11 men ordained as Roman Catholic priests at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston

The new priests are scheduled to celebrate their first Masses this weekend

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley placed his hands on those of the Rev. Hung Tran as he was ordained Saturday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston on Saturday welcomed 11 men into the priesthood with a majestic ordination Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End.

The class was the largest since 2019 when 14 men were ordained as priests, the archdiocese said. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, presided at the three-hour Mass, which was attended by bishops from Tanzania, Uganda, and El Salvador.

“Being a priest is not a profession or a career. It’s not a job or a task,” O’Malley said during his homily. “Being a priest consists of answering a call, an invitation to participate in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.”

The new priests range in age from 26 to 63 years old, and hail from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Mexico, El Salvador, Vietnam, Colombia, and Cameroon, according to the archdiocese.

The Rev. David Pineda, one of the new priests, said his family traveled from El Salvador for his ordination. Pineda, 28, was born in La Reina in El Salvador’s Chalatenango department.

“This day for me means a lot because I basically gave my life to the Lord,” Pineda said in an interview after Mass. “This is just the beginning of a new chapter in my life.”

Eleven new priests knelt at the altar during the "laying on of hands" by other priests at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross during an ordination Mass on Saturday.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Pineda said he is scheduled to say his first Mass on Sunday at St. Mary of the Assumption in Brookline. He said he will then serve as a priest in Haverhill at All Saints Parish.

Three other new priests were scheduled to celebrate their first Masses Saturday evening at churches in Revere, Medford, and Marlborough. Like Pineda, the remaining priests will say their first Masses on Sunday, the archdiocese said.

Their ordination ceremony celebrated the diverse backgrounds of the new priests.

In honor of the Rev. John Tanyi, 39, who was born in Tiko, Cameroon, a group of Cameroonian Catholics introduced the gospel with a lively procession down the center aisle of the cathedral.

Cameroonian Catholics processed down the center aisle to present the gospel Saturday at an ordination Mass for 11 new priests at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Musicians sang songs in Spanish and Vietnamese in between musical selections performed on the organ and sung in English and Latin. Applause erupted in the cathedral after O’Malley delivered some of his homily in Vietnamese.

One of the new priests, Rev. Barry Mongeon, 63, said during an interview after Mass that it was “beautiful to have the diversity” of languages and rhythms during the ceremony.

He called his ordination the “culmination of everything that I worked for” and said he “gave up everything” to become a priest.

“I had several different careers . . . but they were all in service. So I knew eventually I would be in the ultimate service job, which was this vocation,” Mongeon said. “Nobody can tell how wonderful this day is until you’re here.”

Vietnamese nuns from Greater Boston watched the ordination of 11 new priests Saturday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The number of diocesan priests in the United States declined by more than one-third between 1970 and 2022, according to statistics from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

The data shows the Catholic Church was losing priests even before the clergy sex abuse scandal erupted in the Boston archdiocese in 2002.

In Boston, the number of priests has dropped by 46 percent since 2000, from 940 priests to 508, a spokesperson said.

O’Malley, who became archbishop in Boston in 2003, told the new priests that their vocation requires that they empty themselves to love and support others.

“When people need a Catholic priest, it should be clear that he is a man for others; that he’s not caught up in himself and takes seriously his duty to care for souls,” O’Malley said.

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley approached the altar Saturday at a Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross where 11 men were ordained as priests. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The ordination rite unfolded in steps, opening with the calling of the candidates from their seats facing the altar.

Later in the ritual, the men prostrated themselves as the names of saints were read aloud. At another point, all priests gathered in the cathedral prayed over each of the ordinands one at a time as they made a gesture known as the “laying on of hands.”

The candidates for ordination prostrated themselves before the altar on Saturday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Afterward, an existing clergy member gave each new priest a stole and chasuble, a vestment worn for celebrating Mass.

O’Malley concluded the ceremony with a message to the packed cathedral: “Pray for our priests.”

The gathering broke into applause as the new priests processed to the rear of the church. Afterward, the men gathered on the altar where they posed for photographs with family, friends, and well-wishers.

Worshippers photographed ordination rites during Mass on Saturday at Cathedral of the Holy Cross. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

They also performed their first blessings as priests, praying over people who waited in line to kneel before the new clergy members and receive the honor.

The Rev. Loi Pham, who serves in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky., said he went to the ordination to support Hung Tran, 38, one of the new priests. He said they shared the same “spiritual father” in Vietnam.

“It’s a lot of joy and hope. We share the same vocation now,” Pham said. “Now we are the priests of God and we become ambassadors for God’s love for his people.”

Nkafu Amingwa said she traveled from Maryland to see Tanyi become a priest. Before moving to the United States in 1982, Amingwa said she belonged to the Diocese of Mamfe, where Tanyi also worshiped in Cameroon.

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley held a bible delivered to him by Cameroonian Catholics during an ordination ceremony on Saturday at Cathedral of the Holy Cross. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

“It means the world to us,” said Amingwa. “In the past 10 to 15 years, we’ve seen a lot more Cameroonians be ordained.”

Tanyi called his ordination a “dream come true.” He said he is assigned to serve at St. Mary Parish in Franklin.

“I always wanted to be a priest and this is a wonderful gift from God,” Tanyi said. “I am very, very grateful.”