CHARLOTTE — Seminarian Jacob Mlakar, a parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, stood before Bishop Peter Jugis July 5 and affirmed his desire to advance along the path towards the priesthood.
In the Rite of Admission to Candidacy, the man who aspires to holy orders first publicly manifests his will to offer himself to God and to the Church for sacred ministry. During the rite, the bishop asks the candidate two questions about his resolve to complete his preparation for the priesthood. If the candidate answers these questions affirmatively, he becomes a candidate for holy orders.
During the Rite of Candidacy Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, Mlakar came forward when called by Father Christopher Gober, vocations director for the Diocese of Charlotte. Mlakar then stood at the base of the sanctuary steps, waiting for the questions to be posed to him by Bishop Jugis.
"Our brother, Jacob Mlakar, comes today to this Mass requesting to be admitted as a candidate for holy orders," Bishop Jugis said. "His pastors and those in charge of his formation have spoken favorably of him and recommended that he be received as a candidate."
"It's not a status of prestige, but a status of a different designation of who you are in the Church. Now you are officially designated as a candidate for holy orders," he noted.
"Jacob, the Lord gives you special graces now as a candidate pursuing your vocation to the priesthood. You are crossing a threshold into a period of more intense formation and preparation for the holy priesthood. Jesus, in His love for you, has brought you this far along your path already and He will continue to lead you. Trust Him. Give yourself to Him. Spend time with the Lord in prayer. He will give you the graces to grow in your vocation."
Mlakar recently earned a Bachelor of Philosophy from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, indicating successful completion of the pre-theology program. As a candidate for holy orders, he now begins a more focused period of formation. The next steps in formation are ministry of lector, ministry of acolyte, ordination to the transitional diaconate, and ultimately ordination to the priesthood.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
SAVANNAH — The bishops of the Atlanta Province gathered for their annual meeting June 27-29, this year held in Savannah, Ga. The Atlanta Province encompasses the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the four dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah.
"It's part of an identity of a province to periodically come together, to have an opportunity for fellowship, prayer, and for a little business that strengthens each of the local Churches," explained Archbishop Wilton Gregory.
"All of us, obviously, face many of the same pastoral challenges, and we need to support and affirm and encourage one another. Also, I think it's another indication that, as Pope Francis has said to the whole Church, we need to accompany each other. We need to move forward in faith together."
Their meeting was held at the Savannah diocese's new Catholic Pastoral Center, a former children's home opened by the Sisters of Mercy in 1938.
Pictured after Mass are (from left) Bishop Robert Guglielmone, Bishop of Charleston; Bishop Luis Zarama, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta; Bishop David Talley, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta; Bishop J. Kevin Boland, Bishop Emeritus of Savannah; Archbishop Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Atlanta; Bishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., Bishop of Savannah; Bishop Michael Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh; and Bishop Peter Jugis.
— Photo provided by Michael J. Johnson, The Southern Cross