Diocesan seminarians Dominic Ratliff and Ben Van Buren were admitted to candidacy for the priesthood on Thursday, Aug. 7 at Columbus St. Catharine of Siena Church.
Bishop Earl Fernandes admitted them during the rite of Admission to Candidacy for the Sacrament of Holy Orders at a Mass held at Van Buren’s home parish. Ratliff is from Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church.
Both seminarians will be entering in the Configuration stage of their priestly formation this fall at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati.
Admission to Candidacy was instituted in 1973 by Pope Paul VI as one of the steps toward ordination. During the simple ceremony, the aspirant states his intention to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and embrace the clerical state. He states that he’s morally certain of his calling to be a priest and that he wishes to give himself wholeheartedly to this vocation. The bishop then accepts the aspirant as an official candidate.
The rite signifies that the diocesan bishop is open to eventually ordaining the candidate as a transitional deacon and then as a priest for the Church
The rite includes three components: the call to candidacy, the scrutiny of the candidate and the blessing of the candidate. The call is a symbol of the vocation, the scrutiny includes the bishop asking two questions to determine the candidate’s resolve, and the blessing concludes the ceremony with prayers for the aspirant.
The seminarian’s acceptance by the bishop serves as the first official recognition by the Church that the candidate is on a path toward the priesthood and is a public declaration that he has discerned a divine vocation to seek ordination.