CHARLOTTE — Seminarian Jacob Mlakar, a parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, stood before Bishop Peter Jugis July 5 and affirmed his desire to advance along the path towards the priesthood.
In the Rite of Admission to Candidacy, the man who aspires to holy orders first publicly manifests his will to offer himself to God and to the Church for sacred ministry. During the rite, the bishop asks the candidate two questions about his resolve to complete his preparation for the priesthood. If the candidate answers these questions affirmatively, he becomes a candidate for holy orders.
During the Rite of Candidacy Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, Mlakar came forward when called by Father Christopher Gober, vocations director for the Diocese of Charlotte. Mlakar then stood at the base of the sanctuary steps, waiting for the questions to be posed to him by Bishop Jugis.
"Our brother, Jacob Mlakar, comes today to this Mass requesting to be admitted as a candidate for holy orders," Bishop Jugis said. "His pastors and those in charge of his formation have spoken favorably of him and recommended that he be received as a candidate."
"It's not a status of prestige, but a status of a different designation of who you are in the Church. Now you are officially designated as a candidate for holy orders," he noted.
"Jacob, the Lord gives you special graces now as a candidate pursuing your vocation to the priesthood. You are crossing a threshold into a period of more intense formation and preparation for the holy priesthood. Jesus, in His love for you, has brought you this far along your path already and He will continue to lead you. Trust Him. Give yourself to Him. Spend time with the Lord in prayer. He will give you the graces to grow in your vocation."
Mlakar recently earned a Bachelor of Philosophy from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, indicating successful completion of the pre-theology program. As a candidate for holy orders, he now begins a more focused period of formation. The next steps in formation are ministry of lector, ministry of acolyte, ordination to the transitional diaconate, and ultimately ordination to the priesthood.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter