Cardinal Collins ordains four, calls them to conform to Christ

Before rising before the gathered at St. Michael’s Cathedral-Basilica as priests, each of four men accepted a chalice from Cardinal Thomas Collins. The chalice was a gift to Toronto Bishop Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel from Pope Pius IX in the 1850s.

More than a token of history, the little gold cup is a mandate of sacramental service.

By accepting that historic cup, and with the laying on of hands, Fr. Adam Pantaleo, Fr. Eduardo Lopez, Fr. Fraser McLaren and Fr. Eduardo d’Silva gave themselves to priesthood in the Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Toronto from that moment Saturday morning, May 14.

“It is Christ who is the priest. We need to be conformed to Him,” Collins told his new priests in a homily.

Collins asked the men to pray the seven penitential Psalms (Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129 and 142) before their day is through, charged them with frequent confession to make them better confessors and warned that they must remain in touch with the sacraments at all times.

“If we’re out of touch with the fire, we will not set the world on fire,” he said.