By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

Photography: Tracy, Cabrera Jarro, Granados

MIAMI | With an emotional ceremony in four languages −English, Spanish, Polish, and Italian− Archbishop Thomas Wenski ordained four men for the Archdiocese of Miami May 11, 2024, at St. Mary's Cathedral. Here are some pictures of the ceremony.

 

A NEW CHAPTER STARTS

To be close to Father David Zallocco on the day of his ordination, a group of 33 people arrived in Miami from Italy, including family members, friends, and members of the Neocatechumenal Way. They came from Sant'Elpidio a Mare, the city where Father Zallocco is from.

“I feel that he has achieved a goal, on one hand, and on the other, a new life must begin now. It is a chapter that closes after 10 years, and another, more important one opens for his life," said Fabiana Caprano, Father Zallocco's mother, referring to the fact that her son left his city and came to Miami 10 years ago to attend the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way to study for the priesthood.

Caprano also mentioned that her son's inclination for the priesthood appeared during his adolescence. Now that he has been ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami, she misses having her son by her side, but "the Lord has decided it this way, and I am happy for him, because evidently, this is his path and his life, and it is good this way."

 

FLOWERS FOR THE VIRGIN

“I gave him to the Lord since he was a seminarian, and I have always prayed to God that he would reach this goal," said Miriam Blass, mother of Father Milton Martínez. She added that now that he is a priest, "I am very happy, but at the same time a little nervous because it is something big.”

Since he was a child in his native Nicaragua, Father Martinez used to pick flowers to offer to the Virgin Mary. He would tell his aunt, "Put these little flowers for the Virgin," said Blass.

“For me, it's nothing new because since he was a little boy, I always knew he was going to be a priest," said Ivone Martinez, Father Martinez's sister. "He loved going to church; he always said, 'Mom, let's go to church.' I used to hit him because I didn't like going to church. But he always said, 'Ivoncita, let's go to church, please.' Now, I'm proud; I always knew it," Ivone added.

Father Martinez's family came from different places to accompany him on the day of his ordination. They came from Nicaragua, Orlando, New York, and Spain, as well as from Miami and Homestead.

 

A POLISH FLAG

"I am very happy and moved to be here for all these festivities," said Teresa Sawicki, mother of Father Piotr Sawicki after the ordination ceremony, as she and her husband Jacek watched their son give his first blessings to family, friends and acquaintances.

"It was a very long way. It has not been an easy road. But we trust in God. God will take care of him because we know that this was the path that the Lord has pointed for Piotr," said Teresa, who after receiving her son's blessing, also blessed him and wished him health, strength, and perseverance so “That he can go and bring the message of the Gospel and the life of Christ wherever God will send him."

The Sawickis traveled from Poland to be with their son on this important day. A group of about 30 Poles also came with them to accompany Father Sawicki. The group stood out among the hundreds of people attending the ordination ceremony because of the Polish flag that flew outside St. Mary's Cathedral after the priestly ordination Mass.

The flag bearer, Jan Wolniak, carried the flag into St. Mary's parish hall for a celebratory reception at which Father Sawicki and the other three newly ordained gave their first blessings.

Wolniak stood like a color guard behind Father Sawicki and waved the flag in rhythm to the songs performed by seminarians from the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Hialeah, Fr. Sawicki's fellow students. Wolniak said he had seen Father Sawicki grow up while he was in the Neocatechumenal Way community in Gdansk, Poland.

 

AN OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER AS A FAMILY

Recalling Father John Buonocore in his younger days, Joel Wietmont, cousin of Father Buonocore's father, said after the ordination ceremony, "He’ll make a good priest. John was a very educated person going into the priesthood." Mary Ann Wietmont, Joel's wife, described him as "a great kid."

The Wietmonts marveled at the number of priests who attended and serve in the Archdiocese of Miami.

“We don’t know where they got them from,” said Joel, who then joked, “Did they ship them in from the West Coast?”

"It was amazing that there were so many people," said Mary Ann.

As Father Buonocore’s family members, they have a special view of the ordination Mass, in the front row of St. Mary's Cathedral.

After Father Buonocore was called up to the sanctuary and left a vacant seat next to his parents, several of his younger cousins appeared to move up a pew, squeezing in to watch all of the action.

For the Wietmonts, attending their nephew's ordination ceremony was an opportunity to gather as a family and was also meaningful, as many of them live in different cities and states.

Also celebrating Father Buonocore's ordination was Father Andrew Vitrano-Farinato, who was ordained May 2023, and now serves as parochial vicar at St. Louis Covenant in Pinecrest.

After years together in seminary, he said, "It was awesome to finally welcome him into the priesthood." One of Father Vitrano-Farinato's favorite memories was the summer they were both assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Miami. “We bonded over the fact that we were Italian American."