2023 Ordinandi Dinner

Following a two-year pandemic hiatus that prevented us from celebrating in person, the 33rd Annual Ordinandi Dinner was held in person Thursday, March 9, 2023.

The annual Ordinandi Dinner is a unique opportunity to support and encourage the Ordinandi at St. Augustine’s Seminary and Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, who with God’s grace, will be ordained to the priesthood this coming Spring.

This year, eight seminarians shared their faith journey and call to the priesthood: Mirko Ljuba (35), Carlos Alberto Torres Marquez (28), Matthew Cole Powers (31), Sean Raphael Jacob (31) and Sávio António Bruto da Costa (46) from the Archdiocese of Toronto; Michael Chris El-Nachef (28) from the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall; and Peter Long Hien Tran (38) and Joseph Son Quang Do (39) from the Diocese of Bui Chu in Vietnam.

We honoured the vocation to the priesthood and consecrated religious life at the event.

The Serra Clubs in Toronto and worldwide are well known for their devotion to fostering and promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Serra Clubs generously serve the Church in many ways, including affirming our existing clergy and religious, daily prayers for our clergy and new vocations, and the assistance and support of our Seminarians at St. Augustine’s Seminary.

The dinner followed the Ordinandi Youth Event, where Seminarians shared their vocation stories with students from all six Catholic school boards. “Being exposed to different vocations at an early age allows knowing that religious life or priesthood are also ways to live out your faith and deepen your relationship with Christ,” Deacon Sean Jacob.

Please continue to pray for the Seminary, its life, its mission, and for the Seminarians as they continue their journey of formation with the Lord.