Father Tyler Wisniewski ordained to priesthood at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, Pa.
By The Byzantine Catholic World
Father Tyler Wisniewski was ordained a priest of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh by Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla June 23 at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, Pa.
Concelebrants were Very Rev. Ronald Barusefski, rector of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Very Rev. Kevin Marks, Vocations Director and pastor of St. Michael in Hermitage, Pa. and St. Michael in Campbell, Ohio; Father Will Rupp, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul in Warren, Ohio; Father Oleh Seremchuk, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Scottdale, Pa. and St. Nicholas in Perryopolis, Pa.; and Father John Basarab, pastor of Epiphany of Our Lord in Annandale, Va.
In his homily, Father John Basarab focused on Samuel Chapters 2 and 4, in which Hannah and Elkanah bring their son, Samuel, to God at the sanctuary in Shiloh, where Samuel needed the discernment of Eli, the high priest, to recognize it was God calling him.
“Edward and Anita, you brought your son, Tyler, to God’s House — St. John the Baptist church in Scottdale. There, with the example of his parents and family, pastor and parishioners, he heard God calling him,” Father John said.
Father John said Father Tyler’s call “re-sounded” at Penn State campus ministry with Father Jim Ragan and Father Will Rupp, at Epiphany of our Lord in Annandale, Va.; and at SS. Peter and Paul in Portage, Pa. with Very Rev. Jim Spontak.
“This call continued to be heard at our magnificent seminary,” he said.
“Archbishop William has declared it as a call, a vocation, from God, and has called Deacon Tyler to ordination today.”
Father John said the Gospel for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew 8:28-9:1, tells of two men who confront Jesus about discipleship but they both leave when Jesus informs them of the physical hardships of the call.
“There are two parts to a call from Jesus: physical and spiritual. When St. John Chrysostom preached about the call of the Rich Young Man, he said the physical demands of a vocation are hard, but the spiritual demand is even more demanding,” he said.
“But with God’s grace, and the man co-operating with God, it is possible.”
