Priestly Ordinations: A Grace‑Filled Beginning to the New Year

The end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 opened with profound joy for our community as we celebrated several priestly ordinations on different continents, united in the same spirit of gratitude. On January 3rd, we gave thanks to God for the ordination of Rev. JohnPaul Chukwuebuka Oraefo, conferred by Most Rev. Denis Chidi Isizoh, Catholic Bishop of Aguleri, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph. This sacred moment marked the beginning of his ministry as a priest, a path shaped by love, service, and faithful witness to Christ.

In the same spirit of celebration, the Church in India rejoiced at the priestly ordination of Fr. Naveen Plackalil, Fr. Melwin Thurackal, Fr. Eloi Chiramal, Fr. Justin Randupara Puthenpranbu, and Fr. Jithin Kodiyanthara, ordained according to the Syro‑Malabar Rite in Kerala. The presence of Fr. Eduardo Baura and Fr. James Mwara, representing the Colegio Sedes Sapientiae, highlighted the deep bonds of fraternity that unite our house of formation with these new priests.

These ordinations, celebrated in different lands yet rooted in the same faith, reveal the fruitfulness of the vocation and the universality of the Church’s mission. We entrust these new priests to the maternal care of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, praying that their ministry may always be guided by the light of the Gospel and the strength of the Holy Spirit.