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by Robert Delaney and Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
May 16, 2008

In a ceremony rich in history and tradition, and through the laying on of hands, the cardinal conferred prebyteral orders on:

• Fr. Lee Eric Acervo, 34

• Fr. Charles Kaltz Altermatt, 40

• Fr. Clint William McDonell, 29

• Fr. Sama Francis Muma, 38

• Fr. Mark Peter Prill, 27

Dennis Slagle | The Michigan Catholic Standing in front of the rectory of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament after last Saturday's ordination ceremony are (from left) Fr. Mark Prill, Fr. Charles Altermatt, Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn, Fr. Sama Francis Muma, Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss, Cardinal Adam Maida, retired Auxiliary Bishop Moses Anderson, SSE, Fr. Lee Acervo, Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Flores and Fr. Clint McDonell.

"On this joyous day, our Church of Detroit rejoices in the gift and blessing of five new priests. In communion with the Church throughout the world, on this vigil of Pentecost, we pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our ordinandi and also upon every one of us so that, together, we may fulfill our particular vocation, using our gifts and talents to build up the Body of Christ and prepare for the coming of His Kingdom," Cardinal Maida said in his homily.

Addressing the ordinandi, the cardinal said, "Although each of you comes from very different backgrounds and experiences, you share a common desire to serve the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and body.

"Following the example of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who willingly gave His life for our salvation, you are about to pledge your lifelong commitment to priestly service for the Church of Detroit — you wish to be shepherds after the heart of Jesus Christ," he continued. Cardinal Maida told the men about to be ordained that they had heard in their hearts the prompting of the Holy Spirit and had responded generously.

"The same Holy Spirit will also be speaking in the gifts and needs of your brothers and sisters in the parishes to which you are headed. Together with them, you will participate in the drama of salvation through the preaching of the Gospel, celebration of the Holy Eucharist and sacraments, and by your efforts to affirm their unity in faith," he added.

Dispensing with the custom of having a class spokesman address the bishops, clergy and congregation after the Mass, the entire ordination class put their names to a letter in the program that expressed their thanks to God, the Blessed Virgin, Cardinal Maida and auxiliary bishops, their seminary professors and administrators, and family members and friends who had helped them reach the day of ordination.

Dennis Slagle | The Michigan Catholic The five newly ordained priests concelebrate their first Mass with Cardinal Adam Maida.

"For each of us, our Blessed Mother Mary has been a constant companion and guide through the paths of our lives. We thank her for her prayers, her intercession on our behalf, and for the example she gives us," their message said in part.

For the first time, the ordination ceremony was Webcast live by CTND, and among those watching the Internet transmission were some of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary seminarians and faculty now traveling in the Holy Land.

CTND will broadcast it over its cable TV channel eight times from June 1-14 (check listing for days and times). The Webcast is also available at aodonline.org.

Following the Mass, the congregation had a chance to meet each of the new priests at a reception on the cathedral plaza. Fr. McDonell spoke of his thoughts during and immediately after the ceremony.

"When you're lying prostrate on the floor, it kind of hits home then that, yep, you're being ordained. When the cardinal and the priests were laying on hands, too — that's just a really powerful moment that the priestly office is being passed onto you," Fr. McDonell said.

"Of course, the moment is the consecratory prayer, but I think those physical actions of laying prostrate in humility and also having hands laid on you, it really hits home that this is happening to you," he said.

And then, Fr. McDonell continued, once he had been ordained, "Excited is probably not the right word for it. It's more sublime than that. There are so many doors opened up, and the priesthood is forever. I just can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me."

Dennis Slagle | The Michigan Catholic The five candidates for ordination lie prostrate before the altar of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament during the Litany of the Saints last Saturday.

The parents of Fr. Mark Prill were almost at a loss for words following the ordination Mass.

"It was the most joyful, most blessed experience that you could ever have in your lifetime," said Mary Ann Prill, who with her husband, Maynard, have six children. "And (Fr. Prill) is going to go on and preach the Lord's word to everybody. "I wish that there would be more who would take and look into this vocation to be a priest, because we need more. And he will always be in my prayers."

