Two priests ordained in Seattle; archbishop encourages them to listen to the Holy Spirit

SEATTLE – Under orange and red banners celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the apostles, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne ordained Maximiliano Muñoz and Kyle Rink to the priesthood on June 1 at St. James Cathedral.

The cathedral was standing room only for the two-hour Mass and Rite of Ordination, which featured the St. James Cathedral choir and had prayers offered in English and Spanish.

As he began his homily, Archbishop Etienne thanked the families of the two candidates, including Father Rink’s parents and siblings, and Father Muñoz’s abuela, Natividad, his brother and his fiancé, and cousin. 

“Family plays such a unique and special role in every life of faith and vocation, and we express our gratitude to each of you and the roles you play in supporting the priestly vocations of Max and Kyle,” the archbishop said.

“The Acts of the Apostles makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was the driving force which transformed the apostles after the resurrection,” he said in his homily. (See the full text below.) “The Holy Spirit transformed their doubt into faith, confusion into conviction, fear into courage and timidity into bold action. Recognize that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that allows every priest to exercise his ministry.”

“I am convinced the Holy Spirit is at work renewing the Church today,” the archbishop continued. “What an exciting time to be ordained a priest, as we are in the midst of a universal Synod on Synodality and as we are on the cusp of implementing Partners in the Gospel in this archdiocese. Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to the church today.” 

The archbishop concluded by reminding them “to remain close to the Blessed Mother. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth — as well as the 174th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Seattle. Know that Mary has been coming to the aid of each believer ever since that visit to Elizabeth.”

The ordination rite

After the homily, the archbishop conducted the rite of the Promise of the Elect, where he questioned Deacons Muñoz and Rink on their willingness to assume all the responsibilities of the priesthood.

Deacon Muñoz and Deacon Rink then prostrated themselves on the altar — a biblical gesture of humility — as the congregation knelt. The Litany of Supplication was sung, with responses given by the congregation.

The archbishop then called the candidates up individually and laid his hands on their head, thereby conferring the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them and making them priests. Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, Bishop Frank Schuster and Abbot Marion Nguyen of St. Martin’s Abbey then laid their hands upon Father Muñoz and Father Rink. They were followed by more than 50 of their fellow priests.

After each one had laid their hands upon them, the archbishop said the Prayer of Ordination.

Removing their deacon stoles, Father Muñoz and Father Rink were then invested with a priest’s stole and chasuble. Father Muñoz was invested by Father Bryan Dolejsi and Father Ron Belisle. Father Rink was invested by Father Tom Belleque and Jesuit Father Radmar Jao of Loyola Marymount University. 

Once they were invested, the two priests hugged to sustained applause. “All right, we’re not done yet,” the archbishop said, drawing laughs from the congregation.

Each priest approached the archbishop and knelt as their hands were anointed with sacred chrism. 

Father Muñoz and Father Rink then went into the wings of the cathedral, where they wiped off the sacred chrism onto manutergium — white cloths that symbolize the burial cloth of Jesus Christ — and wiped away tears. 

The gifts of bread and wine were presented to the archbishop by Stacia and Robert Rink, parents of Father Rink, and Jose Luis Lopez and Griselda Lopez-Alcauter, friends of Father Muñoz. 

The two new priests joined Archbishop Etienne and the other bishops on the altar to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Father Muñoz and Father Rink distributed the Eucharist for the first time as priests to long lines of family, friends and other congregants. 

A time of thanks

After the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Father Justin Ryan, the director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Seattle, thanked everyone who made the celebration possible, in particular his fellow priests and the archbishop, Corinna Laughlin and Jennifer Day of the archdiocese’s Liturgy Office and Kathleen Koeneman of the Vocations Office. He also thanked the Crozier Society, the local Serra Clubs and the Knights of Columbus R.S.V.P program and its director Tim Coyle for supporting seminarians financially and in prayer. Father Ryan also called out Father Rink’s home parish, All Saints Parish in Puyallup, and Holy Spirit Parish in Kent, where Father Muñoz had served. He mentioned St. Benedict Parish in Seattle, where both priests spent time in formation at Vianney House. 

