PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRAYPHICS

Newly ordained Fathers Jason Bedel, Ed Pratt and Ryan Ruiz pose for a portrait with Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk.

Archdiocese ordains three to be ‘the men in the middle’

ARCHDIOCESE — The ministry of the priest is a complex one, and the priest is essentially the "man in the middle," in between God, the source of his priesthood, and the people who are the object of it, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk reminded the three men ordained to the priesthood May 17.

And "the ministry of the priest is a demanding one, a ministry that calls for learning, for experience of the Lord and for skills in guiding or leading God’s faithful," he said.

The Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains was filled to capacity as Fathers Jason Bedel, Ed Pratt and Ryan Ruiz brought to 190 the number of active priests ministering to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. And many of their brother priests were there to share in the ordination, offering blessings to the newly ordained during a rite rich in symbolism and history.

As the three men prostrated themselves on the floor before the altar, the Litany of the Saints was chanted, asking the intercession of the saints in sending the Holy Spirit down upon the new priests.

Archbishop Pilarczyk ordained each man by laying his hands on their heads and praying silently, invoking the Holy Spirit upon each. Some 100 priests who were in attendance then laid hands on the heads of the ordinands, signifying their sharing in one priesthood.

The three men were vested in the chasuble and stole of the priesthood, and their hands were anointed by the archbishop.

Following the offertory, when the gifts were brought to the altar by family members of the new priests, each man was presented with a paten and chalice. They then joined Archbishop Pilarczyk in celebrating the Liturgy of the Eucharist for the first time.

Father Bedel, 34, a native of Cincinnati who worked in management before entering the seminary, will serve as assistant pastor of Holy Angels Parish in Sidney beginning in July.

Father Pratt, 45, who was raised in Middletown and had a long career in church personnel administration before heeding his vocation call, will be assistant pastor at St. Albert the Great in Kettering, and

Father Ruiz, 26, is an Urbana native who entertained thoughts of several careers before realizing during his college years at Denison University that he was called to the priesthood, will serve as assistant pastor at Incarnation Church in Centerville.

The archbishop reminded those present that the priest does not convey his own doctrine, "but rather the teaching of Christ and Christ’s church. When he preaches or gives instruction, he acts as an agent of the Lord, and the only teaching the priest can rightly and properly give is the teaching of the Lord and His church. Anything beyond that is at best decorative, and anything contrary to the teaching of the Lord and His church is a betrayal of the priestly ministry."

Similarly, the priest imparts God’s holiness, rather than his own, to the people, Archbishop Pilarczyk said. "That’s the only holiness there is, and if the priest is not concerned with the holiness that is the life of Christ, then he is simply not acting as a Christian minister."

In leadership, a priest is there to represent Christ as the head of the church, "a headship that is meek and humble of heart, a headship that is filled with kindness and forgiveness," he added. "The priest is a priest from God and a priest of God."

Fathers Pratt, Bedel and Ruiz concelebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist with Archbishop Pilarczyk.