{"id":447123,"date":"2026-08-29T10:10:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T10:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/447123\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T10:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T10:10:42","slug":"san-francisco-archbishop-salvatore-cordileone-urges-new-nigerian-priests-to-be-friends-and-fathers-to-their-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/447123\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone urges new Nigerian priests to be \u2018friends and fathers\u2019 to their people"},"content":{"rendered":"

MAKURDI, Nigeria \u2014 Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone<\/a> of the Archdiocese of San Francisco<\/a> urged 14 newly ordained priests in Nigeria to model their ministry on Christ\u2019s sacrificial love and remain close to those entrusted to their pastoral care.<\/p>\n

In his homily<\/a> during the Aug. 22 priestly ordinations of 14 deacons for the Diocese of Makurdi<\/a>, Cordileone said the commandment Jesus gave the apostles during his farewell discourse provides a fundamental framework for understanding the identity and mission of the Catholic priest.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe friends and fathers to your people,\u201d he said during the Eucharistic celebration at the Sesugh Maria Pilgrimage Centre in Makurdi. \u201cThe people of God must know that the priest is with them, that he is for them, and that he acts only with their best interest in mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Cloudinary<\/p>\n

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco urged 14 newly ordained priests in Nigeria to model their ministry on Christ\u2019s sacrificial love. | Credit: Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria<\/p>\n

The archbishop said priests are called to imitate Christ by giving themselves completely to those entrusted to them, including when their service requires difficult decisions or encounters resistance.<\/p>\n

He encouraged the new priests to trust in God\u2019s grace and allow themselves to become instruments through whom God transforms his people.<\/p>\n

Cordileone explained that authentic priestly friendship goes beyond sharing interests or enjoying another person\u2019s company and is rooted in Christ\u2019s sacrificial love.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe love of friendship is not one of slavish service, carried out reluctantly under the burden of oppression. Rather, it is a liberating service, one that brings joy to both,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Cloudinary<\/p>\n

Fourteen transitional deacons were ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 22, 2026, in the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria, presided over by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. | Credit: Diocese of Makurdi<\/p>\n

The archbishop, who has led the San Francisco Archdiocese since his installation in October 2012, linked priestly fatherhood to the relationship between Christ and the Church, describing Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride.<\/p>\n

He also described the priest\u2019s vocation as one of building bridges between people and Christ, saying the priest must become \u201ca bridge and not an obstacle\u201d to their encounter with Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Addressing the challenging circumstances in which the 14 deacons were being ordained priests, particularly in Nigeria\u2019s Benue state, Cordileone said: \u201cYou are being ordained into a world in which this is also a dangerous step.\u201d <\/p>\n

He said the world needs priests who are close enough to the people of God under their pastoral care to know them and guide them through life\u2019s joys and sorrows toward a deeper life in Christ. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a spiritual thirst in the world today,\u201d he said, adding that the ministry of priesthood carries the danger of spiritual mediocrity when priests neglect their interior lives and noted that the Nigerian context presents an additional, more literal danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is the possibility that Our Lord may call you to lay down your life for your friends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The archbishop referred to the suffering of Christians in Nigeria and the possibility that priests could be called to martyrdom in imitation of Christ.<\/p>\n

Summarizing the identity and mission to which the newly ordained priests are called, he said: \u201cFriend and father, shepherd and spouse, priest and victim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is who and what you are called to be as you take this awesome and fearful step,\u201d the archbishop said.<\/p>\n

He urged the newly ordained priests to embrace the daily sacrifices of priestly ministry and allow their lives to become a living expression of the Eucharistic sacrifice they celebrate.<\/p>\n

Cordileone also expressed hope that their ministry would lead the faithful into communion with Christ, the source of \u201cperfect peace, happiness, light, and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was first published<\/a> by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MAKURDI, Nigeria \u2014 Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco urged 14 newly ordained priests in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[166333,18223,177054,177053,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-447123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-archbishop-salvatore-cordileone","tag-catholic-news","tag-catholic-church-in-nigeria","tag-christians-in-nigeria","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}