Joy, excitement and pride permeated the air during the long-awaited priestly ordination of five men during a June 21 Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland.
Archbishop William E. Lori welcomed the new priests – Father Bienvenu Illanga, Father James “Jamie” Lancelotta, Father Shiadrik Mokum, Father Alex Mwebaze and Father Thomas O’Donnell – during a more than two-hour liturgy that inspired applause and ovations from the approximately 1,600 in attendance.
The new priests come from very different walks of life and include one from the Democratic Republic of Congo, another from Uganda and a third from Cameroon.
As part of the ordination rite, the priesthood candidates firmly pledged their “respect and obedience” to Archbishop Lori and his successors. They lay prostrate in the sanctuary while the congregation chanted the Litany of the Saints with reverence. Archbishop Lori then placed his hands upon each candidate’s head in silent invocation of the Holy Spirit – a sacred act that was echoed by the assembled priests.
The newly ordained were clothed in stoles and chasubles. The archbishop anointed their hands and entrusted each with a paten and chalice. In a final expression of welcome, priests from the archdiocese, along with the archbishop and other bishops, offered each new priest a fraternal kiss.
“You must be the ‘exegetes’ of Christ,” Archbishop Lori told the priests-elect in his homily. “Surely this means studying Scripture daily, reading it prayerfully, interpreting it according to the mind of the church and grappling with what it means to you and for those you serve.”
The archbishop said the “very heart” of the ordination liturgy is “to consecrate you in the truth and holiness of the Word, in the reality of the Father’s mercy, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”
“While many people will expect you to know a little about a lot of things, more than anything else they will expect you to show them the face of Christ, and to help them interpret their lives by encountering his truth and his love. …
“It is in the suffering that comes with priestly ministry that you will most profoundly be the exegetes of Christ’s sacrificial love,” the archbishop said.
Following the ordination Mass, the new priests offered blessings to family and friends who formed long lines at various parts of the cathedral.
Father Lancelotta said he couldn’t begin to express what his ordination means to him.
“Just the idea that I am going to be walking in the footsteps of Christ and becoming ‘in persona Christi’ is humbling,” he said.
When a woman asked “Father Jamie” to pray for a family member struggling with alcohol addiction, the new priest offered to speak with the man since he himself is in recovery.
Bob Niffenegger, who converted to Catholicism a year ago, and his wife Teresa of Holy Family in Davidsonville were among many fellow parishioners who came to support Father Mokum. They called him “so sincere,” noting that he will make a “wonderful priest, wherever he serves.”
Father Mokum’s “honorary mother,” Noella Samkubam, also of Davidsonville, referred to Father Mokum simply as “Mokum.”
“I am Mokum’s mother here in the U.S.,” she said. “He came during the time of COVID. He was a young seminarian from Cameroon. I was a new member in Holy Family Parish. Mokum came right into my arms, and since then he’s been a part of the family. He recognizes me as his mom. … The kids are blessed to have a big brother. We are super proud of him.”
Samkubam added that Father Mokum is from the same tribe as her husband Titus. Chantal Abonge, another jubilant supporter present, also said that Father Mokum is from her tribe, the Babanki-Tungo in the northwest region of Cameroon.
“I feel very good,” beamed Father Mokum after taking a photo later with Archbishop Lori, relatives and friends. “This is the day the Lord hath made. We rejoice and are glad!”
Newly ordained Father Mwebaze, hurrying off to welcome those waiting in a side chapel to receive his first blessings, said he felt “so good and happy” after his ordination. He was raised by a Catholic family in Uganda, where he also experienced life in a boarding school.
For Father O’Donnell, who prepared for the priesthood in Rome, his ordination means that he can accept the tall order to “make everybody holy and bring them to home with the Father.” His returning to Rome to complete additional studies will be sad, he admitted.
“But it will be a gift to be able to bring that last year of learning back to the archdiocese,” he said. He will become the associate pastor of the Catholic Community of South Baltimore temporarily prior to his departure.
Newly minted Father Ilanga was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unable to contain his joy after his ordination, he declared, “I feel very excited for God having blessed me, and being with me on the journey. May all glory return to him!”
Cynthia Norris of St. Gabriel in Woodlawn interacted with Father Llanga during his diaconate, which he served at St. Gabriel and St. Charles Borromeo in Pikesville.
“He really takes the time to look into people’s hearts,” she recalled. “He once told me, ‘I always remember people once they’ve had an impact on my heart.’ He is very approachable, truly a servant.”
Many attending the liturgy showcased colorful African garbs and sensible cotton wear for the day’s expected high of 91 degrees and even higher heat index.
Amid the hubbub as people anticipated the start of the liturgy, the choir in the balcony continued rehearsing, accompanied by majestic organ blasts. The sound was glorious, uplifting: “Holy God, we praise thy name; Lord of all, we bow before thee!” The Gloria was sung simultaneously in English and Spanish. Readings proclaimed in English also appeared in the program in Spanish, and responses were led by a cantor with a calming, Pavarotti-like voice.
When the Mass got underway, the Knights of Columbus escorted the procession of nearly 200 priests, deacons, seminarians, sacristans and other religious. Principal celebrant Archbishop Lori was joined by his predecessor, Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker, retired urban vicar Bishop Denis J. Madden, and Bishop Emeritus Emmanuel Busha of Buea, Cameroon. The Baltimore archdiocese began collaborating with the Catholic Church in Cameroon in 2016, welcoming its seminarians for service in Baltimore..
Before leaving the cathedral, Archbishop Lori underscored to the Catholic Review what he shared during the ordination: Next year will be the first time in 60 years that the archdiocese of Baltimore will have more than 60 seminarians.
“I ascribe that to prayer … to generous families,” to the efforts of the archdiocese’s vocations office, and, “above all, to God’s grace and our very good seminarians who demonstrate what it means to have a priestly vocation,” he said.
“There are a lot of beautiful things happening due to God’s grace in the archdiocese, and I am so grateful.”
The new priests will serve in the following parishes:
Father Bienvenu Ilaga
To Associate Pastor, Pastorate of Christ the King Parish, Glen Burnie, and St. Bernadette Parish, Severn. Effective July 1.
Father James Lancelotta
To Associate Pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish, Towson. Effective July 1.
Father Shiadrik Mokum
To Associate Pastor, Pastorate of St. John Parish, Westminster, and St. Joseph Parish, Taneytown. Effective July 1.
Father Alex Mwebaze
To Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Parish, Forest Hill. Effective July 1.
Father Thomas O’Donnell
To Temporary Associate Pastor, Catholic Community of South Baltimore. Effective July 1.
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