By Josh Noem
On Saturday, my friend became a different person.
That is not something one gets the opportunity to say every day. My friend, Jim Gallagher, whom I've known in some way for 12 years, was anointed and prayed over and specially configured to Christ in order to serve the Church.
More than six years of formation for the priesthood has transformed Jim. This careful cultivation culminated in an ordination Mass on Saturday where Jim and three others were specially configured to Christ in order to lead and serve the Church. It was a spectacular event: years of life-changing sacrifice rolled up and presented to the world in the span of an hour and a half.
There were some 30 people from the University community who attended Saturday's ordination: a mixture of Holy Cross priests, former students, staff members and current students. It is a remarkable thing, if you think of it: more than 30 people traveled 2,200 miles to Notre Dame to simply witness Jim getting prayed over at a Mass.
What was it that brought us all halfway across the country? Certainly, it had something to do with Jim himself. We all knew him in some capacity and wanted him to know that we support him in this new life of service to the Church that he is undertaking.
But if we simply wanted him to know our support, we could have written a letter to frankly state our thoughts and feelings. The 39 cent stamp would have been a significant savings from the hundreds of dollars spent on airfare, lodging and food for the weekend.
So, why did it matter for us to be there? Why did it matter enough to make 30 of us decide to spend hundreds of dollars instead of 39 cents?
Because at the ordination Mass, God's hand was thrust into the relationships and history and community and future of the University of Portland. Quite literally, we saw God mold Jim and three other men into priests who will stand in front of our community in the person of Christ. God's presence in Jim's life was evident in several ways at that Mass.
One way I saw God acting at the ordination Mass was through rich signs that effected the transformation that they symbolized: Jim laying face-down on the floor, his whole being prostrate in prayer; scented oil preparing his hands for a lifetime of healing, strengthening and enlightening by making them flexible, healthy, gentle and strong; one bishop and 107 priests extending hands over Jim's head, touches physically connecting him to Jesus 2,000 years ago and to his community of Holy Cross priests today.
The presence of God could be felt, not just in the beauty of the sounds and sights and smells, but also in the transformation that has taken place in Jim's life. The ordination Mass communicated an incredible sense of family and community and tradition and belonging.
Jesus is the one and only priest - the one who mediates between us and the Father, the one who shows us how to sacrifice ourselves in love for others. We are all called to share in this one priesthood of Christ - we are all called to mediate God to the world and to die to ourselves just as Christ did. As a community, Christ left us with the gift and tradition of ordained leadership that is ordered at empowering us to carry out this common priesthood. In other words, Jim was ordained a priest so that we may be better priests in our corner of the University.
All of these things that I saw and felt at Saturday's Mass are indicators that my friend's ordination changed him and will change our University community. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself. Father Jim begins his sacramental ministry at UP this Sunday when he presides at the 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Masses at the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. He will lead us in the prayer of the Mass, presenting himself and Christ as a sacrifice and meal so that we may become bread for the world.
