SEATTLE – On a sunny summer morning, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne ordained three men — John DePalma, Chad Hill and Josh Nehnevaj — to the priesthood June 25 at St. James Cathedral.

“You are sent today, in the person of Christ to the local portion of this family of God, to teach and lead them into faith,” the archbishop said in his homily (see the full text below). “Your own life must be a coherent and integrated expression of faith if your own ministry is to have any credibility in the eyes of God’s people, and any success on behalf of God.”

He urged them to be humble servants, manifesting God’s love and living and ministering in a way that will lead them and others to discover joy in Jesus. 

“The people have many expectations of their priests, as any one of us here will tell you,” the archbishop said, looking toward the large number of priests sitting nearby, “but the one thing they must know is that their priest knows Jesus.”

Archbishop Etienne noted it was a “significant” weekend for a priestly ordination — coming the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and falling on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“John, Chad and Josh, on this day, the Church prays that your priestly ministry will further reveal the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ for his people,” he said.

The archbishop thanked the men’s parents and families “for the love and the formation that these men received first from you,” and for the gift of sharing them with “God’s family …  that they may serve the broader Church as priests.”

God has called and formed them, and although they have gone through formal training for the priesthood, “it is ultimately the formation of God throughout your life that is and will be your greatest strength,” the archbishop told the men.

He encouraged them to be aware of the “accompanying presence” and action of God in their lives, which he called “imperative” for every priest. “Otherwise, he will be unable to truly lead others to faith, and his own ministry will appear empty and insincere.”

“I and every priest in this church today will tell you that priesthood requires great love and generosity of heart,” the archbishop said. “And we can also tell you that there will be failures … But what is most important is a continual trust in the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders to accomplish whatever the Lord will ask of you in the years ahead.”

He encouraged the men to consecrate themselves to the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of Mary, “asking the Holy Spirit to be your guide, your light, your inspiration, your love, the very love of your heart, that you may be transformed into Jesus Christ.”

The ordination rite

After the homily, the archbishop questioned the ordination candidates about their willingness to undertake the tasks and obligations of priesthood. Then the three men prostrated themselves on the altar, a biblical gesture of humility, while those present prayed for them as the litany of supplication was sung.

Chad Hill (Stephen Brashear)
Josh Nehnevaj (Stephen Brashear)
John DePalma (Stephen Brashear)

Next followed the heart of the ordination rite — the silent laying on of hands by the archbishop, bishops and priests present (conferring the gift of the Holy Spirit for service as priest) and the prayer of ordination. Afterward, each new priest was attired with his priestly stole, representing authority entrusted to the priest through the laying on of hands, and chasuble, the outermost vestment worn only for the celebration of Mass.

Then the archbishop anointed the hands of the new priests, a sign of their consecration to sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God.

The mothers of the new priests — Patricia McCoy, Tracy Nehnevaj and Cindy Hill — presented the gifts, then Archbishop Etienne presented each new priest with the bread and wine to be offered in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

At the end of Mass, Archbishop Etienne blessed the new priests, then knelt before each one to receive a blessing, their first as priests.

After blessing the new priests, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne kneels to receive a blessing from Father Chad Hill. Newly ordained Fathers Josh Nehnevaj, center, and John DePalma will also bless their archbishop. (Stephen Brashear)

Appreciation for vocations supporters

This was the first class of ordinands guided by Father Justin Ryan, who became the archdiocese’s vocations director in July 2021. Among those he thanked were the Crozier Society, which helps raise money to support seminarian formation; the Knights of Columbus, “who generally support guys on their pathway to priesthood;” and members of the archdiocese’s Serra clubs, “who pray fervently throughout the year for vocations.”

He also thanked Archbishop Etienne for helping to continue building a “culture of vocations” throughout the archdiocese in support of those discerning priesthood, religious life, married life and dedicated single life.

“All vocations come from the family of God,” Archbishop Etienne replied, “so we want to thank all of you for living your faith.” He encouraged those present and “every member of this local Church to pray that we may grow in holiness according to our baptism and in doing so may discover that unique vocation that God calls each of us to.”

Watch a replay of the ordination Mass.


