The Papal Visit in New York & my friend Ron

My dear friend Ron Perez has been preparing to become a priest for over 2 years now. This May, he will be ordained as a priest, the only Filipino priest to be ordained out of 6 for New York this year.

I have gotten used to him focusing on his studies at St. Joseph's Seminary and College called Dunwoodie, the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York; our silence only to be broken by the occasional emails, telephone calls and visits during the Christmas holidays. But we have always kept in touch and when we do reach out to each other, it was effortless to pick up from where we left off.

Mark and I really felt happy for him for his ordination and his first Mass in May 10 & 11, 2008. And now with the Papal Visit that will take place on April 18, 19, and 20, 2008 (http://www.archny.org/papalvisit/), we are all the more proud that he will be the Deacon of the Word during the Pope's Mass in Yankee Stadium.

What is the Deacon of the Word? The most common custom is that one deacon usually reads the Gospel, the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, the invitation to make the sign of peace, and other interventions such as "The Mass is ended ..." (ref: http://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur98.htm)

Ron asked me to ask everyone to pray for him as he takes on this responsibility this coming weekend. Go Ron, go!

Mark and I really feel blessed and honored that we have a friend like Ron. It is one thing to have a priest for a friend. It’s another thing to have a friend for a priest.

Ron blesses 811 on December 24, 2007

Mark your Calendar for Ron’s Ordination: May 10, 2008

To those who have met Ron and know Ron, you are more than welcome to attend his ordination. Below is a transcript of his invitation:

With praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God,

The Penticostes and Perez Families

request the honour of your presence

at the Ordination of their son and brother

Ronald

to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ

through the imposition of the hands

and

the invocation of the Holy Spirit

by

His Eminence

Edward Cardinal Egan

Archbishop of New York

the morning of Saturday, the tenth of May

in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and eight

at nine o’clock

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Fifth Avenue

New York, New York

An Invitation to Rev. Ron’s First Mass

With eternal gratitude to the Lord,

a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving

will be offered

by

Rev. Ronald P. Perez

on the

Solemnity of Pentecost

the afternoon of Sunday, the eleventh of May

in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and eight

at one o’clock

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Fifth Avenue

New York, New York

First Blessings will follow after the Mass.

Ron’s quote in the New York Times of April 15, 2008

Here's Ron’s quote as it appeared in the New York Times last April 15, 2008

At 39, Ronald Perez is the oldest candidate for ordination next month. A former paralegal at a Midtown law firm, he moved to New York from Los Angeles 10 years ago to change his life. By the time he decided to become a priest, he had worked at a failed manufacturing company and a dot-com that missed the boom.

His decision to become a priest was gradual, he said, coming after years of involvement in activities at his home parish, St. Patrick's Cathedral. He credited the talks he had with visiting seminarians for nudging him closer to the religious life. Like many other contemporary candidates for the seminary, he started studying philosophy with other prospective priests.

"The door was open, so if it was for you, go on, but if not, leave, no questions asked," he said. "That first year was crucial. It gave me a chance to look back at my life and the world around me. Nothing I could have done as an engineer or a paralegal would give me contentment and happiness. Something was missing. I realized what it was: becoming a priest."

Deacon Ron at Christmas Mass in Saint Patrick's Cathedral