Maynard Prill, too, said he would like more fathers to be able to experience seeing a son be ordained – and he hoped his son could play a part in that.

"I hope that he can bring more people to become priests, by seeing how he really is," Maynard Prill said. "It's just a great, great blessing. Not just for us, but for everybody who's going to be associated with him in the days ahead."

Marlene Acervo, mother of Fr. Lee Acervo, said her son's ordination to the priesthood was "truly God's blessing and the answer to my prayer." Seeing him being ordained was an emotional experience: "I cannot express the feeling I have in my heart when I see him at the altar."

She said it was not a surprise to her when her son announced his intention to pursue priestly ordination, "but my husband had another reaction." "But, later on, he saw how happy Lee was at the seminary, and he realized that it really was right for him, because he wanted to do more for God," Marlene Acervo continued.

She said she hopes that, with God's grace, her son will be "a good, holy, humble and obedient priest."

And she added she is confident Fr. Acervo will make an excellent priest, because "he's a very loving person, and really wants to bring people closer to God and bring them to experience God's love."

Ronald McDonell, the father of Fr. Clint McDonell, had spent time thinking about what his son's ordination day meant to him.

"I don't know if words can explain it," he said during the reception following the ordination. "The Lord has blessed me. That's as close as I can come. There are so many people in this life that I owe gratitude to because they helped bring him to this point. It's hard to put into words."

Ronald McDonell said he hopes his son can pursue his passion for bringing fallen away Catholics back into the fold.

His wife, Brigid McDonell, said her son — Fr. McDonell is the youngest of the couple's five children — would do well in the priesthood because of "his devotion to his faith and the talents that God has given him, and his ability to teach."

She said the ordination was a great blessing for her and the family.

"It's probably the most exciting day in my life," she said. "And the best Mother's Day anyone can wish for. We are truly blessed. His 91-year-old grandma saw this, and the whole family's together. It's fantastic; just awesome."

Dennis Slagle | The Michigan Catholic Priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit follow Cardinal Adam Maida and other bishops present in laying their hands on the head of each new priest.

Lillian Altermatt, the mother of Fr. Charles Altermatt, said she knew how excited her son was leading up to the ordination.

"He was counting, a couple months ago, how many days it was (until ordination)," she said. "He had it down to hours or minutes. It was pretty wonderful to see him at the consecration. It is really wonderful."

She added that Fr. Altermatt's ordination meant a lot to the family – both her parents and her husband's had passed away, and were looking down on them from heaven, she said.

"We have everybody being very happy and looking down up on them," she said.

Her husband, Eugene Altermatt Sr., said he's proud of his son, and that he wishes him happiness. Asked about what Fr. Altermatt brings to the priestly ministry, he talked about his son's life experience.

"He had a very good job at Ford, and I think he's had a lot of experience of the outside world before he got into the priesthood," Eugene Altermatt said. "That'll be very useful for him when he tackles some of the problems that he's going to face in his new career."

Also at the ordination was Fr. Altermatt's identical twin brother, Gene Altermatt Jr., who said he's glad his brother is embarking on the ministry he's spent a long time preparing for.

"He's been talking about it for years, and it's been six long years in the seminary, and we've been with him through it," he

Dennis Slagle | The Michigan Catholic Fr. Sama Francis Muma kneels before Cardinal Adam Maida for the anointing of the hands.

said. "It's great." Fr. Muma's parents are deceased, but he had many relatives present, including all five of his brothers and his four sisters. "It was just amazing (seeing him ordained)," said Mary Ibe, an older sister who attended the ceremony with her husband Rickie and their two daughters, Cherima, 13, and Chiaka, 8.

She said her brother's gentle nature and willingness to give of himself should help him be an excellent priest, as well as his accepting attitude toward people: "Once he meets someone, you end up being his friend forever."

Remembering back when her brother first announced he wanted to become a priest, Mary Ibe said, "I wasn't surprised, because even when he was a little boy, he was almost too nice to be a little boy."