Father Marc Lenneman ordained by Bishop Thomas

It was a "time of grace and time of favor" - the entrance hymn proclaimed - as Deacon Marc Joseph Lenneman processed into the Cathedral of St. Helena on June 30 to be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Helena.

The church was filled with his family, including a cousin, Father Dan Wathen, who was ordained June 27 in Billings, and friends from the North American College in Rome, where they attended seminary. Religious sisters from a number of religious communities were present, along with many of the priests and deacons of western Montana and community members.

Following the liturgy of the word, it was time for him to step forward while Father Tom O'Donnell, diocesan director of priestly vocations, asked Bishop George Leo Thomas to ordain him to the responsibility of the priesthood, and testified that he was found worthy.

In his homily, Bishop Thomas thanked the Lenneman and Wathen families for supporting their sons as they discerned their vocations, Billings Central High School for grounding the young men in their faith, and their teachers in the seminary.

The bishop questioned Lenneman about his resolve to discharge the office of priesthood, to preach the gospel and teach the Catholic faith, to celebrate the sacraments faithfully and reverently, to pray without ceasing and to unite himself daily with Christ. Then Lenneman promised respect and obedience to Bishop Thomas and his successors.

Lenneman prostrated himself before the altar while members of the cathedral choir sang the litany. He knelt as Bishop Thomas, then all the priests, laid their hands upon his head. The bishop said the prayer of ordination.

Fathers Eric Gilbaugh and Patrick Moses, both ordained in the past year, assisted the newly ordained with his vestments, the stole and chasuble.

The bishop anointed Father Lenneman's hands with the sacred chrism, and presented him with the bread and wine for the Eucharist.

The gift bearers were the new priest's family - parents Marion and Joseph Lenneman, sister Sarah and brother Paul and his wife, Chazlyn. They were the first to receive communion from him.

Bishop Thomas offered the new priest a fraternal kiss of peace, followed by the priests present doing the same.

At a reception following the ordination Mass, several hundred people stood quietly in line to receive Father Lenneman's blessing. They included his aunts, Sister M. Virgene Lenneman of Waukesha, Wis., a member of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, and Betty Kobienia, his godmother from St. Cloud, Minn.

A contingent from Immaculate Conception Parish, Polson, where the new priest will serve for a few months, rushed around him, laughing and happily offering congratulations.

Saturday morning, July 1, Father Lenneman celebrated his first Mass in the cathedral. Twelve priests processed in with him and participated in the Mass.

In his homily, he spoke about the perfect love that Jesus demonstrated, and how it reveals vocations. He also showed that love from the cross. "Let us take it into our hearts as John took Mary into his home," Father Lenneman said.

Religious sisters from the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary provided the music, including their founder, Mother Adela Galindo, as one of the singers. Founded in 1990, the community is based in Miami, Fla., said Sister Silvia Tarafa, who served as a reader at the ordination Mass along with Thomas Niehaus, a seminarian at North American College in Rome.

For an article about Father Lenneman's and Father Wathen's seminary experiences in Rome, click here.

Look for extensive ordination coverage in the July 21 print edition of The Montana Catholic.