This weekend we celebrate the priestly ordinations of Reverend Deacon Thato Mashokwe and Reverend Deacon Sechaba Liphoko. The ordinations will take place on Saturday, 14 February 2026, at Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg, at 09h30. You are all invited and welcome to attend. Deacon Thato stayed here for two months over the mid-year holidays and preached a few times and so will be familiar to many of you.
Presbyteral ordination holds a profound significance in the Catholic Church. Through this sacrament, a man is configured to Christ in a unique way, receiving the grace and spiritual authority to serve the People of God. Ordained priests are entrusted with the essential roles of celebrating the Eucharist, administering the sacraments, preaching the Gospel, and shepherding the faithful within their communities.
This ordination marks a lifelong commitment to serving Christ and the Church, acting in persona Christi (“in the person of Christ”) during liturgical celebrations. The priesthood is seen as a continuation of the mission entrusted by Jesus to the apostles, ensuring the ongoing presence of Christ’s ministry in the world. Thus, presbyteral ordination is not only a personal vocation but also a vital element for the spiritual life and unity of the Catholic community.
I remember vividly my own priestly ordination on the 8th of September 2006. What stood out was lying prostrate before the altar as the choir and congregation sang the litany of saints. There was a sense of being held up to the Lord by all of creation as they beseeched His graces on my behalf. After this spiritual high, reality struck. The following day a wise old priest told me that the most significant change that ordination brings about, despite the high theology articulated above, is that now people expect you to have all the answers.
His rather tongue in cheek comment was meant to be an antidote to the clericalism that many newly ordained priests give in to. We are men called to serve and not be served, even though we are also called to be spiritual fathers with the responsibility and authority to make decisions that are life-giving for our community.
Pope Francis defined the priesthood as a calling to joyful, selfless service, and he urged priests to be “shepherds with the smell of the sheep” who bring God’s mercy to the marginalized. He emphasized closeness to God, the bishop, other priests, and the people, while warning against becoming closed and bitter.
We pray for our newly ordained priests, Thato and Sechaba, that the Lord will give them humble and holy hearts, making them shepherds after his own heart.
