Priestly ordination on June 11 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was the culmination of years of prayer and preparation for the diocese’s two new priests, but the next day was also momentous.
Fathers Mark Aune and Christian Smith celebrated Masses of thanksgiving in their home parishes on June 12—their first Mass as the main celebrant—with family, friends and brother priests as the congregation.
Mass of Thanksgiving
Father Mark Aune celebrated his Mass of thanksgiving at the Church of Corpus Christi in Bismarck which is also where he is assigned as the associate pastor. He was blessed to be surrounded by former classmates and other seminarians on this special day.
“Before Mass started, I prayed with my two classmates who served as deacons, along with Deacon Greg Hilzendeger and, two servers, Logan Obrigewitch and Ben Wanner, who are diocesan seminarians,” Fr. Aune shared. “I was overcome with such joy and gratitude that I found it difficult to lead the prayer and emotionally broke down crying due to the honor and privilege of sharing in Jesus Christ’s sacred priesthood.”
Father Aune said he was filled with humility in praying the Mass with the faithful who attended in person and via live stream. “A part of me could not believe that I was the presider of the Mass! It was a great honor and privilege to bring Jesus in the Eucharist and celebrate the Mass with so many of the diocesan priests concelebrating,” he said. “My life is truly blessed to allow Jesus to use my hands and feet to share Christ’s love and mercy with those to whom I minister.”
Father Aune also shared thoughts on ordination and his first assignment at the diocese’s largest parish. “Bringing Christ to His people has given me great joy, with a humble heart. Corpus Christi is a community where the love of Christ is practiced and observed. I have been inspired by their faithfulness to be challenged and grow in their Catholic faith. I look forward to celebrating the sacraments and sharing the Gospel of Jesus. I also look forward to growing in my faith with the St. Mary’s High School students I will teach this fall.”
Father Christian Smith celebrated his Mass of thanksgiving at his home parish, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit—the very place he’d been ordained the day before. The sanctuary was filled with his brother priests and loved ones in the pews.
“I was trying really hard not to mess up! I had to take a mental pause about halfway through to recognize what I was doing and how powerful it was,” he explains. “But overall, I was overwhelmed with happiness.”
That happiness has carried over into his first assignment at St. Patrick’s Parish in Dickinson and chaplain for Trinity Catholic Schools.
“I love it already! My first few weeks at St. Patrick's have been a great blessing,” Fr. Smith shared. “As of now, I'm not sure what the school situation will be, but I would say I'm most excited about getting to know the students.”
First Mass traditions
The first Mass tradition may have started in ancient times. Technically, a priest’s ordination Mass is his first Mass, but the first one he presides over from beginning to end commonly is referred to as his “first.”
The first Mass also is a time when some newly ordained priests give special gifts to their parents as a show of gratitude and devotion. Mothers sometimes receive the maniturgium, a cloth used during the ordination Mass that was wrapped around their sons’ hands after his hands were anointed with holy oil.
Father Smith, for example, gave his mother, Ruth, his maniturgium. To his father, Stuart, he gave his first confessional stole as a sign of justice and mercy. Handing it to his dad, he said, “The college is supposed to teach us how to be a priest, but you taught me how to be a father.”
Each new priest addressed those in attendance thanking them for their support and, most importantly, their prayers. They asked for those prayers to continue as they follow their calling as priests for the diocese.