The esteemed Ordinandi Dinner will celebrate 35 years of honouring men set to embark on a religious life as ordained priests in 2025.

In the presence of Toronto’s Cardinal Francis Leo, St. Augustine’s Seminary and the lay Catholic vocations organization Serra Canada will fete five transitional deacons poised to become priests this spring.

Four men study at St. Augustine’s (James Cyfko, Alvin Joys, Jude Thusiar and Peter Bissonnette), while Jesus Fidel Anon is being formed at the neighbouring Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary.

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The dinner on March 18 at the Pearson Convention Center in Brampton, Ont., is a sold-out affair. More than 1,850 people have secured a ticket to this function.

Celeste Iacobelli, who chairs the Ordinandi Dinner executive committee, expressed his delight at the strong ticket sales. He said while the “success of the event is not necessarily measured by the number of people attending,” the robust projected attendance suggests the dinner is “an important way to acknowledge the journey that these men have taken.”

Each member of the 2025 Ordinandi class will share their story about how God uniquely appointed them to the priestly life. They will also impart wisdom and insight about the power of embracing the vocational call of the Lord.

Iacobelli, an elected member of St. Augustine’s Seminary’s board of directors, said listening to these life stories provides an occasion for Greater Toronto Area Catholics to celebrate the strength and dynamism on display in their jurisdiction.

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“We should be very proud that we continue to have men who are so prepared in today's world to devote themselves, dedicate their lives to the service of our Church and community.”

This Ordinandi Dinner will be Leo’s first since he was elevated to the College of Cardinals at the papal consistory in December. The shepherd of Canada’s largest Catholic community is the chancellor of St. Augustine’s Seminary and chairs the board of directors.

Iacobelli said each board meeting with Leo is an opportunity to “witness just how vibrant and well-prepared he is, and how enthusiastic and energetic he is to spread the word and to encourage others to look at our faith as positively as he does.” The committee chair emphasized that it is important for Leo to have a prominent and aspirational role during the dinner and at the morning youth event.

More than 850 teenagers from various Catholic school boards will congregate for the 13th Annual Ordinandi Youth Event, also at the Pearson Convention Center.

It is an opportunity for young people to engage with Leo and become aware of vocations to both the priestly life and religious sisterhood. The Sisters of Life have been a perennial presence at the youth event in recent years.

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Iacobelli expects both the transitional deacons and the religious sister will tell stories and share ideas that resonate with the young attendees. He also anticipates Leo’s ascendancy within the Catholic hierarchy will make an impression.

“(He is) sort of a young man who has elevated to a position of esteem in our Church,” said Iacobelli. “To hear him speak… the cardinal speaks so energetically and so positively in terms of our faith and our archdiocesan community in Toronto. I can't help but believe that that will be caught by the students and be carried forward by the students.”