The Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop of the Military Services, USA and an alumnus of the College, celebrated the Mass and instituted the new readers. Other concelebrants of the Mass were the American bishops present in Rome for their ad limina visits with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, including His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, and His Excellency Cardinal-elect Edwin O’Brien, Pro-Grandmaster of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and former rector of the Pontifical North American College.
As he handed the book of Sacred Scriptures to Villarreal and each of the other semininarians, Archbishop Broglio said, “Take this book of Holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the Word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of His People.”
In his homily, Archbishop Broglio told the new readers that they are to live their lives “possessed by the word.” He reminded them that that their institution as readers was not merely a “stepping stone” on the way to priestly ordination, “but rather one more indicator of how we make the presence of Christ resound in a world hungering for Him, but lost in its search amid so many distractions.”
The Ministry of Reader is one of the ministries seminarians receive as they proceed towards diaconal and priestly ordination. As the rite indicates, a reader is charged with proclaiming the Word of God in the liturgical assembly, instructing children and adults in the faith, and preparing them to receive the sacraments worthily.
Founded in 1859 by Blessed Pius IX, the Pontifical North American College serves as the American house of studies in Rome, where over 5,000 priests have been formed near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses across North America and around the world. The College strengthens the bonds between Rome and local Churches worldwide, and it allows its students to study the Church’s rich religious and cultural heritage at close range.