ASBURY – On the patronal feast day of the Diocese of Metuchen, the Queenship of Mary, and in the open-air National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen ordained five men for service to the priesthood, the largest group of men to be ordained in the diocese in over 25 years.
The new priests – Rev. David Edward Keyes, Rev. Thomas William Lanza, Rev. Gustavo Andres Rodriguez-Perez, Rev. Gilbert Zachariah Starcher and Rev. John Fredy Triana-Beltran, C.O. – were ordained Aug. 22 at livestreamed Mass of the Rite of Ordination.
“How appropriate that, through strange circumstances and Divine Providence, we gather today at this Shrine to Our Lady and on this feast, the Queenship of Mary, the day of the founding of our diocese,” Bishop Checchio said in his homily. “Our new priests’ lives and ministries will be specially and permanently marked by the gift of Mary, Our Mother, being ordained under these circumstances today.”
The ordination, which had been delayed nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, is usually held at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, but was moved to the outdoor Shrine to accommodate more people in a socially-distant environment.
Addressing the five men, the bishop encouraged them to be men of deep prayer, disciplined prayer, and to give the Father everything they have, following the example of Jesus Himself.
“After giving all He could give, Jesus gave us the most precious thing He had left, which was his Holy Mother,” said the bishop.
Reflecting on a Sunday Angelus of the Holy Father, he encouraged them to “take Mary into your inner being. Take her into all that is and will be your priestly ministry from this day forward. Like Mary, you are now committed to proclaiming, bearing witness to, and even giving Christ to the world.”
“Sacrifice, priesthood and the Incarnation forever go together and the Blessed Mother is at the heart of this mystery, beautifully immersed in it all,” he said to those present, all clad in masks and seated rows apart at the Shrine.
“You are being entrusted to the Blessed Mother by Jesus in a very unique way and in a unique time,” said Bishop Checchio. “Have her with you, always as your model, in proclaiming, bearing witness to, and giving her precious Son to the world.”
“The thing I’m most looking forward to in my priestly ministry is having those sacramental moments, those first with people,” said Fr. Thomas Lanza, who grew up in South Brunswick as a parishioner of St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, Kendall Park.
In advance of his ordination to the priesthood and through a global pandemic, he said he felt called by God to look into the depths, not just of his own priestly ministry, but the core of Christianity too.
“Instead of dwelling upon the priesthood, I felt called to really reexamine being a Christian,” said Fr. Lanza. “Whether you are a priest, deacon, or lay person, at the core, we’re called to be disciples. I started to ask myself, ‘what does that look like during a pandemic?’”
A graduate of South Brunswick High School and Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, Fr. Lanza earned his master’s degrees in divinity and sacred theology from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore. He will serve at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Bernardsville, and will also teach at Immaculata High School, Somerville.
He said while he first started to hear a faint calling to the priesthood when he was only 8 or 9 years old, ultimately the call began to grow louder and was very humbling.
“The priesthood is not about this big, glorious day of ordination,” he said, though he was certainly looking forward to the moment, “but about how can I serve.”
All of the new priests affirmed it is that same service for which they were preparing for in the ministry of the priesthood, that also helped to strengthen their initial calling to the priesthood.
“I felt, especially in bringing Holy Communion to people, that the Lord was with us and standing in the room there too,” Fr. Gilbert Starcher said of his time serving at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Paterson, and St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly, Totowa.
Fr. Starcher, who grew up in Glen Gardner praying every day with his family and attending daily Mass at St. Ann Church, Hampton, said that service was key to his vocational discernment.
“I was happy to bring the Eucharist to them because that fills all the desires of our hearts,” he said. “That was a place where I experienced the work of the Lord in my life because I could see in the eyes of the people who were there a life well-lived and the fullness that comes from a life well-lived and so I desired to live a life like that.”
According to Fr. Starcher, his family also had a large role in his vocational discernment. Homeschooled through high school until he went on to study at Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla., he said there was always an atmosphere that welcomed vocational discernment at his childhood home, not just for himself, but also for his four sisters and two brothers.
“My mother and father always made it clear to us that no matter what path we chose, whether it was to marriage or to a religious vocation, that it needed to come from the Lord, but whatever way it went, they were totally supportive of it,” he said.
Fr. Starcher earned his master’s degrees in divinity and biblical studies from Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, South Orange. He will serve at St. Philip and St. James Parish, Phillipsburg.
“As I’ve heard others say so many times, God is a God of surprises,” he said. “He surprises me all the time with His love and care for me, and so this has been a journey of love and care.”
Fr. Gustavo Rodriguez-Perez agreed that God often presents people with surprises and, often times, “it takes time to grow in the understanding of what God’s will is for us.”
“My journey began when I was around 14 or 15 years old, and it was actually from a simple question that my pastor asked me, ‘do you want to be a priest?’” said Fr. Rodriguez-Perez.
He said that while he never planned on being a priest, he closed his eyes, looked up to the sky and said “yes,” and a seed was planted that day.
“When God calls, it is necessary that we answer Him back,” said Fr. Rodriguez-Perez. “Only when we take the time to pray and grow in our prayer life, we learn to listen to God; we discover how to silence our own desires and open the space in our hearts for God.”
Born in Jamundi, Colombia, Fr. Rodriguez-Perez graduated from the Instituto Comercial Arquidiocesano and earned a licentiate in philosophy from Universidad Minuto de Dios, Bogota. He earned his master’s degree in divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pa.
Fr. Rodriguez-Perez, who will serve at St. Joseph Parish, North Plainfield, said he is encouraged by the support and prayers of those around him.
“It gives me a lot of hope and a lot of energy because I know that what I am doing, the journey I am taking, is not just my journey, but a journey with those I will serve.”
For many of the newly ordained priests, including Fr. John Fredy Triana-Beltran, C.O., they are looking forward to serving those who have walked with them on their journey.
“People have a great need of meeting Jesus, of having this deep relationship with Him,” said Fr. Triana-Beltran, who is a member of the Raritan Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. “My call is not so much about my being willing to be a priest, but it’s about being willing to serve God and to serve God in the way that I think He is calling me to.”
Originally from Renata, Colombia, Fr. Triana-Beltran will serve as the vice rector at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, where his Oratorian brothers also serve. While his journey to the priesthood was not easy, he said the Oratorian community has been like family to him.
“Everybody is called to a different vocation, even within vocations,” he said. “My community has walked with me, has been there with me and has been guiding me with every single step.”
Above all, he said he knows the Lord has always been by his side, helping him to be in the place that he should be, that he is in right now.
“I know it can be difficult to follow Jesus in the middle of everything that we go through in life, but it’s worth it,” said Fr. Triana-Beltran. “Following Him is really worth it; following His teachings; following His desires to be closer to us is really worth it. Don’t be afraid, just follow Him.”
While it can be frightening to leave everything behind and follow Christ, said Fr. David Keyes, he encouraged people to not “run from that fear.”
“Don’t be afraid to run to God,” to turn and follow Him, said Fr. Keyes.
Born in Dodgeville, Wis., Fr. Keyes graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee, and later earned his master’s degrees in divinity and moral theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. He will serve at St. Ambrose Parish, Old Bridge.
While he his road to the priesthood has been winding, thankfully, God put the right people in his path to support him in his vocational journey, he said.
“Vocations are easy in families that pray together,” said Fr. Keyes. “Build the domestic Church because through a family that prays together, you will have beautiful vocations.”