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Pope Leo XIV ordained 32 men to the priesthood Friday on the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, calling on them to draw inspiration from the many examples of priestly holiness in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history and to share God’s love with the world.
Thousands of priests filled St. Peter’s Basilica for the June 27 Mass, the high point of this week’s Jubilee of Priests. The diverse group of men ordained hailed from more than 20 countries, including South Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Ukraine, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Romania — most from beyond Western Europe.
“Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously,” Pope Leo in his homily told the men about to be ordained, moments before the ordination.
“Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry. Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do.”
In front of the altar built on the tomb of St. Peter, the men being ordained lay prostrate on the marble floor of the basilica as thousands chanted the Litany of the Saints.
St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, was almost completely filled with rows and rows of priests in white vestments kneeling. Pope Leo XIV placed his hands on the heads of each of the young men whom he personally ordained to the priesthood.
Pope Leo highlighted the centuries of priestly witnesses in the Church who “have been martyrs, tireless apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity,” urging the new priests to “cherish this treasure: learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal, and invoke their intercession often and insistently.”
The pope also warned against the lure of superficial worldly success. “All too often, today’s world offers models of success and prestige that are dubious and short-lived. Do not let yourselves be taken in by them!” he said. “Look rather to the solid example and apostolic fruitfulness, frequently hidden and unassuming, of those who, with faith and dedication, have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters.”
The ordinations held special meaning for many of the young men, some of whom were stepping foot in Rome for the first time.
“I received the news with tears in my eyes, but with joy. I would never have expected it. For me it is the proof of how God acts in one’s life. He has a perfect plan. You just have to trust,” said Jiergue Stanley, a 35-year-old from Haiti who traveled to the Eternal City for the first time to be ordained.
Gilbert Tika from Ghana told “EWTN News Nightly” ahead of his ordination: “It’s something wonderful to be ordained by the pope, Pope Leo. I think it’s a special gift that God is giving me and the other brothers that will also be ordained.”
“Being a priest for me means I have to be a sign of hope for the people with whom I live, with whom I will minister,” he added. “Practicing the habit of looking at things with the eyes of Jesus Christ. And helping others to look at the world through the eyes of Christ and let the people feel they are still loved by God.”
Another newly ordained priest from Mexico, 27-year-old Jorge Antonio Escobedo Rosales, said: “I accepted this gift with great joy after 13 years of priestly formation.”
Pope Leo XIV was visibly emotional as he greeted each of the new priests after the ordination rites, embracing each of them under Bernini’s baldacchino.
“Our hope is grounded in the knowledge that the Lord never abandons us: He is always at our side,” the pope said. “At the same time, we are called to cooperate with him, above all by putting the Eucharist at the center of our lives, inasmuch as it is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’”
He quoted a line from a homily St. Augustine gave on the anniversary of his episcopal ordination — “For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian” — emphasizing the joyful fruit of the communion that unites the faithful, priests, and bishops in the recognition that all are saved by the same mercy of God.
On the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which focuses on Christ’s love poured out for humanity, Pope Leo reaffirmed his commitment to ecclesial unity and peace. “The priestly ministry is one of sanctification and reconciliation for the building up of the body of Christ in unity,” he said.
“In the solemn Mass inaugurating my pontificate [on May 18], I voiced before the people of God my great desire for ‘a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.’ Today, I share this desire once more with all of you,” he continued.
The solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated each year on the Friday after Corpus Christi, originated in 17th-century France through the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. It was officially instituted by Pope Pius IX in 1856 and has become an important Catholic solemnity day emphasizing Christ’s love and the call to compassion and reparation.
Pope Francis’ final encyclical, Dilexit Nos, meaning “He Loved Us,” was about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps,” Pope Leo XIV said.
“Let us bring the peace of the risen Lord to our world, with the freedom born of the knowledge that we have been loved, chosen, and sent by the Father.”
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This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
