“You are a priest forever.”

I had heard that psalm sung many times before, but as the people sang it in the responsorial psalm on the day of the ordination, it had new power. They were proclaiming a reality, something that was about to take place in a moment but last forever.

The ordination to the priesthood in Villa Cura Brochero, Argentina was extremely powerful and deeply meaningful.


Words cannot describe all that takes place in one mass.

After years of formation, all of a sudden, Christ pours out the power, His power, to transform bread and wine into His Body and Blood, the power to break the chains of sin, His power to preach and touch hearts with His Word, and celebrate the sacraments as His priest.


Thanks to God’s Providence, after over a year of strict restrictions due to COVID, things began to return to normal just before the ordination, making it possible for hundreds of people to pilgrimage to Cura Brochero from all over Argentina and Uruguay.

The weekend was like a spiritual retreat: with the ordination on Saturday morning, celebration afterwards, rosary and Holy Hour that night, and the celebration of the First Mass Sunday, you could feel the fervor in the atmosphere.


Now, Father John Poodts will continue in Argentina, accompanying the missionaries in formation in their philosophy studies, and I will be serving in Portland at the PSU Newman Center, St. Michael the Archangel parish, and our pastoral center in West Linn.

“These are exciting times to be a priest!”

A Beautiful Video Recap:

Rewatch the Ordination: