Four men ordained as priests on the eve of Pentecost at the ...

Archbishop Bernard Hebda delivers the homily to the four ordinands — Deacons Kyle Etzel, left, Ryan Glaser, William Kratt and John Rumpza — and those gathered at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul May 27 for the priest ordination Mass. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT Encouraging them to follow the Holy Spirit wherever he leads in their ministry, Archbishop Bernard Hebda ordained four men to the priesthood on the eve of Pentecost May 27 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

“You share the love for Christ and his Church that I have seen in your hearts over these years,” the archbishop told transitional Deacons Kyle Etzel, Ryan Glaser, William Kratt and John Rumpza, their families, friends, the lay faithful and clergy and religious before the ordination ceremony.

“I trust that the Lord will bring the fruits that we need,” Archbishop Hebda said. “God never abandons us in our work. Be assured that he’s here with you this morning as you give your life over to him in a new way.”

About 2,900 people filled the Cathedral for the two-hour liturgy. Concelebrating with Archbishop Hebda were Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Williams and Michael Izen; Sioux Falls Bishop Donald DeGrood and Maronite Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun of St. Maron in Minneapolis.

More than 140 priests concelebrated and prayed over each of the ordinands. Roughly 20 deacons participated in the liturgy, which was also attended by women religious from several communities.

As he gave blessings to family and friends after the ordination, Father Glaser, 26, shared his joy.

“I’m where God wants me,” Father Glaser said. “It’s amazing … It’s many years in the making, but it’s overwhelming. All of a sudden, it happened, and I’m at the beginning of another journey, (even) as one ends.”

When he begins his first priestly assignment at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina this summer, Father Glaser said, one of his hopes is to help people realize God’s love for them.

In the effective sign of the permanent conferral of the priestly office, Archbishop Bernard Hebda lays hands upon the head of Father John Rumpza. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

John and Mary Kavanagh said they’ve seen how another of the newly ordained priests, Father John Rumpza,34, has loved parishioners at his teaching parish, St. Henry in Monticello. “He’s just going to continue to do beautiful things as a priest,” said Mary Kavanagh, 60, who with her husband belongs to St. Henry. “We’re just very emotional, very blessed to know (Father Rumpza) and we wish we could keep him at St. Henry’s.”

The day also was emotional for Barbara Kratt as she saw the ordination of her son, Father Kratt, 27. “It was a beautiful experience to stand behind my son on that and just love on him,” said Kratt, a parishioner of St. Mark in St. Paul, who along with the other mothers of the new priests brought up the gifts during the liturgy. “I just stood behind him, loving him and praying for him. It was beautiful.”

Another mother, Hannah Hilgendorf, 32, traveled to St. Paul from Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and five children (including her unborn child), to support Father Kyle Etzel, 31, and the other new priests. Her husband, Father Stephen Hilgendorf, is a former Anglican priest who is now a priest in the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. The Ordinariate, equivalent to a diocese, was created by the Vatican in 2012 for people nurtured in the Anglican tradition who wish to become Catholic.

The family was “very, very excited” that the men they have gotten to know were being ordained, Hannah Hilgendorf said. “We are so grateful that God has blessed the Catholic Church by giving her more faithful priests and we are eager to see an increase in vocations and a continued improvement in formation,” she said.