“Every vocation comes from the faith of the people. Every vocation comes from the baptismal font,” the archbishop said before giving the final blessing. “We’re just so pleased to see a jam-packed cathedral to celebrate this moment. And to those of you who are still discerning your vocation, whether you’re present or watching us on livestream, I offer you one simple prayer that God will not leave unanswered and that is simply to pray and ask the Lord, ‘God what do you want me to do with my life for you?’ It takes courage to say that prayer, it takes faith, but I guarantee you, God will answer that prayer and will lead you on the path that he has created for you.”

Blessings and celebrations

After the final blessing and the dismissal, the two new priests each held receptions in separate parts of the cathedral campus. Among the guests at Father Rink’s reception were his parents, Bob and Stacia Rink, watching as their son gave out his first blessings.

“He’s slow to anger, has a service heart, he’s a man of joy. He has light shining all the time,” said Stacia Rink. 

“There’s the physical sense of moving from your family to the priest family,” said Bob Rink. “It’s so touching to know your son is going to be well taken care of.”

In Cathedral Hall, Father Muñoz gave out his first blessings accompanied by music and dancing by the Swahili Community Choir of Holy Spirit Parish in Kent. The group paused to give Father Muñoz a chasuble, and he gave them a blessing in Swahili.

“He’s a very energetic priest with lots of charisma,” said Samuel Kariuki, director of the Swahili Community Choir.

“He always brightens up the church,” said Kennedy Karanja, the youngest member of the choir.

Father Muñoz “will be instrumental for vocations in the archdiocese,” said Benjamin Kamau. “He’s great with the youth.”

New priests begin parish assignments on July 1
 

• Father Maximiliano Muñoz, 28, whose home parish is St. Benedict in Seattle, has been appointed parochial vicar of parish family 34, which is made up of All Saints in Puyallup, Sacred Heart in Tacoma and St. Martin of Tours in Fife. 
• Father Kyle Rink, 29, whose home parish is All Saints in Puyallup, will serve as parochial vicar at parish family 45, which comprises the Vancouver parishes of the Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph.

Learn more about our new priests.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne’s homily
at priestly ordinations

June 1, 2024

St. James Cathedral, Seattle

 Good morning to all and welcome to this joyous celebration of ordination to the priesthood!

We welcome in a special way the two young men who are to be ordained, Maximilian Munoz and Kyle Rink. We also want to welcome your families and friends. Special acknowledgement goes to Bob and Stacia Rink, parents of Kyle as well as to their children, Andrew, Mikaela, and Kaitlin. Also, we welcome Maximilian’s grandmother, or abuela, Natividad, and Max’s brother and his fiancé; Cristobal and Lucia, as well as his cousin, Matteo. Family plays such a unique and special role in every life of faith and vocation, and we express our gratitude to each of you and the roles you play in supporting the priestly vocations of Max and Kyle.

We also welcome Seminary representatives: Father Stephen Clovis and Father William Dillard from Mount Angel, and Father John Guthrie and Ms. Linda Cerabona from Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. In addition, we want to acknowledge another visiting priest, Father Radmar Hao, S.J., who is one of the vesting priests for Kyle.

Welcome one and all!

Kyle and Max:

As you are now to be advanced to the Order of Priests, it is necessary to reflect upon the nature of Priesthood. There is only one great Priest, Jesus Christ, and all other priests share in Jesus’ one priesthood. Jesus himself, sent by the Father, sent the Apostles into the world to continue his ministry by exercising his office of Teacher, Priest and Shepherd. The Rite of Ordination and the teachings of the Church rightly call priests co-workers of the Order of Bishops.

Priests as co-workers with the bishops continue the ministry of Jesus. In other words, they are entrusted in a unique way with the great commission Jesus gave the Apostles at Pentecost: “Go into the world and proclaim the Good News. Baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Be witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Acts of the Apostles makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was the driving force which transformed the Apostles after the resurrection. The Holy Spirit transformed their doubt into faith, confusion into conviction, fear into courage and timidity into bold action. Recognize that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that allows every priest to exercise his ministry.

