mission,” he said.