20140111b
Date: 11Jan., 2014
Subject:HKSE: Joy as three new priests are ordained for the Church
Hong Kong Sunday Examiner
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Joy as three new priests are ordained for the Church
HONG KONG (SE): Joyful applause and acclamation filled the chapel of Christ the King, Causeway Bay, as three members of the Society of the Divine Word, Reverend Heribertus Hadiarto, Reverend Antonius Reynolds Baluban and Reverend Melchor Fuerzas, were welcomed as priests for the Church, following their ordination by the bishop of Hong Kong, John Cardinal Tong Hon, on January 5.
The ordination Mass was attended by a jam-packed, standing-room-only crowd of over a thousand people from different nationalities, parishes and communities.
Around 40 priests concelebrated the service, which was conducted in English and Cantonese, with Indonesian and Tagalog hymns.
The candidates were recommended by their formator, Father Jay Francis Flandez, after which the three made their promise of obedience to their superior, their bishop, and the authority of the Church.
Then, in the ritual of the laying on of hands, Cardinal Tong invoked the holy Spirit upon each one, after which all the concelebrating priests took turns laying hands upon the heads of the three newly ordained priests.
Family members then assisted the three in vesting themselves with their stoles and dalmatics, as the congregation congratulated them with cheers and a loud round of applause. They were then anointed on the palms of their hands with the oil of the chrism.
Father Hadiarto told the Sunday Examiner that he is happy to be a servant of God. He believes the challenge of being a priest is to help people hear the word of God. “The world has changed a lot. People need the word of God, but they do not want to listen.”
His adopted parents and his cousin, who is a religious sister, attended the ceremony. His hometown, Flores, Indonesia, is a place where 90 per cent of the population is Catholic thanks to the Portuguese colonisers who brought the faith there in the early 16th century.
According to him, religious vocations can be found in nearly all families there. He urged people to pray for the priestly vocations in Hong Kong.
Father Hadiarto studied philosophy and theology at St. Paul Major Seminary in Ledalero, Indonesia, and arrived Hong Kong in January 2008, finishing his theology training at the Holy Spirit Seminary College, Aberdeen.
Prior to this, he studied English at the British Council of Hong Kong for six months and took a two-year course in Cantonese at the ChineseUniversity.
After his Cantonese course, Father Hadiarto had his pastoral exposure at the Holy Family parish in Choi Hung. He was assigned to the Ss. Cosmas and Damian parish, Tsuen Wan, he was ordained a deacon together with Father Baluban and Father Fuerzas on 1 July 2013.
The 32-year-old priest shared that he was greatly influenced by his parish priest, a missionary of the Society of Divine Word. Studying at a secondary school set up by the Society of Divine Word, he felt the priests were like a family to him. He was 16-years-old when he entered the minor seminary.
Father Balubun was born in 1982 inMollucas, Indonesia. He is the eldest son and has two sisters. He also received his philosophical training at St. Paul Major Seminary.
He arrived Hong Kong on January 2008 and finished his theology studies at Holy Spirit Seminary in Aberdeen. His pastoral exposure was at Our Lady of the RosaryChurch, KennedyTown, where he worked with the youth groups and the Legion of Mary.
Following his ordination as a deacon, he was assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle parish, Tsing Yi.
Father Balubun expressed his happiness, saying that he had been waiting for this day for many years. He thanked his parents for allowing their eldest and only son to become a priest.
Father Fuerzas comes from Bohol, The Philippines. He arrived Hong Kong on 8 August 2006. He received training in philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in The Philippines.
He also studied theology for a year in Tagaytay, The Philippines, and for a further three years at the Holy Spirit Seminary in Aberdeen, Hong Kong.
He worked at the Holy Family parish, Choi Hung, after being ordained a deacon.
He said that the challenge of being a priest, for him, is to maintain spiritual discipline. “There are a lot of things that have to be kept going, like personal prayers amid busy schedules.”
The 33-year-old priest is the fifth of seven siblings in his family. His elder brother once joined the seminary but gave up at the end. Father Fuerzas told the Sunday Examiner that he was not disappointed about that as every one has a different vocation. He was happy about his brother’s decision.
At the end of the Mass, Father Frank Budenholzer, provincial superior for the ChinaProvince of the Society of the Divine Word, congratulated the three young priests.
He said becoming a priest is a long road, not only for the priest but also their parents and families. He thanked the parents who nurtured the seeds of faith so that their sons could grow up to join in the priestly ministry. He asked the congregation to pray for the three new faces working for the kingdom of God.
Amid much applause and cheering, the newly-ordained priests then thanked—in fluent Cantonese—their parents and families, the priests who had helped with their formation, the people and groups who had supported them in their training period, as well as all who took part in the ordination ceremony. They invited the congregation to pray for priestly vocations so that more young people would hear and answer God’s call.
The three will celebrate their first Masses on January 12, at the parishes where they work.
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