Saturday, December 11, 2021 was one of special blessings for the Byzantine Catholic Seminary as it witnessed two ordinations – one of a recent graduate and one of a third-year seminarian.
All gathered at St. John Cathedral in Munhall, PA with Metropolitan William Skurla for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and the ordination of third-year seminarian Luke Iyengar to the Minor Order of Reader and the ordination of Deacon Michael Kunitz (Class of 2020) to the Priesthood.
Family, friends, and parishioners from his home parish in McKees Rocks, PA witnessed Luke’s tonsure and his progression through the orders of Candle-Bearer and Cantor to his being vested as a Reader as all sang Axios!, or “He is worthy.”
Axios! was repeated multiple times as Deacon Michael Kunitz, originally from Michigan, was ordained and vested in the robes of the ministerial priesthood. His ordination vestments were made by his wife, Janine. Janine was joined in witnessing this joyous ordination by many of Father Michael’s family and friends from Michigan.
Such occasions are festive ones for the Byzantine Catholic Seminary. We celebrate the hard work of men who fully embrace all dimensions of formation and community life in cooperation with the Most Holy Spirit, Who guides their discernment and graces them with what is needed to become ordained leaders for the Church.
May God grant to his newly ordained servants, Reader Luke and Father Michael, many blessed and health-filled years.