Ordained to Service

Friday, Jun. 20, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — Bishop Oscar A. Solis conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders on Deacon Kenneth Parsad during the Rite of Ordination of a Priest on June 13 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. 

The Mass was concelebrated by the Most Rev. Severo C. Caermare, Bishop of Dipolog, the Philippines; Father John Evans, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City; Father Martin Diaz, rector of the cathedral; Father Kenneth Vialpando, vicar for clergy; Father Dominic Sternhagen, director of vocations; Father Stephen Clovis, a representative of Mount Angel Seminary; Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general emeritus; and numerous diocesan and visiting priests.

Deacons of the Mass were Deacon John Kranz and Deacon Guillermo Mendez. Several other deacons and seminarians assisted during the Mass.

At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop Solis welcomed those in attendance.

“Today we come together in order to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Orders as the Church sets apart Deacon Kenneth, her son, as a priest,” he said. 

In the Sacrament of Holy Orders presbyters are ordained in the image of Christ, the eternal high priest, to preach the Gospel, to shepherd the faith and to celebrate the divine worship as true priests of the New Testament, he said. 

Following the Liturgy of the Word, Deacon Parsad was called forward for the Election of the Elect, in which he was proclaimed worthy of the office.

In his homily, Bishop Solis reflected on the vocation to the priesthood and the role of a priest as a messenger of the Gospel.

“What a great blessing to be gathered today to celebrate this birth of a priest to the Diocese of Salt Lake City and the Universal Church,” the bishop said.

A calling to the vocation of a priest is a mystery in many ways, he said. “It is God who calls and chooses.”

In the priesthood, Christ is presented as a testimony of God’s love and graciousness, “a sacrament of his abiding and saving presence to the world,” the bishop continued. “A priest is sent by God for the service of our Church, to be the messenger of the Gospel and steward of God’s graces. Through the imposition of hands and a mighty sacred chrism he receives the power of the Holy Spirit, consecrated by God’s grace. He is considered to be an alter Christus, another Christ in our world. In the words of Cardinal [Robert] Sarah, being a priest comes with a unique privilege. His identity and dignity is rooted in union with Christ. It is entrusted with the dignity of sharing and the authority and ministry of the priesthood of Christ himself. So he stands before the people of God in the name of Christ to make present Christ’s Passion, death and Resurrection. Thus he becomes a conduit of God’s presence and a bridge builder between heaven and earth.”

Bishop Solis then encouraged Deacon Parsad to emulate Christ and to remain faithful to his vows.

 “Kenneth, as you offer your own life to God in love and sacrifice, you become an instrument of God’s salvation to continue to manifest his presence in the world, as well as to gather the people of God around the Earth,” he said.

After the homily, Deacon Parsad was called forward for the promises of his priestly ordination, during which he declared to God and to the people his resolve to undertake the office for which he was going to be ordained. He then prostrated himself in front of the altar while those present sang the Litany of the Saints.

Following this, Deacon Parsad was ordained a priest. Bishop Solis and all the priests present participated in the Laying on of Hands. The bishop offered the Prayer of Ordination to the Priesthood, and Father Parsad was vested with an alb and a stole by Father Christopher Gray, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Park City, and Father Rodelio Ignacio, administrator of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. 

After the vesting, Bishop Solis anointed Fr. Parsad’s hands with chrism oil, and handed on the bread and wine. 

Fr. Parsad also received a chalice that had been owned by the late Monsignor Michael Winterer, who bequeathed it to the first priest to be ordained after his passing.

Fr. Parsad then concelebrated the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Afterward, he blessed Bishop Solis as well as his mother and other family members. 

When the Mass ended, Fr. Parsad offered first blessings to those who came forward, and a reception was held in the cathedral plaza. 

Reflecting later, Fr. Parsad told the Intermountain Catholic that he was deeply moved by the Litany of the Saints and the fraternal blessings from his brother priests. Although he was nervous at the beginning of the Mass, Fr.  Parsad expressed a sense of joy regarding his vocation.

“I’m happy, and this is a meaningful life; there’s so much joy in it,” he said.