The days leading up to June 8, the Solemnity of Pentecost, were filled with graces for the universal Church and, most particularly, for the Diocese of Allentown.
On Saturday, June 7, Bishop Alfred Schlert conferred Priestly Ordination on Rev. Mr. Robert Rienzo at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown, where Rienzo had been serving as a Transitional Deacon.
Bishop Schlert was the main celebrant of the Ordination Mass, which was concelebrated by diocesan priests and visiting clergy.
Father Rienzo, the son of Dr. Robert Rienzo and Dr. Catherine Rienzo, attended St. Thomas More School, Allentown, and Bethlehem Catholic High School. He studied at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in anthropology and pre-med, and a Master’s Degree in education.
Before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Ambler, in 2017, Father Rienzo spent three years teaching middle school science and religion in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. He was profiled in the May 22 issue of the AD Times and on AD Today here.
Father Rienzo’s parents were present at the Mass, in joyful witness of their son’s Ordination to the Priesthood. Following the proclamation of the Gospel by Rev. Mr. Tyler Loch, the Rite of Ordination commenced with the Election of the Candidate, an inquiry into the suitability of the candidate for the Priesthood.
In reply to Bishop Schlert’s question, “Do you know him to be worthy?” diocesan Director of Vocations Father John Maria replied, “I testify that he has been found worthy.”
At the Bishop’s response – “We choose this, our brother, for the Order of the Priesthood” – the whole of the Cathedral resounded with fervent and sustained applause.
Having then expressed his wholehearted willingness to fulfill the duties of a priest, Deacon Rienzo – now called “the elect” – placed his joined hands inside the folded hands of Bishop Schlert and promised obedience to the Bishop and his successors.
Shortly afterward, as a sign of his complete reliance on the grace of God and submission to His will, Deacon Rienzo prostrated himself face-down before the Altar. While he remained in that position, the Litany of Supplication was chanted, invoking the prayers of the Saints on behalf of the elect.
After the final invocation had faded away, the people maintained a solemn silence while Bishop Schlert placed his hands on the head of the elect. In like manner, each priest present also imposed his hands on Deacon Rienzo, in a conferral of the Holy Spirit. This was followed by the Prayer of Ordination, recited aloud by the Bishop in a solemn and public declaration.
The newly ordained Father Rienzo was then vested by Father David Loeper, pastor of St. Mary, Hamburg. He received a stole, which he will wear when celebrating the Sacraments, and a chasuble, which he will wear when offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The next step in the Rite of Ordination was the Anointing of the Hands, a sign of Father Rienzo’s sacred duties. The rite concluded with the Sign of Peace, during which Father Rienzo stood before the Altar and was embraced in turn by each of his brother priests. Soon after, in his first celebration of the Eucharist as a priest, Father Rienzo spoke the words of consecration together with Bishop Schlert and concelebrants.
In his homily, Bishop Schlert quoted Pope Leo XIV: “It is people of flesh and blood that the Father places on your path, devote yourselves to them, without separating yourselves from them, without isolating yourselves, without making the gift you have received a kind of privilege.”
While “those are beautiful words,” the Bishop noted that, for Father Rienzo, “they are a mission statement, if you will, for the rest of [his] priestly ministry.”
“Be generous with your use of your Priesthood, the time that you devote to serving others,” he exhorted Father Rienzo. “Whenever you can say ‘yes’ to the people of God, please do so. That's where the real pastoral beauty is: to say ‘yes,’ when the people come in search of our Priesthood, because they know that we are the ‘Alter Christus’ whom they have entrusted with their souls.”
The Ordination Mass may be viewed on the Diocese of Allentown YouTube page.
Holy Hour for then-Deacon Rienzo
On the eve of the Ordination, the chapel at St. Thomas More, Allentown was filled with priests, seminarians, and laypeople who had gathered to pray a Holy Hour for then-Deacon Rienzo.
“It's truly a grace, a grace of the Holy Spirit,” asserted Father David Loeper. “You will be called Father Rienzo. In the midst of that Rite of Ordination, all the people of God will become your children.”
Bishop Schlert presided at the Holy Hour, which opened with the consecration of a chalice and paten intended for use by Father Rienzo in the celebration of Holy Mass.
After the Scripture reading and homily, the singing of psalms, and a period of sacred silence, the people recited the “Litany of Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim,” a favorite prayer of Pope St. John Paul II. Fittingly, the Intercessions offered during the Holy Hour called for the response, “Lord, pour out the grace of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole world.”
By Celeste Behe
Photo by Vargas Photography.
