LAKE CHARLES -- Bishop Glen John Provost was the presiding prelate on Saturday, June 30, at the Mass of Ordination for Reverend Samuel Orsot as a priest for the Diocese of Lake Charles as well as the ordination of a transitional deacon – Deacon Michael Caraway - in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
(In the photo are Deacon Michael Caraway, left, Bishop Glen John Provost, center, and Father Samuel Orsot, right.)
At the conclusion of the liturgy, before the final blessing by Bishop Provost, Deacon George Stearns, diocesan chancellor, pronounced the pastoral changes for a number of diocesan parishes, including the first priestly assignment for Father Orsot – Parochial Vicar to St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church.
Father Orsot celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, July 1, at his home parish – St. Henry Catholic Church. Deacon Caraway also served in his capacity as a deacon in the liturgy.
In his homily to the two ordinands and to those assembled, on the Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, Bishop Provost spoke of those deaths, using the account recorded in The Annals of Imperial Rome:
‘Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when day- light had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.’
“This passage describes the gruesome deaths in the year 64 of the First Martyrs of Rome.” Bishop Provost said. “We owe our knowledge of this horrifying episode to the pagan Roman historian, Tacitus. He describes the tormented demise of these early Christians as a result of the devious whim of a deranged emperor.
“Like Eleazar in the first reading (II Maccabees 6:18, 21, 24-31), they were hung, burned, and thrown to beasts,” he continued. “‘leaving a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue’ (II Maccabees 6:31). St. Paul’s words emboldened their resolve, when he writes, ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:38-39. And the reassuring words of our Lord in the Gospel bolstered their hope: ‘But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.’” (Matthew 24:13).
“The life of a priest, truly lived, must be ready for martyrdom,” Bishop Provost continued. “So, it is highly appropriate that this ordination should be celebrated on the day set aside by the Church to recall the sacrifices of the First Martyrs of Rome.
“As priests and ministers of the Church our lives are an offering for the flock,” he continued. “The Second Letter of St. Peter saves this closing admonition for priests: ‘Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory’” (I Peter 5:2-4).
In speaking to the ordinands, the Bishop continued. “You are called to become one of those exemplary priests about whom from time to time we sit around the table reminiscing, recalling their charity, their fidelity, their sacrifices, and their unwavering pursuit of what was better for their parishioners than for themselves. In short, they sought holiness. So should we.”
Priests aiding the two ordinands in vesting were Father Charles McMillin for Deacon Caraway and Father Roland Vaughn for Father Orsot.
