A Priest Forever. The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton,
by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. with the following Foreward by John Cardinal
O’Connor, Archbishop of New York:
Even to write his name as Father
Eugene Hamilton awes me because of its improbability. This is a young man whose formal
seminary training was minimal, whose struggle for life meant literally, fighting for
breath and whose hope for ordination to the priesthood seemed a mere fantasy. Yet he was
ordained, never to "function" as a priest, but to be a priest forever,
"after the Order of Melchisedek," within moments of his death. How could this
be? This is the question father Benedict is really addressing in this work.
In my own judgement, the answer is twofold, both
components ultimately enfolded, of course, in the mystery of Divine Providence itself. The
first lies in the life, the vision, the commitment, and the perseverance of both Eugene
Hamilton and his family. Father Benedict elucidates the respective roles of son and
parents most movingly.
The second and critical component that made the
ordination possible was the extraordinary generosity of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul
II, and the Pope’s personal love of the priesthood. As a philosopher, he believes
thoroughly in the ontological nature of the priesthood, as Pastores
Dabo Vobis makes clear. A man is not merely invited to put on a set of
vestments or authorized to serve in a particular capacity, with the new title of
"Father." He becomes a priest. A spiritually ontological
change takes place in his very being, so that while he looks and walks and talks as
before, now he is a priest. Hence, our Holy Father did not seemed
concerned that Eugene would never function as a priest, except in his very
being. It was enough, in other words, that he be a
priest.
It was His Eminence, Pio Cardinal Laghi, Prefect of the
Congregation for Catholic Education (of Seminaries and other institutes of Studies), whose
thoughtful approval of the request presented to him even preceded his seeking the
concurrence of our Holy Father. The Church in New York will be long in his debt for this
goodness.
I, personally, thank Father Benedict for a story
of inspiration in an all-too-cynical world.
Taken from the Foreword by John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New
York.
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