The Order of Carmelites ordained two priests this week at the parish church of the Order of Discalced Carmelite(OCD), the first such ordination of the Carmelites held in the church of their reformist counterparts.
The OCD was founded in the 1500s by Saints Terese of Avila and John of the Cross.
“It is our first [ordination] in the parish church,” said Father Christian Buenafe, the father provincial of the Carmelite Order in the Philippines, adding that the two orders maintain close ties of collaboration in their respective missions.
The two priests, Edgar Cayanan, 48, and Fernando Lopez, 38, had previously worked as bank employees prior to their entry into the Church.
“They found us after working for 10 to 15 years,” said Father Buenafe.
Bishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan presided at the ordination ceremony.
The prelate told the newly ordained priests “to seek holiness within the people, within their community and within God.”
The Order of Carmelites has maintained a presence in the Philippines for 53 years, with 42 solemn professed, including 41 ordained priests and one brother, as well as five simple professed priests.
http://www.ucanews.com/2011/07/22/carmelites-ordain-two-reformist-priests/
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