New priests begin parish service July 1 

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne meets with Chad Hill, left, John DePalma and Josh Nehnevaj before their June 25 ordination Mass at St. James Cathedral. (Stephen Brashear)

The archdiocese’s new priests come from parishes in Vancouver, Puyallup and Seattle, and will serve their first assignments in Bellevue, Seattle and Federal Way:

  • Father Josh Nehnevaj, 28, whose home parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Vancouver, attended Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Louise de Marillac Parish in Bellevue.  
  • Father Chad Hill, 41, whose home parish is All Saints in Puyallup, attended Bishop White Seminary in Spokane and Mount Angel Seminary. He has been appointed parochial vicar of Christ the King Parish in Seattle.
  • Father John DePalma, 52, whose home parish is Blessed Sacrament in Seattle, attended Mount Angel Seminary and Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. He has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Federal Way.

Read more about the new priests.


Archbishop Paul D. Etienne’s homily

Priesthood ordinations, June 25, 2022

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus & The Immaculate Heart of Mary

St. James Cathedral, Seattle


Josh, Chad and John, to you and your family and friends, welcome! On behalf of this local Church, I express a profound sense of gratitude to your parents, Jerry and Tracey, John and Cindy, Patricia, Arthur and Susan, to your families, we thank you for the love and the formation that these men received first from you — and for the gift that they too now, you and your families, are making in sharing with God’s family, these your sons, your brothers, that they may serve the broader Church as priests. Thank you.

The ordination ceremony that we celebrate today is found immediately after the celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary we celebrate today. A rather significant weekend for a priestly ordination. I also want to welcome today a few significant members of our priests gathered here, Father Lalo Barragán, who is a representative from Mount Angel [Seminary], Father Ray Webb, a representative of Mundelein Seminary and Father David Schunk from the [Pontifical] North American College and I know there are a few others here for vesting purposes, probably friends, classmates, so welcome to all of you as well. 

The ordination ceremony of a priest is indeed a blessed moment in the life of the Church. Blessed, because it reveals to us the providential care of God for his people. Blessed, because it gives us another glimpse into the reality of the Paschal mystery, and indeed, this weekend, a glimpse into the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Every priest is ordained into the Paschal mystery of Christ, into the reality of Christ’s own ministry, into the very heart of Jesus’ one, eternal priesthood. John, Chad and Josh, on this day, the Church prays that your priestly ministry will further reveal the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ for his people.

Jesus came into the world to make visible the invisible God — to live the love of God — in the flesh — in and among us, God’s holy, faithful people. And Jesus, through whom all things exist, humbled himself and became a servant of all. Every priest is ordained as a humble servant of God for service of God’s people, to manifest the love of God — in the flesh — in the midst of people of God. Not only is the priesthood lived in the midst of God’s people, Jesus tells us in the Gospel today that a priest is in their midst, as one who serves. (Luke 22:27)

As the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in our first reading, the same is true for every priest: “The Lord sends you to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners.” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

Brothers, always remember that the people entrusted to your care as a priest already belong to God, and they already enjoy God’s faithful, infinite love. The people of God are God’s gift to us, his priests. 

And because the priest shares in the one, eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ, our love for God’s people finds its origin in the very love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Jesus is the eternal WORD of the Father. His entire “being” is the incarnate expression and presence of the Father. And this is true for every priest. It is not so much the priest’s voice that is to be heard — but through the priest — the Living WORD of God seeks to find a voice. With equal humility, it is not so much the priest’s personal plans and agenda that are important, but rather the urgency of God’s plan as made known through the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

As we know from John’s Gospel, Jesus could do only what he saw the Father doing. He spoke only the WORD of the Father. His own will was the will of the Father. In Jesus, in his obedience, we learn what true justice entails, namely, the fulfillment of the Father’s will. This is how Jesus taught his own disciples to pray, how he teaches us to pray ... “Thy will be done” ...

With Jesus as the model for priesthood, priesthood is exercised in his. And thus, the lesson for us is to follow Jesus’ example of meekness and humility, in complete obedience to the Father’s will.

Chad and Josh and John, know and understand that the Father loves you, and has called and has formed you. Yes, you’ve also undergone a formal priestly formation in the most recent years of your lives, but it is ultimately the formation of God throughout your life that is and will be your greatest strength. The call to holiness each of you received in your own baptism led you to know and understand this call to the priesthood. So allow these many graces to continually form you more and more to the person of Jesus, for this is the true means of growing in holiness for all of us.

