Conferral of Candidacy
First Vespers Nativity of John the Baptist
St. Mary’s Seminary
June 23, 2025
Introduction
This evening, on the eve of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, I have the joy and privilege of conferring candidacy upon Nicolas and Jordan who will soon depart for the Eternal City to continue their priestly formation.
Candidacy is an important milestone in their journey of priestly formation. It is a recognition that the grace of the Holy Spirit is at work in Jordan & Nicolas. It is a moment for them to declare that they are pursuing priestly formation in grace and freedom and a moment for the Church to express its affirmation, support, and love.
Three Pieces of Advice:
And so, Jordan and Nicholas, what advice might I offer you in this moment? Let me offer three points:
First, as you begin your theological studies, you will also enter upon the “discipleship” stage of priestly formation. To become a good and fruitful priest, you must first be a disciple. This can only mean that you will follow Christ more closely, that you will learn from the One who is meek and humble of heart, that you will strive to be like Christ, the Incarnate Son, who knows the Father with unmatched intimacy and who is wholly dependent upon the Father for everything. In meeting the demands of priestly formation, you will be kept quite busy. But amid the busyness, keep your eye fixed on the one necessary thing: to listen to voice of Christ and to follow him unreservedly. His yoke is easy. His burden light. Obedience to his word is joy and freedom even when it cuts against the grain of our culture and against your own wants and needs.
Second, as you pass from the discipleship stage to the configuration stage, don’t jettison discipleship, as if it were a booster rocket. Rather, you are to deepen your discipleship by being conformed to Christ, by allowing the Holy Spirit to continue fashioning deep within you the image of the One in whose Person and Name you hope one day to minister. Allow the Spirit to keep your hearts supple, formable, and malleable. As you begin each day, heed the words of Psalm 94: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
Third, embrace your vocation, not unlike John the Baptist. Called from birth to be the forerunner of Christ he dedicated his whole life to making straight the path of the Lord. Called now by the Church to continue and intensify formation, you are to dedicate your life to preparing to be good priests – who will announce the Word of God, baptize with water and the Holy Spirit, reconcile sinners, render Christ present by Word and Sacrament, and bear witness to him by your manner of life. With that in mind, you will want to ensure that by the time you are ready to be ordained priests, all the stages and dimensions of priestly formation will be well integrated in your life and personality – even as you embrace a lifetime of ongoing formation.
Conclusion
You take this step in the presence of your fellow seminarians and many priests with whom one day soon you will be co-workers. With you we beseech the prayers of St. John the Baptist and of Mary whose song of praise we are about to sing, yet again. May the Lord look upon you in your lowliness and from your lowliness bring forth rich and abundant graces for his people. God bless you and keep you both in his love.