This past Saturday, the feast of St Lawrence, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke ordained Brother Thomas Mary of Jesus, Er. Carm., in the Extraordinary Form at the cathedral of St Patrick in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The local ordinary, Bishop Ronald Gainer, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh, William Waltersheid, were both present for the ceremony, as well Fr Mario Esposito, the Prior Provincial of the North American province of the Carmelite Order. Fr Thomas Mary is a member of the Hermits of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, a religious community which observes the eremitical charism of the first hermits on Mount Carmel and the primitive Carmelite Rule of St Albert of Jerusalem. Here is the complete video of the ceremony; another was made of his First Mass, and should be available in a few days. Mr Patrick Torsell, music director at Mater Dei, the local FSSP church, conducted the schola, and was kind enough to provide us with some photos of the ceremony taken from the choir loft, which we include below the video. Our congratulations to the new priest, to his family and friends, and to his religious community – ad multos annos!