I invite and encourage you to be ever more consciously aware of this presence and action of God in your lives.

For this type of self-awareness and knowledge of the accompanying presence of God in one’s own life is imperative for every priest, otherwise, he will be unable to truly lead others to faith, and his own ministry will appear empty and insincere. The people have many expectations of their priests, as any one of us here will tell you, but the one thing they must know is that their priest knows Jesus. Once they know that, they can relax — we hope.

To be able to be “in touch” with this accompanying presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ is critical, not only for the priest, but for all of the baptized. Part of the handicap of today’s society is that we are only capable of seeing what is tangible; only capable of believing what is empirically provable. In other words, we lack true faith. People today are losing their sense of wonder for “mystery” — the mystery of God — and the mystery of the human person.

Brothers, today you’re being consecrated with the oil of chrism, ordained a priest for the proclamation of good news. You are sent today, in the person of Christ to the local portion of this family of God, to teach and lead them into faith. Your own life must be a coherent and integrated expression of faith if your own ministry is to have any credibility in the eyes of God’s people, and any success on behalf of God.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI insisted that the fundamental question for the human person today is the question of God. This “act of faith” in God and in Jesus Christ is what changes the a person’s life. In continuation of the same thought, Pope Francis insists on the need for a genuine encounter with the person of Jesus, and especially that others encounter Christ in every one of us.

 We see this “encounter” which individuals have with Jesus over and over again in the Gospels, beginning with the call of his disciples and continuing with many others who are longing for truth, hope, healing, forgiveness, meaning and purpose.

These are the fundamental things every human person longs for and searches for today, and they are ultimately found in Christ. If one’s faith is not at the heart and center of one’s person and identity, this “conversion,” this “fullness of life” is simply not possible. And if our people do not live a full and integrated faith life, then the Kingdom of God fails to advance in our world.

So my dear brothers, “stirring” our people to a fervent and active faith life is at the heart of the Church’s mission and priestly ministry. So we pray this mission is at the heart of your priestly ministry.

Jesus invites all who labor and are burdened: “Come to me, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Dear brothers, in the life and ministry of priests, there are many joys, but do not be naive, there are also moments of doubt, rejection and various trials that will test your faith and love. Priests must be the first to hear these words of Jesus: “Come to me.” We must be the first to take his yoke and learn the lessons of the cross. Listen to the words of Pope Francis to the young men he ordained five years ago:

“A presbyter who has perhaps studied much theology and achieved one or two or three advanced degrees, but has not learned to carry the cross of Christ, is useless: he will be a good academic, a good professor, but not a priest.”

Brothers, Holy Orders unites the priest to Jesus Christ and his cross in a profound manner. The life goal of every priest is to be transformed into Christ. So I encourage you: consecrate yourself to the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, asking the Holy Spirit to be your guide,

your light, your inspiration, your love, the very love of your heart, that you may be transformed into Jesus Christ. Do not shy away from the cross — for it is the classroom of the master teacher.

Jesus teaches us that our joy is found in him, and in the moral integrity of one’s life. (John 15:11) Brothers, live in a manner that you may personally discover this joy. Minister in a manner that leads others to discover their joy in Jesus.

And during your life as a priest, in the faithful fulfillment of your promises of prayer, celibacy, preaching and governing, and celebrating the sacraments of the Church, strengthen your desire to remain in Jesus, to remain in his love. I and every priest in this church today will tell you that priesthood requires great love and generosity of heart. And we can also tell you that there will be failures as well. But what is most important is a continual trust in the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders to accomplish whatever the Lord will ask of you in the years ahead.

As you place your hands in mine in a few short moments, realize this gesture symbolizes placing your hands in the hands of Christ. Always remain in his hands. As Jesus placed himself into the hands of the Father, priesthood places you squarely in the heart of the Paschal mystery, for it is only from the heart of this mystery that you will be capable of leading others to Christ. This is the life of the priest! Only Christ who has conquered death and risen to die no more is capable of granting us true freedom, true life, true hope and joy.

Brothers, lead others to Christ. Lead others to his truth. Lead others to discover his love, the love of his Most Sacred Heart, and your own life will indeed bear much fruit, a fruit that will remain.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary hold each of you close to Christ, and may her intercession obtain for you the grace to never let him go, now that he has embraced you with his priesthood.