It’s something that doesn’t happen all that often, but it just did in Washington, DC: a man ordained to the priesthood received his fifth sacrament at one church.

From the Catholic Standard:

For Father Andrew Davy, it seemed only fitting to be ordained a priest at the same parish where earlier in his life he had been baptized, made his First Penance, received his First Holy Communion and was confirmed. On Saturday, May 30, before several hundred family, friends fellow clergy and parishioners, Father Davy received his fifth sacrament – the Sacrament of Holy Orders – at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg.

“It was very a powerful moment,” he said. “I remember seeing a picture of my First Holy Communion and before that same altar (I was ordained). It was pretty amazing looking out and seeing people I’ve known all my life.”

During the Mass, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley ordained Father Davy as a priest of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, a religious order of more than 500 priests and brothers in 19 countries around the world. Founded in 1673 in Poland by Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski, the congregation’s mission is to spread devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Divine Mercy message.

In his homily, Bishop Holley described Father Davy’s vocation and future ministry as “a witness to the grace of God.”

The bishop said, “Continue to be an apostle of mercy through your preaching and teaching…The world needs this message.”

He urged the young priest to be an example to young people and to look to the Blessed Mother as “your model of humble service who like her Son came not to be served but to serve.”

For his priestly ordination, Father Davy received special permission for the Mass to be celebrated at St. John Neumann Parish. “One reason was that I really wanted to expose a lot people, especially young people, to the grace of an ordination,” he said.

During his seminary years, Father Davy, 28, made classroom visits to deliver vocation talks to Mother of God School across the street, where he himself attended elementary school years before.

One of five children, Father Davy told the Catholic Standard he first considered a vocation to the priesthood during high school. Later, while attending the Catholic University of America, he began to seriously think about becoming a priest. “It was the perfect place to grow in my faith,” he said of the university.

Before his 2003 CUA graduation, he met seminarians of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, whose religious house is near the Northeast D.C. campus. “In them, I saw an authentic zeal that was tangible,” he said. “They have a great love for the Blessed Mother and the Church.”

And as official promoters of the Divine Mercy message, he said he was especially drawn to the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. “More and more I saw this (message) as the heart of the Gospel,” he said. “I had this sense that the Lord wanted me to help serve the Church by preaching on His healing mercy.”

Read the rest of his story at the link. H/T to An Archdiocese of Wash DC Catholic.

PHOTO 1: Fr. Andrew Davy, right, with his father, Deacon Michael Davy.
PHOTO 2: Fr. Davy embraces his mother Kathleen.
Photos from the Catholic Standard