An ordination to the priesthood and to the diaconate according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite will take place at St Benedict’s church in Newton, Auckland, in early October.
NZ Catholic understands that Bishop Denis Browne, Emeritus Bishop of Hamilton, will ordain Deacon Roger Gilbride, FSSP, to the priesthood, and Mr Brendan Boyce, FSSP, to the diaconate on Saturday, October 3, with the Mass starting at 10.30am.
For several months, they have been working in Te Atatu with Fr Antony Sumich, FSSP, as NZ Catholic reported earlier this year.
Deacon Roger Gilbride, FSSP
Deacon Gilbride and Mr Boyce were scheduled to be ordained in Australia this year. They returned to New Zealand from England and the United States respectively when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. An initial ordination date of June 20 in Sydney was rescheduled for August 8, but this has had to be called off because of ongoing border restrictions in Australia.
“Recently, we asked Bishop Denis Browne . . . to ordain Brendan Boyce and I to the diaconate and priesthood, respectively. Thanks be to God he readily agreed to ordain us in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite,” Deacon Gilbride said in an email announcing his ordination date.
“We are now finalising our preparations for that Mass, and, God willing, there will be no more lockdowns!”
Mr Gilbride said that all are welcome to the October 3 ordination, and to his first Mass celebrated as an ordained priest the following day, October 4, at 12.30pm at St Benedict’s.
“We will try to arrange a live-video link, please see our website or Facebook page for details: www.fssp.nz”
According to their website, The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) is a clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, canonically erected by Pope St John Paul II in 1988. Their priests serve in apostolates across the world, with the faithful celebration of the traditional Mass in Latin and sacraments (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) at the centre of their charism.
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