MADISON — Four men were ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Madison on May 22. 

Fr. Casey Cooney, Fr. Barry Meinholz, Fr. Luis Reyes, and Fr. Mark Wagner were ordained by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison.  

The Ordination Mass was concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Gregg M. Caggianelli for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.  

Father Wagner plans to become a chaplain for the U.S. Air Force. 

Many priests of the diocese concelebrated, as well as priests from the faculty of the schools that train the diocese’s seminarians: St. Francis de Sales Seminary in St. Francis, Wis.; Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales 
Corners, Wis.; and Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minn.  

Permanent Deacon Jeff Bond and transitional Deacon Michael Hess assisted at the Mass. Consecrated virgins and women religious of the diocese were in attendance.  

Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem attended, and there was a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Honor Guard.  

The Diocesan Choir and Schola provided music, with Bruce Bengtson directing the choir and Michael Mills playing organ.  The Cistercian Nuns of Valley of Our Lady Monastery donated the altar bread for the Mass. 

Selfless love

The rite of ordination began after the Gospel, with Fr. Jared Holzhuter, director of vocations for the Diocese of Madison, presenting the four men to Bishop Hying. 

After that, Bishop Hying gave his homily. He reflected on the selfless love necessary for the priesthood, using the Greek word “agape,” and he expressed his gratitude.

 “We already can see that ‘agape’ love of Jesus alive in your hearts and souls,” Bishop Hying said to the ordinandi. 

 “Mark, your love for the liturgy and your desire to serve our brothers and sisters of the military is a sign of that. Barry, your quiet strength, gentle spirit . . . is a sign of agape. Luis, your desire to always grow in love and prayer and know yourself as a beloved son of the Father — that’s agape. Casey, your willingness to do hard tasks and find joy in them . . . that’s agape. Through the seminary years . . .  the Lord has poured a spirit of ‘agape’ into your hearts, so that you are now ready to fully lay your lives down for His people.” 

He also thanked the parents of the soon-to-be-priests, speaking in Spanish to thank Father Reyes’s parents. Father Reyes is originally from Colombia. This year, people were tuning in to the Diocese of Madison’s ordination livestream from as far away as Colombia and Spain! 

Becoming priests 

Following the homily, the four men stood and made a series of solemn promises: to discharge their office with humility, to proclaim the Church’s faith in word and deed, to celebrate the Sacraments, to pray without ceasing, and to conform their lives to Christ. Finally, they knelt before Bishop Hying to promise respect and obedience to him and his successors.  

Having expressed their resolve, the four men lay prostrate before the altar as the Litany of Saints was sung, beseeching the intercession of the saints and angels on their ordination and ministry. 

Following the Litany came the most central moment of ordination: The laying on of hands and prayer of ordination.  

Bishop Hying placed his hands on each man’s head, passing on the Holy Spirit.  

Then the priests present united their prayer for the Holy Spirit with the bishop’s, placing their hands on each man’s head as well.  Finally the bishop alone said the prayer of ordination.  

From that point on, the four men were priests. 

It was now that they vested for the first time in the chasuble. Fr. Anthony Kersting, parochial vicar at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, was the vesting minister for Father Cooney, and Fr. John Baumgardner, vice rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary, for Father Meinholz.  

Msgr. Kevin Holmes, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish, was the vesting minister for Father Reyes, and Fr. Chad Droessler, pastor of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish, for Father Wagner. 

Then the hands of the ordained were anointed with Sacred Chrism. 

A common custom at ordinations is to have the parents of the ordained come forward with the Offertory gifts. At this Mass, the mothers of the new priests brought up the bread and wine.  

The gifts were presented to the bishop, who in turn presented them to the newly ordained. 

As the last part of the rite of ordination, the ordained were welcomed by the priests present. First, the bishops, then the other priests present exchanged a sign of peace with their new brothers. 

The new priests — who had been sitting with their families in the congregation during the Liturgy of the Word — then moved to seats by the altar. 

They stood alongside their fellow priests for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After Communion, Bishop Hying knelt before the newly ordained, receiving a first blessing from each of them. 

As the Mass concluded, Bishop Hying gave a solemn blessing to the newly ordained, praying that they would be true shepherds to the faithful.  

Celebration 

Following Mass, there was a reception hosted by the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.  In addition to celebratory dessert and warm congratulations to the new priests, the reception also involved receiving first blessings.  

A priest’s “first blessing” can be given up to a year after ordination, but some of the faithful joyfully lined up to receive one immediately, and upon receiving it, followed the custom of kissing the priest’s hands to honor his recent ordination. The four new priests have the following assignments.  

Father Casey Cooney will serve as a parochial vicar of Sts. Joachim and Anne Pastorate, in the northwest part of the diocese.  

Father Barry Meinholz will serve as a parochial vicar of St. Teresa of Calcutta Pastorate, on the eastern edge of the diocese. 

Father Luis Reyes will serve as a parochial vicar of Epiphany of the Lord Parish, also on the eastern side of the diocese. 

Father Mark Wagner will serve as a parochial vicar of St. John Paul II Pastorate, in the northwest corner of the diocese.