Catholic Diocese of Arlington / Facebook
The Associated Press has published a feature on the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia and its June 7 ordination of 12 new Catholic priests — the largest class the diocese has seen in nearly three decades.
The video report, titled “A U.S. diocese defies trends and ordains its largest class of Catholic priests in decades,” marks a rare instance of mainstream secular media spotlighting a Catholic vocational milestone.
Filmed at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia, the video captures moments from the ordination liturgy and includes interviews with several newly ordained priests.
Newly ordained Father Ricky Malebranche told AP that he was eager to begin his ministry after years of preparation.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” he said. “I’ve been almost ‘held back’ from serving the people as much as [I] want. And now the Lord is like, ‘I want you to bless, I want you to celebrate Mass, I want you to hear confession. Go.’”
CatholicVote reported on the ordinations earlier this month, noting the class as the second largest in the diocese’s 51-year history. The ordination Mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael Burbidge before a congregation of more than 1,000.
The men ordained came from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds, including engineering, education, and missionary work.
