Archbishop Gordon Calls New Priest to Unity

By Klysha Best

In a joyful ceremony at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday, May 20, Reverend David Mark Villafana was ordained to the Order of the Holy Priesthood.

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, the chief celebrant at the Mass, delivered a homily centred on four themes: Chosen, Anointed, Configured, and Given.

“Chosen from before all time,” Archbishop Gordon said, drawing from the first reading of Hebrews. “As Isaiah will say, while you were in your mother’s womb I knew you. I called you by name. I chose you.”

He reminded him that priesthood is not a reward for perfection, but a gift of God’s call. He spoke of the high priest’s fragility, and how Christ established a priesthood “according to Melchizedek and forever.”

“Chosen, not because we have everything we need; chosen, not because we are perfect. Chosen simply because God holds you,” Archbishop Gordon said.

He reflected on the anointing with sacred chrism, which sets a man apart for God. “Anointing your hands that you now are reconfigured to Him,” he explained, calling the ordained to a deeper filial relationship with the Father.

Archbishop Gordon warned that configuration to Christ comes through pain and suffering, through dark days and dry seasons. Yet he urged Fr Villafana to remain on his knees before the Lord, allowing his roots to grow deep so that his ministry might stretch far.

In a world marked by division, he stressed the priest’s essential role as a “sacrament of unity.”

“We are living in a most…divided world right now. The priest is a symbol of unity. The priest gives himself for unity,” he said.

Drawing from the Gospel of John, he invited Villafana to “remain in my love”, a call to intimate abiding in Christ, like a vine and its branches. The fire of priesthood, he said, burns brightly only when the priest remains in that love.

Archbishop Gordon closed with the priestly image of the Last Supper: blessed, broken, and given. “God has chosen you. Today, through the discernment of the Church, we will anoint you. You have to make the choice to be configured.”

Following the ordination,

Fr Villafana addressed the congregation, visibly moved. He thanked Archbishop Gordon for journeying with him over eight years, as well as his brother priests, his mother, and his family.

He also paid tribute to his alma mater, San Juan North Secondary School, urging teachers never to give up on their students.

“For a school that you would never think a priest would ever come out, I want to inspire those teachers. You don’t know who you are bringing up in your classroom. Never give up on your students, never give up on yourselves and continue in aspiring to build our young people today,” he said.

Fr Villafana also acknowledged the “Justice League”, the team that supported him throughout his journey, as well as seminary formators, the Jesuit community, and the combined choir that provided a “beautiful symphony of music.”

He concluded with heartfelt thanks to all who prayed for him, promising to keep them in his prayers at every Mass he offers.

The ordination marks a new chapter for Fr Villafana, who now joins the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, called to be an instrument of unity, a man of prayer, and a priest after the heart of Christ.