It is hard to believe that the time is so near! A journey that started when I was a small kid is going to be realized this Saturday when I am ordained to the priesthood. It certainly seems very surreal that the ordination is a few days away and my life will change dramatically very shortly. But at the same time there is a great peace and excitement for what is to come.
This has been something I have been thinking about since I was 6 years old as a young altar server watching my pastor say Mass. Something in me said that I wanted to be like him one day and that desire never left me. What I had been thinking about for so long will now become a reality. I am sure it will take some time to sink in; I imagine it will take my whole life to fathom and know the priestly identity that will be bestowed on me, but I know this is the time. God has called me; He has led me; He has prepared me. Certainly, I can never be fully ready for what I will be undertaking, but I have learned and experienced that God’s grace is always sufficient. May His grace carry me throughout my priesthood to be a priest close to His heart so that I can transmit His presence to a world that deeply longs for it. Amen.
Deacon Ryan Pietrocarlo, C.S.C., professed his Final Vows with the Congregation of Holy Cross in August, and was ordained as a transitional Deacon along with his friend and classmate Deacon Michael Palmer. He is currently serving the St. Adalbert/St. Casimir Parish Community in South Bend. Deacon Pietrocarlo is originally from East Rochester, New York.
