The archdioceses of Washington, St Paul and Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee celebrated the largest number of new priests in decades.

On 15 June, the Archdiocese of Washington celebrated its largest ordination class in 64 years. Cardinal Wilton D Gregory ordained 16 new priests, the largest number since 1960, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The other three archdioceses also saw notable increases in their ordination classes. The Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis welcomed 13 new priests, Los Angeles ordained 11, and Milwaukee saw nine men take up the priesthood.

Diverse backgrounds

The new priests in Washington range in age from 25 to 64, including a Rwandan genocide survivor, a former emergency room physician, and military veterans.

Cardinal Gregory praised the lifelong development of priestly vocations, supported by family and friends, and urged the new priests to centre their lives on prayer and the sacraments.

In his homily, the cardinal emphasised the importance of unconditional love, urging the new priests to "surrender your lives in imitation of the One who poured out His life for us."

In St Paul, approximately 3,500 people attended the ordination at the Cathedral of St Paul. Archbishop Bernard A Hebda highlighted the varied backgrounds of the 13 new priests, including careers in marketing, the Air Force and social work.

Archbishop Hebda noted that their skills and experience would serve them well in their new roles.

Faithfully serve Jesus

Archbishop José H Gomez ordained 11 new priests in Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The new priests come from varied backgrounds including catering, therapy and sports.

Archbishop Gomez highlighted the importance of love in the priesthood, quoting St John Vianney - "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus".

Milwaukee saw Archbishop Jerome E Listecki ordain nine men at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.

Archbishop Listecki emphasised the role of priests in shaping and forming communities through the sacraments and acts of charity, encouraging the new priests to "faithfully serve Jesus Christ in his church".

This record number of ordinations signifies a hopeful future for the Catholic Church in the US as it sees an influx of diverse and committed individuals step into the priesthood.

Sources

Our Sunday Visitor

CathNews New Zealand

Archbishop José H Gomez invited all local Catholics to participate in a Mass that marked the beginning of a day of prayer on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In response, thousands of protesters gathered outside Dodger Stadium on Friday evening to express their opposition to the team's Pride Night ceremony, which honoured the queer and trans nuns.

The event, organised by Catholics for Catholics, saw a massive crowd block the ballpark's main entrance, holding signs with messages like "Stop Anti-Catholic Hate" and chanting "Save our Children."

The local chapter of the Sisters, known for their drag performances in traditional Catholic nun habits, was to receive the Dodgers' Community Hero Award for their contributions to the LGBTQ+ community during the team's 10th annual Pride Night.

However, critics have labelled the group a "blatantly perverted, sexual and disgusting anti-Catholic hate group."

While law enforcement maintained a strong presence inside and outside the stadium ahead of the game, a sizeable group of protesters congregated outside Dodger Stadium hours before the event.

"We're hoping that the Dodgers will see the amount of Catholics and Christians showing up here today peacefully," protestor Anthony Rodriguez said.

"We're showing that we're not budging. We've drawn a line in the sand and we're putting our faith first."

Amid the protests, two "nuns" from the group appeared near the third base line to accept the award, sparking a mixed reaction from the small crowd in the stadium.

Sisters "a hate group"

The Dodgers' decision to invite the Sisters had stirred national outrage, leading to a series of events where the team initially rescinded the invitation but later reinstated it.

Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, US senator Marco Rubio, former Mets pitcher Trevor Williams and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw objected to the group's inclusion, emphasising the importance of respecting religious beliefs.

Dodgers ace and Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw expressed frustration over the group's event.

"I don't agree with making fun of other people's religions," Kershaw said. "It has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don't think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else's religion. So that's something that I definitely don't agree with."

The controversy also prompted the involvement of various organisations and individuals, including the Catholic League president Bill Donohue and Brian Burch, president of the advocacy group CatholicVote, who called the Sisters a "hate group."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, anticipating the protests, expressed their support for the right to demonstrate against them. They emphasised their dedication to their work, viewing being a nun as a lifelong service to the LGBTQ+ community and various religious denominations.

"We use humour and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit," the Sisters' website says.

The group called the national controversy a "silver lining."

"Our group has been strengthened, protected and uplifted to a position where we may now offer our message of hope and joy to far more people than before," the organisation said on its website.

Sources

Fox News

New York Post

CathNews New Zealand