Denver Catholic

13 DENVER CATHOLIC | MAY 13-26, 2017 It's not every year that a priestly ordination falls on the anniversary of one of the Church's most celebrated events. On May 13, the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, eight men will be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Denver. We caught up with each of them ahead of their ordination and asked about the signifi cance of being ordained on this important Marian feast day. BOGUSLAW REBACZ Deacon Boguslaw Rebacz was ordained to the diaconate last year in the Italian chapel of the Divine Mercy Shrine, dedicated to St. Faustina. Originally from Poland, Deacon Rebacz studied for the priesthood at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Lake Orchard, Mich., which also has a location in Krakow. The semi- nary specializes in training young Polish seminarians who wish to become priests in the U.S. After visiting four dioceses, Deacon Rebacz felt most called to serve in the Archdiocese of Denver. As he enters the priest- hood on the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, Deacon Rebacz said he is reminded of Mary's message calling all man- kind to prayer, penance and con- version, as well as her example of steadfast trust in the Father. "This is the way to obtain God's mercy," he said. "As a priest I will accompany people on this journey of their encounter with Christ especially through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. In Fatima, Mary pointed to the destroying power of evil; she also pointed to the means to overcome it." Father Rebacz's fi rst Mass will be said at Holy Name Parish in Steamboat Springs. JOHN MROZEK Seminary has been a long and di¯ cult road for Deacon John Mrozek. Though he felt at times he wasn't going to make it through, it was the constant guidance of Mary who he says gave him the strength and discipline to persevere. "I do not think I would have made it past the fi rst day without Mary," Deacon Mrozek said. "It was by her that I received my foundational call to be ordained. My Mother and Queen was most important to my vocation." Deacon Mrozek said he tends to lean toward a Marian spirituality, and to that end, being ordained on the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima is the greatest ordination gift God could have given him, he said. "I see this ordination date as a gift from my King and Queen, as reminder to be humble, and as [my] life's mission 'to do whatever He tells you.'" Father Mrozek's fi rst Mass will be said at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Littleton. DANIEL EUSTERMAN As a parishioner at Our Lady of Loreto, Deacon Daniel Euster- man had several great examples of the fruitfulness of the priest- hood that planted the seed for his vocation. When he attended the ordination of one of those mentors, Father Matt Hartley, Deacon Eusterman felt the tug on his heart more than ever before. "To witness his laying down of his life for the Church as a priest as someone who is happy, who is young and relatable, and who I thought was cool and still think is cool — his example especially not just made me interested or open to the idea of considering it, but it actually started making it pretty desirable," he said. Now, on the eve of his own ordina- tion to the priesthood, fi ttingly on the 100th anniversary of Fatima, Deacon Eusterman is especially reminded of the role Mary has played in his own vocation. "Having our³ordinations on her feast frames and gives new mean- ing to the whole vocational project that seminary has been leading up to," he said. "[Mary] has shown me who and what the Church, my bride, is, what it means to be atten- tive to the actions and desires of God, and what it means to be will- ing to walk with Christ in his mis- sion in for the salvation of people." Father Eusterman's fi rst Mass will be at Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Foxfi eld. FRANCESCO BASSO Born and raised in Sicily, Italy, Deacon Francesco Basso's vocation to the priesthood was born and fostered upon joining the Neocatechumenal Way. His father was killed in the Bologna Massacre of 1980, and the su¨ ering which his widowed mother and sisters endured was a source of pain for him. However, his heart was softened as he grew in faith, and at the age of 35, he came to Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary in Denver to study to become a priest. Deacon Basso's May 13 ordination has signifi cance to him not only because it is the 100th anniversary of Fatima, but also because it is his mother's birthday. "The Virgin has helped me through this journey of my vocation," he said. "Being ordained on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima is also proof that my vocation is a miracle — like the dancing sun. My friends who knew me when I was young cannot believe that I will be ordained a priest." The vocation of priesthood is for him "to give a word that can change the life of a person, because the word has immense power." Father Basso's fi rst Mass will be at St. James Parish in Denver.

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