‘Please be a priest for us!’

ABOVE: Profession to the Order of Friars Preachers, Dominican Province of St. Joseph, August 15, 2019, with Msgr. Yennock and Rev. Christopher Seibt. Photo credit | Kerri Elinich

By Fr. Christopher Seibt, vice chancellor, Syracuse Diocese

 Whenever a young man was ordained to the priesthood from Saint Daniel Parish in Lyncourt, Monsignor Yennock, the pastor from 1981 to 2021, was asked by the newly ordained priest to preach his Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at the parish.

In what came to be known as his iconic reflection on the priesthood, Msgr. Yennock said, “If I may speak from [all my] years of life as a priest, it is my experience that what people expect of the newly ordained man is that he simply be a priest. The people say to us, ‘Please be a priest for us!’” He then followed this powerful plea with a litany of various important duties of the priest that pertain to his ministry of teaching, sanctifying, and governing.

Fr. Gregory offered a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving on Holy Trinity Sunday. Photo credit | Kerri Elinich

On Sunday, June 15, Father Gregory Santy, O.P., celebrated a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Daniel’s. Born and raised in Lyncourt, Father Gregory and his family were parishioners there. Father attended the elementary school and then went on to Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School. After completing his sophomore year at LeMoyne College, Father Gregory was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Syracuse and began his studies for the priesthood as a Basselin scholar at Theological College, the National Seminary of the Catholic University of America.

After completing his degrees in philosophy (B.A. and Ph.L.), Father Gregory discerned that the Lord was calling him to serve the Church as a member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), which is dedicated to preaching Jesus Christ following the charisms of their founder, Saint Dominic. On Jan. 27, 2024, he made his solemn profession of vows in the Dominican Order, was ordained a deacon on March 16, 2024, and was just ordained a priest on June 5. He will now serve as the assistant chaplain of campus ministry at Providence College in Rhode Island, an institution of higher education founded and staffed by the Dominicans.   

Father Gregory first heard the call to the priesthood in the fourth grade as a student at St. Daniel School when he became an altar server. Msgr. Yennock and his powerful priestly example were very influential in his discernment. Although Msgr. Yennock passed away two years ago, his iconic reflection on the priesthood still very much applies to the newly ordained Father Gregory Santy, O.P., and to all priests, particularly the powerful plea and beautiful exhortation: “Please be a priest for us!”