Bishop McKnight's homily from Father Brad Berhorst's Ordination Mass

How fitting it is.  How fitting is today that as we honor Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles and Martyrs, we celebrate the priestly ordination of Deacon Brad Berhorst.  The Church’s double commemoration of Saints Peter and Paul together, as well as the early origins of this feast, indicate that its real significance is the celebration of the foundation of the ancient Church of Rome, the mother of all Churches throughout the West.  You can venerate the holy apostle’s tombs today in the Major Basilicas of St. Peter in the Vatican and St. Paul Outside the Walls.  Peter’s and Paul’s blood, their martyrdom, solidified the Roman Church’s foundation.  From their physical sufferings and deaths came new spiritual life.  And as we just heard proclaimed, Jesus declared Peter to be the “rock” upon whom he founded His Church, and because of this, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  This promise holds true even to this day, with the gift of the papacy and mission of the Petrine office to confirm the faith of the brethren.

Peter, with his mission to the Jews, and Paul with his mission to the Gentiles, symbolize the two poles of the Church’s single mission: it is at once Catholic or Petrine (with all the hierarchical authority necessary to ensure its mission), and evangelical or Pauline (to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth).  Our continuity with the Church of the Apostles, in this place and in this time, is guaranteed by the office of the Papacy and the apostolic succession of the Church’s bishops and ministers in the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  This hierarchical communion preserves the unity of the Church in the faith of Jesus Christ so that we may carry out His mission with fidelity. 

In an evangelical sense, we are all called to witness Jesus Christ: Peter and Paul did it with the shedding of their blood, but we witness him with our very lives by adhering intellectually to the content of Jesus’ teachings as expressed in the Church’s doctrines; in how we pray, especially in the celebration of the Sacraments Jesus gave us; and in living the Gospel virtues, particularly charity.  In word, sacrament and the moral life, we witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ to people in our daily lives. The mission of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, therefore, is to proclaim boldly the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Peter and Paul did just that—they both gave their lives to proclaim Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and was raised for the salvation of the human race.  Peter was crucified near the Vatican hill, and Paul was behead outside the walls of the capital city of the Roman Empire. 

Last September, Deacon Berhorst, I had the privilege of concelebrating your ordination to the Diaconate, which took place at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica only a few steps away from the confessio directly in front of the tomb of St. Peter.  How fitting.  While this Great Cathedral may not be to the scale of St. Peter’s Basilica in terms of its size, decoration, or grandeur, nonetheless in this very place, the mother church of the Diocese, Peter’s confession of faith continues to ring out through the ministry of the clergy and the witness of faithful.  

Deacon Berhorst, in this very sanctuary, you will join Saints Peter and Paul, and countless others, in laying down your life in service to Christ’s Church and His Gospel.  You will share in the mission all of us in Holy Orders have received from Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: to preserve the apostolic communion of our Church through offices of teaching, sanctifying and governance.  You will promise obedience to me and my successors; you will promise to be united more closely to Christ in your personal prayer and in carrying out your priestly ministry; and you will resolve to exercise the power and authority given to you from above, not for your personal gain, but in service to Christ’s merciful love.  Our Lord made very clear, as well as our recent Popes, that those who abuse others, especially the young, do not belong in the priesthood. The context of the Church today, here in the Diocese of Jefferson City as elsewhere, points out the need for you to follow the model of the Lord’s style of leadership, who came not to be served, but to serve.  The twin crises of clergy sexual abuse and the abuse of power have rocked the foundations of the Church.  The sacred trust you will hold as a priest of the Church must be carefully preserved. The Church especially needs your generation of priests, Deacon Berhorst, to help rebuild and strengthen the confidence, trust and belief in the Sacrament of Holy Orders that has been lost by previous generations.  And when there is a loss of faith in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the entire sacramental system falls apart.

But by your fruitful ministry exercised in the key of pastoral charity, with a spirit and mindset of co-responsibility with the lay faithful, you will be an effective leader in the faith.  We want you, Deacon Berhorst, to be a man of faith and a man of your word who, with the joy of the Gospel and with fidelity to the Deposit of Faith, will assist the healing of the wounds of the Church.  Your joyful service as a priest will help the whole church to witness Christ’s resurrection in our day.  In an article in the recent issue of the Catholic Missourian, you acknowledged that now might not be the easiest time to embark on priestly ministry.  And the article went on to quote you, “But I also know I can’t be a priest any other time than right now. This is the time the Lord is asking me to be a priest. I don’t have to know why, and I don’t have to pretend it is easy. I just have to say ‘yes.’”

With wisdom like that, Deacon Berhorst, it is seems very fitting to me that God has called you to serve our Diocese as a priest in these times.  You are a providential sign of hope for us, who are in need of even more priests. 

And finally, if you would permit me to be personal for a moment: I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time.  We all have.  You will be the first priest I ordain as the Fourth Bishop of Jefferson City. As a young bishop and a young priest, we shall minister together for many years to come, God willing.  We owe a special debt of gratitude to your family, especially your parents John and Rosemary, who instilled the Catholic Faith in you as their son.  Thank you, John and Rosemary.  I pray that through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Diocesan Patroness, you and I may serve faithfully, along with our brothers priests, to shepherd our Church in the joy of the Gospel and with a profound sense of gratitude for His merciful love. Amen.