By Rex Rocamora, Columban deacon

Last December 29, 1998, Archbishop Jesus Tuquib ordained Jude Genovia and Rolando Aniscal priests in St. Augustine’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro. More than a thousand people including 97 priests attended the celebration. Archbishop Jesus Diosdado of Ozamis, Msgr. Des Hartford of Marawi Prelature and Msgr. Tex Legitimas, the Rector of the Cathedral, were there. The Columbans were represented by people from many different countries.

For the Columbans and for the families of Jude and Rolando, it was a family celebration. People came from the town of Karomatan from Jimenez in Misamis Oriental and from Sinacaban and other towns.

The ordination ceremony began at 10:00 AM on a sunny Tuesday morning and ended at 12:30 PM. The procession of priests from the door to the altar was led by the Corpus Christi Dance Group with their lovely costumes and expressive gesture – a mixture of T’boli, Monobo and Moslem cultures. The ceremony was beautiful. The liturgy was in Cebuano; on the vestments s of the two new priests was written: “Bayan Umawit ng Papuri.”

Archbishop Tuquib’s homily was centered on Christ, the teacher, priest and shepherd. Like Christ, the new priests will come to serve and not be served, to preach the Good News to God’s people and to celebrate the Eucharist. Or, as Fr. Dick Pankratz reflected: Columbans around the world strive to fulfill the Words of Christ, “I have come that they may have life, life to the full.”

After the ceremony, all were invited to Lourdes College auditorium (a five-minute walk from the Cathedral) for the reception. The first Mass of Rolly was on the following day, Dec. 30, and that of Jude on Dec. 31. We would like to extend our thanks to Fr. Dick Pankratz for the organization of the whole even and to the people, family and relatives of Jude and Rolly who made the occasion not only possible but also memorable. There are now 7 ordained Filipino Columbans. Jude is assigned to Korea and Rolly to Peru.