DAWSONVILLE—Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., celebrated Mass and admitted nine seminarians to candidacy for holy orders July 27 at Christ the Redeemer Church. Auxiliaries, Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, and Bishop Bernard E. Shelsinger III concelebrated.  

The seminarians making this commitment were Will Whitlow, Patrick Creamer, Bryan Roberts, Chris Larkins, Cole Austin, Steven Couch, Anthony Carosone, Chrystian Bis and Juno Lee. 

Father Rey Pineda, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, said the candidacy Mass is a “big step on the road to priesthood.” 

A seminarian becomes a candidate for holy orders before beginning their theology studies, typically after completing college seminary or pre-theology. It means that a man has completed the discipleship stage and will now enter the configuration stage, where the emphasis is less catechetical. 

A parishioner prays in the sanctuary before the candidacy Mass held at Christ the Redeemer Church on July 27. Photo by Johnathon Kelso

“The gears now switch,” said Father Pineda. It’s about “configuring the man to Christ the priest.” 

The seminarians are making a public acknowledgement, he explained.  

“They’re in a relationship; people know about it. It’s a public statement,” said Father Pineda. “This man is taking on a commitment to the church, and the church receives it.” 

Family members and friends of the seminarians attended the early evening Mass, joined by members of the Dawsonville parish. 

In his homily, Archbishop Hartmayer told the candidates that their decision is framed by the Word of God that challenges all of the baptized.  

“You are being given the opportunity to deepen your resolve to follow the Lord Jesus and to serve the people of God in a unique way,” he told them. 

The archbishop said that just like the first disciples, the candidates have been chosen for this role. 

“Ordained ministry is not like a career which one self-selects. It is a call to which one responds; a divine vocation and grace to which one strives to be faithful,” said Archbishop Hartmayer. 

The rite of admission marks the formal way in which the church judges an authentic vocation. 

Archbishop Hartmayer said the call to authentic discipleship, and to live with a singular focus upon the Gospel of Jesus, is an incredible challenge.  

St. Peter the Apostle depicted in a stain glass window at Christ the Redeemer Church, which hosted the recent candidacy Mass for Atlanta seminarians. Photo by Johnathon Kelso

“It is demanding—for these candidates and for all of you—and for me,” he told those gathered at the Mass. “It is, however, the only way in which we will find our true peace.” 

Like other rites, the candidacy Mass connects us to the history of the church, when Masses were celebrated in homes, said Father Pineda.  

“It kind of brings you back to the mind of the church. It’s ancient,” he said of the rite. 

The archbishop, for his part, pledged his prayerful support to the candidates. 

“My brothers, on behalf of your families, your diocesan brothers and the Archdiocese of Atlanta, all of us promise to assist you with our love and prayers as you continue on this path to holiness,” he said.