Father Wynn's Ordination

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Someone told me that it was going to be eery to see me standing at the altar as a priest and at the pulpit as a preacher. I've got to say that if it is weird to see me up here, it is even weirder to see you out there.

Thank you for being here. I see faces that I didn't expect.

[introductions]
The Three R's: Rick, Ruth, Rita.
Archbishop James Roberts -- celebrant
Archbishop Dean Bekken (incorrectly introduced as "Bishop Burke" at the ordination)
Father Tony Howard -- deacon
Subdeacon Lawrence Saylor -- subdeacon
Julio Chong -- thurifer
Andrea Bachman -- cross bearer
Kelly Uhrich -- crosier
Brother Dave Lindley
Donald Collup -- soloist
David Stinson -- organist

I have just a couple of words. Ordinations can be long, so I promise to keep my remarks short.

Fr. Tony Howard -- dean of St Alban Seminary wants a word with you, too. Fr. Tony said he wants to do some "I knew him when..." I told him that there are people here today who remember me when I was a rock-and-roll disc-jockey on the radio... or playing the piano in restaurants... chanting Gregorian-style... and a few who remember me when I was singing soprano. I said, "You can play that 'I remember' hand, but you are going to be trumped quickly." So we'll see....

And I have asked the archbishop, who is probably the best orator here, to say a few words.

After the remarks, we shall continue with the Celebration of Mass. Our Communion is open to everyone who feels the presence of our Lord. You are welcome, even if you are not Liberal Catholic. I encourage you to take part.

The wheel is set in motion: we're starting a new Liberal Catholic church in Dallas. There is already one in Frisco. Fr. Tony is the pastor. If you live north of Dallas, see Fr. Tony if you are interested in the Liberal Catholic Church.

For the church in Dallas, I floated around several names. Elizabeth of Hungary, who worked with terminally ill kids. Sebastian, who kept refusing to die. Mychal Judge, the New York fire department chaplain, killed on 9/11. When I talked with Archbishop Roberts, I suggested St. Sebastian. The archbishop said, No. I was taken aback. He said, "That's not what your heart says. Listen to your heart. Trust it."

In an instant, I knew it would be St. Mychal Judge Liberal Catholic Church. Fr. Judge was a Franciscan friar. He worked with the poor and hungry in Manhattan... his church, right next to Madison Square Garden, has had a soup kitchen since the Great Depression. Fr. Judge worked with people suffering from HIV and AIDS. He counseled hundreds of alcoholics and addicts and helped them find a way out.

He went about his work with joy, even though some church leaders considered him a loose cannon. A loose cannon: hey, I can relate. He was chaplain of Dignity / New York... even when people said, "You can't do that."

Father Mychal Judge became a martyr on 9/11. As he knelt to give last rites to a fallen fire fighter, he was struck and killed by falling debris.

St. Mychal Judge: the archbishop said make it so. End of discussion. The first Mass at the new parish will be a week from tomorrow. On the back table, you will find handouts with the schedule. If you have email, you can sign-up to be notified of Mass times and locations. I promise not to bombard you with junk or pleas for money.

I invite you to join me in Dallas, or Father Tony up in Frisco. Liberal Catholics don't get pushy about joining us. In fact, we honor your spiritual pathway regardless of what it is. We are here if you are interested and curious, and I want you to know you will be welcome in any of our churches.

Quick story. Back in the Sixties, a musical called Godspell hit me squarely between the eyes. It was a musical taken from the Gospel of Matthew. It was straight out of the Sixties... wild clothing... long hair... peace and love.

The movie version was filmed in New York City. Jesus was played by a skinny fellow with frizzy hair who jumped around singing and leading his band of hippie apostles.

You know who that actor was? You want weird? I'll show you weird. Seeing me standing up here isn't weird like this. On the ABC TV show, "Alias" -- which is about conniving and murderous secret agents, the gray-haired man playing Sidney's father is the scrawny guy from Godspell. Jesus has become a CIA agent. That's eery.

I was watching "Alias" a few weeks ago, and I saw the actor grinning. Through his maturity and his not-so-nice character, I saw a flash of the character from Godspell. I saw the spark of an innocent time, where boys and girls could dance with the Lord... could sing praises... and love one another without judgment or conditions... and that hasn't changed a bit in 2-thousand years... or since the Sixties. A little grayer... a little slower... a few extra pounds... but the spark can still be seen, and I saw it as clear as day.

You just never know where you're going to see the face of our Lord. In a beggar... in an alcoholic who insists on continuing the tragic cycle of addiction... in a pandering politician spewing hate.

In the face of a friend or a loved one, but that's too easy. If you look, you can even see the face of our Lord reflected in the face of a latter-day Sadducee who judges you, saying you're going to Hell... in an investment banker, for God's sake... in an actor playing a CIA agent.

When you feel that spark, what do you do?

I don't know what you're supposed to do: you need to search your heart. But as for me...

Here I stand. I can do no other. [Luther]

Let me conclude with a prayer that I'm sure you have heard, and may have memorized. Most of the time, you hear only the first half of this prayer. But it is the second half that sums up what has been going on up here today... that explains why I stand here and can do no other...

God, you got me into this. I assume you're driving, so let's roll.