DETROIT — Friends, family, well-wishers, priests and prelates filled the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on May 26 to see Archbishop Allen Vigneron ordain three new priests for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
With a total congregation of close to 1,000 people and a ceremony rich in history and tradition, the archbishop conferred presbyteral orders on Fr. Steven Mateja, 32, Fr. Salvatore Palazzolo, 31, and Fr. Paul Snyder, 34.
While it was Archbishop Vigneron who conferred the sacrament through the laying on of hands — an action in which he was followed by the other bishops and priests in attendance — he told the congregation that no one present was a mere spectator.
“We are participating in this holy work. We are here to recognize, to confess what God is doing,” the archbishop said in his homily.
The transformation of the three transitional deacons into priests is the work of the Holy Spirit, he continued.
“The Holy Spirit is active in transforming them, in configuring them, in imprinting upon them the character of Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Vigneron said.
He emphasized the point that their vocation to the priesthood is a calling from God. “You did not choose Jesus — He chose you,” the archbishop said.
And foreshadowing the promise of obedience the three candidates for ordination would shortly be making, Archbishop Vigneron spoke of the importance of priests constantly working to maintain unity within the priesthood and the entire Church.
Fr. Palazzolo acted as spokesman for the ordination class, expressing the new priests’ gratitude to God, to the archbishop, to seminary faculty, their fellow priests, family members and all others who had helped them make it to ordination.
And he spoke of their commitment to being “faithful sons of Holy Mother Church always.”
Fr. Mateja will begin his ministry as associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth; Fr. Palazzolo was assigned as associate pastor of St. Lawrence Parish, Utica; and Fr. Snyder will serve as associate pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Farmington.
Those who attended the ordination had an opportunity to meet and be blessed by the new priests at a reception on the Cathedral Plaza following the ceremony and Mass and before they embarked on the rest of their Memorial Day weekend activities.
Tents erected on the plaza kept a heavy downpour from spoiling the reception.
At the reception, the parents of the new priests told The Michigan Catholic how they felt seeing their sons ordained.
“I was awestruck. It was so beautiful. Jesus is so good to us,” said Linda Mateja. Her husband, David, said he went through quite a few Kleenex during the ceremony.
“I attended an ordination several years ago, and that touched me back then, but this was even more,” he said.
Linda Mateja said she is confident her son will make a good priest. “Steve is so kind and charitable,” she said.
And her husband added, “He’ll be training under Fr. (John) Riccardo, and he is a good example to follow.”
Marie Ann Snyder said she felt “honored and humbled, and very proud and pleased” seeing her son ordained.
“I was just in awe of him being chosen and accepting to help spread God’s Word. It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing your son was ready to please God and honor God,” she said.
Snyder said she is confident her son will make a good priest, because he has always taken a lively interest in other people. “He’s a great listener, and he has often said, ‘I just want to teach people that God really loves us all,’” she said.
Snyder said her late husband, Gerald, was more readily accepting of their son’s intention to pursue ordination to the priesthood than she had been. “It took me time and prayer to realize this was the only thing that would make him happy. It was in Rome, standing in front of the Pieta, that tears flowed from my eyes and I thought, ‘If you gave up your son, I can give up mine,’” she said.
Angie Palazzolo said of her son, “I never felt so blessed in my whole life. I was very, very proud of him.”
Pete Palazzolo, her husband, said his son had exhibited leadership qualities from a young age, and always for the benefit of others.
Pete said he wasn’t sure he could find the words to describe his feelings during his son’s ordination: “I was overwhelmed. Our family is so blessed to have the Lord call our son, and we’re here to back him however we can.”
