The Australian Jesuit Province recently welcomed a new priest into its ranks. Justin Glyn SJ was ordained priest in the Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph in Auckland, New Zealand on August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration. He was joined by his family, and by many other Jesuits who travelled there for the occasion.
Bishop Patrick Dunn, who presided at the ceremony, spoke warmly of the importance of priests in the life of the people and of the rewarding challenge facing Justin in following Christ in this way of life. In doing so, he drew upon various aspects of Jesuit spirituality and history.
The bishop was assisted by many local clergy as well as Jesuits from Australia who had accompanied Justin in his formation and studies in Sydney and Melbourne. The music for the liturgy, much of which was composed by Fr Christopher Willcock SJ, was sung by a local choir, the Orlando Singers, to which Justin used to belong, augmented by some other singers.
After the ordination, the congregation, including Fr Glyn’s friends and former work associates, gathered for refreshments in the Cathedral hall.
In the evening Fr Glyn and his family were joined by the visiting Jesuits at a nearby restaurant on a night when the Auckland-based rugby team won a famous victory to much popular acclaim.
The following morning the Jesuit entourage chartered a bus to Howick, where Fr Glyn celebrated his first Mass in his family’s parish church, the Our Lady Star of the Sea. The parish church looks out over the sea to surrounding islands.
On the walls of the church are commemorated the first parishioners, soldiers in the Imperial Army who were involved in the Land Wars from the 1850s. The town began as a military base, and many of the early settlers were Irish veterans.
This history of uprooting, settling and making a new home made this church a fitting place for Fr Glyn’s first Mass. His own journey led him to come with his parents from Namibia to settle in New Zealand, and subsequently to travel to Australia to join the Society of Jesus.
The parish has been well served by a line of pastors with a deep knowledge and love of liturgy. This showed itself in the meticulous care, warmth and lay involvement evident in the celebration.
The parish presented Fr Glyn with a chalice to acknowledge their involvement in his journey towards priesthood. Having preached and broken bread, Fr Glyn offered the final blessing in Maori.
After Mass, he remained in the church for personal blessings of members of the congregation, who later invited their guests to join them for a barbecue lunch.
The ordination was a time both of coming together and of separation. After two weeks of ministering in his home parish, Fr Glyn will depart to Canada, where he will study Canon Law. Scholastics Andy Nguyen SJ and Kieran Gill SJ, who accompanied Fr Glyn to Auckland, were preparing for imminent departure to Boston to complete their theological studies. [Australian Jesuits]