God’s mercy is the reason for priestly vocation, Bishop Iffert says at ordination Mass

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Celebrated among a congregation of the people of the diocese – including family, friends and many fellow clergy – Father Joshua Heskamp was ordained to the Order of Priest, June 7, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.

Bishop John Iffert was the celebrant of the Mass, and welcomed the now ordained Father Heskamp to the presbyterate alongside priests fro across the diocese – and some beyond, including St. Vincent Seminary faculty Benedictine Father Jude Brady and Benedictine Father Isaac Haywiser.

Father Heskamp’s family also partook in the Mass, with notably his uncle, fellow priest, Father Jeffery Von Lehmen, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Taylor Mill, serving as vesting clergy for his investiture.

Bishop Iffert began his homily acknowledging to the contribution of Father Heskamp’s family to his formation. Even though he addresses him as his “own dear son,” Bishop Iffert said, and that “this is an acknowledgment that I’m able to introduce [Deacon Heskamp] to the life of grace-filled service to God’s people in the priesthood,” he said, “in no way is this little reference of endearment meant to supplant the role of Deacon Heskamp’s own father and his own family…who gave him life and nurtured him in the faith.”

“It’s a profound gift,” said Bishop Iffert, “that Deacon Heskamp presents today in offering himself to be set apart for the ministry. I thank you for supporting his in his vocational discernment.”

As part of his homily, Bishop Iffert also reflected on a question that a student asked him at a dinner at Thomas More University, Crestview Hills. The student asked him why he thought that God chose him as a bishop, to which Bishop Iffert replied that, after a moment, the reason is that, “God is always being merciful, and always leading us to salvation.”

“I can only presume that God has allowed me to be here,” he said, “because there is something in this experience that will help me towards salvation, something that I need to be able to grow in holiness and be more like Christ.”

“As soon as I said it, I recognized that truth of it,” said Bishop Iffert, then addressing the soon to be ordained Deacon Heskamp, “Joshua, we are not called to be priests because we are such swell guys…We are called to be priests because the empty, needful, broken space inside us conforms to the way Christ and his Holy Spirit long to fill us and make up for our sins and our failure. We are called not because of our personal strengths, but because we boast in our weakness and in the cross of Christ that is our salvation.”

“Today,” Bishop Iffert said, “you are called to be a father to the faithful. As you will pray over the fathers of the children you will baptize, so we all pray for you today.”