NORCROSS—Father Larry Niese carefully helped remove the stole of deacons from the shoulder of the newly ordained Father Jacob Butz. He replaced the garment, which rests diagonally across the chest, with the stole of priests, the cloth worn across the back of the neck that hangs in front. 

Then the longtime priest adjusted the chasuble, the outermost cloak, on his former parishioner’s shoulders. Embroidered on the front is the seal of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.   

And concluding with a hug, the quick change of church vestments visually represented the new role of Father Butz in the church, from deacon to priest.  

While Archbishop Hartmayer ordained Eric Baylot, Jacob Butz, Juno Lee and Sean Lee priests, the then-transitional deacons stand at the altar supported by their families and seminaries, their parishes and priests.  

In the ordination ritual, each of the deacons chose the priest who would help him put on the vestments of a priest for the first time. Asking a priest to serve in this role is a sign of appreciation and gratefulness for their support as a role model. 

Father Sean Lee chose Father Sunny Punnakuziyil, his pastor since he was a teen; Father Juno Lee chose Father Cyril Chae, with their shared Korean heritage; Father Jacob Butz selected Father Larry Niese, his longtime pastor and Father Eric Baylot’s vesting priest was Father Bradley Starr, his cousin.  

The men were ordained to the priesthood May 30 at Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Norcross.  

A priest of presence 

Father Sean Lee, 27, grew up in St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn. He was a middle school student when a new pastor, Father Punnakuziyil, arrived. As a teenager, Father Lee assisted at Mass as an altar server, explored his faith through the Life Teen youth program and asked questions.  

“As I began to embrace the faith as my own and fall deeper in love with Our Lord, Father Sunny always made himself available. He was always there to answer any random question I would throw at him,” said Father Lee in an email.  

Like many seminarians, the young man shared his concerns about the future. Father Punnakuziyil in return recalled his own memory of hesitation before he was ordained more than 30 years ago.  

Through the years, Father Sunny said he saw the new priest move from uncertainty to a mature spirituality.  

“I could see him progressing in his formation, and he developed and grew into a fine young gentleman as I know him now,” he said. 

Father Lee said it only made sense for his pastor to serve as his vesting priest, as he “helped ‘clothe’ my own understanding of the priesthood.” 

The young priest said he has a mentor whose ministry is focused on being “genuinely present to his people” and with a “joyful presence.” 

Father Punnakuziyil said in his 32 years of ministry as a member of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales religious community, this is the first time he has been asked to vest a new priest. He felt it a deep honor knowing the many priest friends Father Lee could have asked.  

The longtime priest saw Father Lee become very prayerful, dedicated to the Liturgy of the Hours, serious about Mass and confession during his visits home from St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. 

Newly ordained Father Juno Lee distributes holy Communion for the first time as a priest at Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church. Father Lee fulfilled his military obligation in South Korea before taking on his childhood desire for the priesthood. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The St. John Neumann community holds the new priest close as it prays for him.  

“The parish community has just embraced him. He’s already a star here,” said Father Sunny. “They were lucky to hear his homilies as a deacon during the past year. “He’s able to connect with the people, with the congregation, so people love him,” said the pastor.  

A shared heritage 

Father Juno Lee also chose a priest who has known him for years, but through a unique route: friendship in Korea. 

Father Lee, 33, was born in Maryland, lived in Chicago, and spent many years in South Korea. His mother and Father Cyril Chae’s elderly mother lived in a shared apartment complex in Korea. The two women worshipped at the same parish. That connection in 2010 led Father Chae to meet the young man, who was then thinking about priestly life. It was Father Chae who suggested he consider serving as a priest in Atlanta.  

“In that sense, he was one of the priests who helped guide me toward the path that eventually led to my ordination,” said the newly ordained.  

Father Lee had spoken about being a priest since grade school, stopping at a chapel for eucharistic adoration and telling Jesus about his day and later discerned his vocation seriously. After finishing his mandatory military service, Father Lee moved to the United States to enter seminary.  

Throughout his time in the Boynton Beach, Florida, seminary, Father Chae offered Father Lee a place to stay at his rectory, in addition to welcomed home-cooked meals. Father Chae, who was ordained in 2004, serves at St. Patrick Church, Norcross.  

“Through all these moments, our relationship became more than just a simple acquaintance,” said Father Lee about his mentor. “He became someone who walked with me in my vocation.”  

Father Chae believes the new priest’s prayer-filled experiences as a young person were signs of “abiding in Christ” as he weighed his options.  

The role of vesting is more than a simple gesture and tradition for Father Chae. He compared it to a father entrusting a loved one with complete support to another life, here as a priest to the church.  

It signifies Father Lee “is entering into full participation in the ministry of Jesus,” he said. “Acting through me, the Holy Spirit is affirming and conforming him as a true disciple.”  

Experience as a true teacher 

Deacon Jacob Butz, 31, asked Father Larry Niese, his longtime pastor at St. Michael the Archangel, Woodstock, to assist him. It is the second time Father Niese has served in this role, doing the same for Father Joe Wagner in 2022.  

“He has shown me what a good friend in the priesthood looks like,” said Father Butz. 

Deacon Eric Baylot, 30, was assisted at the ordination by his cousin Father Bradley Starr, the parochial vicar at St. Clare of Assisi Church, in Acworth.  

Father Bradley Starr, right, removes the stole of deacons from the shoulder of the newly ordained Father Eric Baylot, left. He replaces the garment, which rests diagonally across the chest, with the stole of priests. The two priests are cousins. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Experience is the only true teacher of priestly ministry, say the seasoned clergy.  

Father Larry Niese said the newly ordained priests will learn to serve by doing ministry, not from seminary classes.  

A lesson he learned the hard way is the importance of earning trust. Early in his ministry, his counsel was ignored as he rushed to tackle difficult issues when advising people, as if that was the most important concern before befriending them.  

“I think they have got to see that you care about them, that you love God’s people, and they see you love them,” said Father Niese. If a priest does not learn that, the ministry will suffer, he said.  

Ministry is more than theology or rules, but walking with people, understanding their spiritual needs, and helping them move closer to Christ, said Father Niese.  

“It’s understanding and being patient with where people are and trying to raise them up to at least a notch up,” he added. 

Father Punnakuziyil said the new priests will learn the priesthood is “24/7 service” that must be balanced with personal time. This availability may require significant sacrifice, such as responding to sick calls in the middle of the night or listening to a parishioner’s personal problems immediatelyafter a Sunday Mass, rather than making an excuse to leave. 

In his 32 years, he has learned that “bookish knowledge” is secondary to understanding how to serve parishioners in real life.  

“It’s not taught in the seminary how you handle such a situation. It only comes with experience,” he said. “That requires a heart-to-heart relationship with the people.”