SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - Five men are scheduled to become Roman Catholic priests in Springfield next week.
The men, whose original ordination in early June was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, will instead be ordained Saturday at St. Michael’s Cathedral.
The five men to be ordained are transitional Deacons Stanislaus Achu, Matthew Barone, Michael Goodreau, Valentine Nworah and Sinh Hong Trinh.
Archbishop-designate Mitchell Rozanski, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Springfield, will perform the ordination Mass. It will be one of the last public Masses he will celebrate in Springfield before he leaves for his new position as Archbishop of St. Louis.
The Mass is by invitation only due to restrictions on large gatherings because of the pandemic.
“These men have been looking forward to their ordination for years, envisioning in their mind’s eye what that day would look like,” the Rev. David Darcy, co-director of vocations for the Diocese of Springfield, said in a statement. “I am sure none of them anticipated the circumstances we now find ourselves in, nor the impacts and restrictions on our celebration as a result.”
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