Hundreds joyfully witness the ordination of two priests
By Eileen Jevis, staff writer, and Dc. Tom Cuskey, editor
Sun photos l Chuck Wainwright
Trumpets sounded and bells of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception tolled as hundreds of people from near and far gathered to witness the ordination of Fr. Benjamin Schrantz and Fr. Pawel Zmija to the priesthood. Through the grace of God, the pair will serve as shepherds of Christ in the Diocese of Syracuse.
Father Schrantz’s parents, Karl and Diane, bring their son’s chalice to the sanctuary. They are followed by Father Zmija’s mother Ewa and sister Magda with his chalice.
For Fr. Pawel Zmija (PAH-vul juh-ME-uh), a native of Poland, this fulfills a desire that first came to light during his childhood. Raised in a Catholic family, his mother and grandmother ensured that he and his sister lived according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Fr. Pawel said that it was during high school that the desire to devote his life to Christ grew stronger. His mother and sister, accompanied by a close friend from seminary, traveled from Poland to witness his ordination.
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia welcomed all in his homily. “My brothers and sisters, we have gathered in the mother church of our diocese to kindle once again the light of Christ in our world through the conferral of a Sacrament – the Holy Order of Priests. At its heart is the Heart of Christ – a heart gentle and meek, yet totally on fire for us.” Bishop added that the two new priests are called to “preach the Gospel, shepherd God’s people, and celebrate divine worship, especially … the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”
For Fr. Benjamin Schrantz, the call came a little later in life. As a student at SUNY Fredonia, with the goal of earning a master’s degree in library science, he joined the Newman Center, the Catholic community on campus. It is through his experience at the Newman Center that he felt that God was calling him down another path. After completing his undergraduate degree, Ben was accepted into various graduate programs, but said, “Something didn’t seem right.” He took some time off from school and went to work full-time at his home parish. It was then that the call from God became stronger.
Fr. Ben’s journey
Father Schrantz received news of his first assignment from Bishop Lucia as Father Zmija awaits his opportunity.
Fr. Ben’s family members were not surprised when he came to them and shared his desire to enter the seminary. Parents Diane and Karl Schrantz said that after taking a gap year, Ben decided to attend Catholic University in Washington D.C. “Ben has always been very outgoing and very down to earth,” Diane said. “In his homilies, he relates the messages of the Bible to real-life experiences. His openness and social skills will serve him well as a priest.”
“When he was younger, he always had a different idea about life,” added grandmother Dorothy Schrantz. “His aunts and uncles remarked on the faithful comments he posted on social media. It caused them to wonder if Ben was thinking about the priesthood.” Dorothy said that the day was bittersweet. She was proud to witness this important event but sad that her husband, who passed away less than a year ago, wasn’t there to witness it as well. Her brother, Father Richard Jesionowski, served as a priest in the Buffalo Diocese before he died in 2018. His chalice was handed down to Fr. Ben to carry on the tradition of a life of service to Christ.
Fr. Pawel’s first vestments
Ewa, Fr. Pawel’s mother, said through an interpreter, “I’m very happy because he’s happy.” She added that members of his parish in Katowice share in the joy. “They are very happy and very contented. His dream to become a priest came to fulfillment.” His mother also corroborates that the priesthood was on his mind from his kindergarten years, something that proved troublesome one time. Pawel once cut up his mother’s tablecloths and wore them as vestments.
Rev. Marcin Dajek met Pawel 10 years ago when they were both in seminary in Poland. They have remained close friends ever since. Fr. Dajek was ordained in Poland three years ago and accompanied Fr. Pawel’s mother and sister Magda to Syracuse for the ordination. We asked Fr. Dajek what advice he would give Fr. Pawel on how to be a good priest: “First of all, you must be holy. It’s enough.”
Magda said, “It’s a great blessing to have a priest in our family. And we are very happy for him that he responded to God’s calling and that he can follow his vocation that God gave him.”
A joyful congregation
After Bishop Lucia lays his hands on the ordinands during the Prayer of Ordination, the priests in attendance come forward to lay hands and pray over the two new members of the Holy Order.
Several congregants who were interviewed for this article had similar responses to witnessing the ordination – joy, hope and a reminder of the importance of vocations.
“This is a blessed occasion and I’m so thankful to have witnessed the ordination of these two young men,” said Delores Grace, a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Syracuse. “The day gives us a sense of hope – that these men answered God’s call to serve as priests. They have such a love for Jesus and they want to spread that love to us.”