In the Gospel you chose for today’s ordination, Jesus speaks with his apostles before his passion and death. In this priestly prayer of Jesus, he asks the Father to consecrate them in truth, to consecrate them for the work of ministry, as St. Paul says: “to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, … to attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God … to the extent of the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 12–14)

This is a great theological understanding of the priesthood, to build up the body of Christ that is the Church, to help the baptized, the People of God, to reach their full maturity in Christ.

In a few moments, Kyle and Max, each of you will be anointed with Sacred Chrism. This is a solemn moment in which each priest is consecrated for service to the people of God. As the Father anointed Jesus the Son with the Holy Spirit and power, you are anointed so that you may effectively carry out the work of Christ in the Church and world today.

In her book “Priests of Christ,” Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida begins with these words:

“In order to bring about this ideal that My beloved Father has for My priests, the action of the Holy Spirit is necessary as the essential and powerful mover force. The Holy Spirit and only He, can renew the face of the earth and unite hearts with the Word, because He is the ineffable bond of love between the Father and the Son. He is the one who unifies the Church, because He unifies the Trinity in Love. He is the one who simplifies, because He is Unity in His very essence. He is Unity because He is Love.” (p. 2)

As a young priest myself, I developed a prayer of my own, which I pray at each Mass still today before the Gospel is proclaimed, and it simply is this: “Come Holy Spirit and renew your Church. Inspire those who preach your Gospel.”

I am convinced the Holy Spirit is at work today renewing the Church today. What an exciting time to be ordained a priest, as we are in the midst of a universal Synod on Synodality and as we are on the cusp of implementing Partners in the Gospel in this archdiocese. Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to the church today. (Revelation 2:7) As priests, yes, we have a unique and formal responsibility to proclaim the Gospel but recognize that all the baptized share in this co-responsibility for the mission of the Church. Part of the role of priests is to recognize the gifts of each of the baptized and empower them to exercise those gifts for building up the Body of Christ. As priests I encourage you through this power of the Holy Spirit, be builders of unity, be builders of community in the midst of the great diversity that is this local Church of the archdiocese.

And I invite you as well, encourage you, grow in love with God – always. Learn and live the truth of the words of the psalmist: O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water (Psalm 63).

As we know and believe, our God is a Trinity of Persons. A mature Christian life, which is the life of the priest, grows in relationship with each person of the Trinity, with the Father, with the Son and with the Holy Spirit. Make this a practical effort and reality in your spiritual lives, to know the will of the Father, by your love for Christ, animated by your sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Stay close to Christ – grow in intimacy and love with the Lord Jesus each and every day. Christ is the source of fruitfulness in priestly ministry. It is Christ who reveals the Father and Christ who bestows the Holy Spirit. Enter into the heart of Christ that you may know his love and that his love for all God’s people may be known through you.

I will tell you just from my own prayer in very recent days, there are many cares and concerns that a bishop carries and as I sat in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel the other day, the Lord told me, almost as I began my prayer, ‘Stop problem solving and just let me love you.’ Brothers, let the Lord love you. All the rest will be provided for. Learn to simply be content to be in his presence. Not just in the Blessed Sacrament, but also in the people of God.

Nurture, as well, your relationship with the Holy Spirit that your own evangelization may be “fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit,” that you may “proclaim the newness of the Gospel with boldness (parrhesia)”. (see The Joy of the Gospel, #259)

My brothers, the core of every Christian vocation, especially that of priesthood, is to make a generous gift of yourself in the model of Christ. Do not be sparing in sharing of yourself with God’s people. Also know that your love for the People of God is a door to growing in the knowledge of God. As Pope Francis stated in The Joy of the Gospel: “Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.” (EG #272) Priesthood is primarily about service rooted in love.

My final advice to you is to remain close to the Blessed Mother. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (as well as the 174th anniversary of this archdiocese!) Know that Mary has been coming to the aid of each believer ever since that visit to Elizabeth. She will always draw near to you, especially in times of need, to provide a way forward no matter how dark things may be. Implore her intercession at all times, and watch in wonder as she will never leave you unaided!

Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of Evangelization,

Pray for us.