Two men are scheduled to be ordained this year — one to the priesthood and one to the transitional diaconate.

Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne will ordain Deacon Robert Murphy a priest and seminarian Gregory Caldwell a deacon preparing for priesthood at a special Mass on Saturday, June 19, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral in Burlington.

The bishop will place his hands on the head of the candidate for priestly ordination, and through this Laying of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination, the Gift of the Holy Spirit for the priestly office will be conferred on the candidate for priesthood who will receive the stole and chasuble, signs of the office of the ministerial priesthood

Deacon Murphy graduated from Mount Anthony Union High School Bennington in 2013 then attended Providence College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2017. He first felt the calling to the priesthood in elementary school.

“I was open to the call and desired to do God’s will for my life,” he said. He chose to study for the Diocese of Burlington because it is his home Diocese, and he felt called to serve the people of Vermont. “There have been many great priests in Vermont who have inspired me in my discernment of the priesthood,” he said.

Caldwell, who graduated from Essex High School in 2008, earned a Master of Arts in Catholic philosophical studies from St. Meinrad Seminary in St. Meinrad, Indiana. He was received into full communion with the Church in 2013.

He has said he hopes to bring to the priesthood an ability to “teach in a way that can reach people,” an ability to show people how to live their faith and the willingness to bring the sacraments to the people of the Diocese of Burlington.

Deacon Murphy advises men who are contemplating priesthood to focus on growing in holiness — especially through daily prayer — and striving to grow in virtue. “I believe that if they are open and seeking to do God’s will, God will lead them to their vocation and give them what they need to live it well,” he said. The ordination will be a special time for clergy to meet in a spirit of fraternity and camaraderie.

Due to the seating capacity restrictions, attendance at the Mass will be by invitation only to allow for the priests of the diocese, Robert and Greg’s family and friends, and members of their home parishes to attend. The Mass will be live-streamed at vermontcatholic.org/news/communication/tv-mass.

“The Bishop’s Annual Appeal supports the vocations office. Please consider giving a gift during In-Pew Weekend on June 12-13. To make a gift online or to learn more please visit: bishopsappealvt.org.”

—Originally published in the June 5-11, 2021, edition of The Inland See.