Elizabeth Stewart, a parishioner at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, attended the ordination in celebration and support of Fr. Pawel. She said she was fortunate enough to watch him serve as a deacon and now, as an ordained priest. “As the mother of three young children, to be able to have them experience the Sacrament of Holy Orders is special, not only for my family but for our parish,” Stewart said. “We are very fortunate to have two very solid priests joining our diocese and I think they will be a wonderful inspiration to other young people.”
Twenty people from the Syracuse area will fly to Poland to attend Fr. Pawel’s first Mass there. Some of the people there were part of the ordination Mass; livestream records show that in Poland, 210 devices were signed into the ordination Mass.
Fr. Pawel’s celebration in Poland will be somewhat reserved as his family is still mourning the passing of his father Stanislaus earlier this year. In his honor, a single red rose occupied a space in the pew where Father’s mother and sister sat.
First assignments
At the end of the Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia announced to Fr. Ben, Fr. Pawel and the congregation their first assignments for the Diocese. Fr. Ben has been assigned to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Mary’s and St. Augustine churches in Baldwinsville. Fr. Pawel has been assigned to Mary, Mother of Our Savior Church in Utica. Assignments are effective July 1.
Father John Manno, pastor of Holy Family Church and vicar for clergy, serves as a liaison between the bishop and priests. He said that for newly ordained priests, the first assignment is a crucial one. “It is where they cut their teeth,” he said. “I can assure you that Bishop Lucia puts a lot of prayer, thought and dialogue into first assignments. It’s important that Fr. Ben and Fr. Pawel be assigned to parishes where there is plenty of work to do and where there is a pastor that will accompany them in their first days, weeks, months and years as a priest.”
Fr. Manno said that in many ways, the first assignments help to shape and form the newly ordained as does the example of their pastors. “It is the role of all to accompany these new priests and help them to grow in their ministry as priests of the Diocese of Syracuse,” he said. “I know Fr. Schrantz and Fr. Zmija and my impression of them is that they have a priestly heart. They are men of prayer. They desire to be of service to God and the people, and they are humble enough to go where God leads them. This will serve them well.”
New priests’ first assignments have familiar faces to help guide them.
By Dc. Tom Cuskey, editor
Call it very good planning, or a Holy Spirit coincidence. Whatever the connection, the pastors of the parishes where Fathers Schrantz and Zmija will be assigned are also valuable leaders of the vocation and formation efforts.
Father Jason Hage
Father Jason Hage is director of the diocesan Office of Vocation Promotion and is pastor of Mary, Mother of Our Savior Church in Utica, where Father Pawel has been assigned.
His first impression following the liturgy was a profound one. “It’s just such a powerful moment. It’s amazing when you see young people step forward to say, ‘I will serve Christ and his church.’ It’s just such a moment of inspiration, especially for other young people out there who might be discerning when they see somebody step forward.”
Father Ben Schrantz is home-grown, hailing from Rome. Father Pawel Zmija, on the other hand, is Polish-born. He started seminary in his native country, came to SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, MI before finding a home here in the Diocese of Syracuse.
“That’s the amazing thing about Providence,” Father said. “And the work of the Holy Spirit is that you never know when you say yes, where the Lord will take you. And it could come from home or from afar, and yet you can find yourself in the exact place where God intends you to be.”
Father adds that the entire community of priests come together to support each other in their work, especially the new members.
“We try to get together as much as we can, especially for those guys,” he shares, “so that way, they can feel a part of this new order. Jesus really intends us to do this ministry together … we’re not meant to do it alone.”
Father Joseph O’Connor
The Director of Seminarian Formation is also pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Baldwinsville. Effective July 1, he will also take over as pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Augustine in Baldwinsville as the three parishes start to work together based on a very successful model in Oneida where six parishes have come together as one team.
Father Ben will be assigned to the parish group to assist Fr. O’Connor as pastor.
As seminarian director, the analogy of giving birth was mentioned to him at a Holy Hour the evening before ordination when asked how it felt to have these two men ordained to the priesthood. “That (birth) was the image in my mind,” he shared. “While it feels like a graduation, it [also] feels like excitement.
The ordination Mass utilized as servers a number of current seminarians who Father believes experience a deepening of their own call when they witness two of their own receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
“Just watching them during rehearsal yesterday, the care which they were practicing, and once the lights were on, they really did up their game,” Fr. O’Connor observed. “I think as their time comes, each year of formation passes and they’re doing more during the ordination, they just tune in a bit more, like, ‘this is going to be me next year.’”
