Listen to Archbishop Casey give his homily to at the 2026 priest ordination:

Today we are pleased to ordain nine men to serve as priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, these men will become diocesan priests, serving the people of the various communities that make up our archdiocese. Another word for diocesan priesthood is secular priesthood, which tells us that their ministry will be exercised not in some mountaintop monastery or desert hermitage but in the world and among the people.

As diocesan priests, it will be their responsibility to serve as a bridge between heaven and earth, between the secular and the sacred. To be a bridge, you cannot stand on one side, shouting over to the other. You must have your footing planted on both sides, creating a connection and bringing about a communion.

Brothers, we send you out into the world as disciples of Jesus Christ, whose incarnation informs your priestly identity. Christ did not save the world by calling out to us from heaven. The salvation won for us comes about through Christ’s entry into our world and into our humanity. That complete self-gift of Jesus, offered out of love for our salvation, must instruct your way of life as priests.

As Jesus asks Peter in the gospel today, so too He asks you, “Do you love me?” Your love of Christ must be witnessed in your love of the world and your willingness to walk among her inhabitants, giving yourself over to the world in a complete surrender of yourself.

In challenging Peter, and challenging you, Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” He repeats this three times, emphasizing that this is not a mandate to give a meager portion but to offer true nourishment, to bring those you serve to the feast.

The feast represents a tangible expression of unconditional love, echoing the biblical command to care for and nourish others. You must give your life as nourishment for others, feeding those you serve at table here on earth so that one day they may feast at the table of the heavenly banquet. Karen Blixen’s short story, Babbette’s Feast, first published in 1958 and eventually made into a movie, speaks well to your call to feed Christ’s sheep. Babbette is a Frenchwoman who finds herself exiled to the cold, grey fjords of Norway. She lands on the doorstep of two pious sisters, a note in her hand from a past acquaintance of theirs. In that letter of introduction the sisters are asked to receive Babbette into their home; the writer concludes, “Babbette can cook.”

That statement is made with no foreknowledge of the feast Babbette would prepare. At first glance, it seems odd that these two holy, pious and devout sisters would find a place for the worldly Parisienne in their home and their lives. Yet, their coming together proves to be a blessing for both.  

As we ordain these men priests today, we will send them forth into their first assignments and declare, “They can cook.” Truthfully, we cannot know what your future holds, but we are confident that you have what is needed to feed your people.

In the short story, after twelve years with the sisters, Babette wins the lottery.  She spends all of her winnings on a feast for the sisters and their pious congregation. A community with eyes only fixed on heaven, the diners of that feast experience the beauty of the world’s bounty. Their senses are brought to life in a meal that joins together the secular and the sacred. The scene depicts a true understanding of eucharistic grace.

After that feast, Babbette’s final lines are the same in the short story and the film. She tells the sisters, “Through all the world there goes one long cry from the heart of the artist: ‘Give me leave to do my utmost.’” Whether artist or priest, is this not what God asks each of us to do in answer to our call? Brothers, we ask you to hear the voice of Jesus today. As you are ordained priests, hear our Lord ask you, “Do you love me?” Hear the Lord instruct you, “Feed my sheep.”

We pray today that you may live out your priestly call through the selfless gift of your whole being, offered in service to the Church to feed her people. Give your life as nourishment for others, serving faithfully at the table here on earth so that one day we may join you at the feast of the heavenly banquet.

Go forth and cook. Do your utmost.