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Father Paul Zwolak distributes Communion during his ordination to the priesthood at St. James Cathedral Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn, June 6, 2026. (Photos: Gregory A. Shemitz)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tFather Paul Zwolak distributes Communion during his ordination to the priesthood at St. James Cathedral Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn, June 6, 2026. (Photos: Gregory A. Shemitz)<\/p>\n
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Paul\u00a0Zwolak entered the\u00a0Cathedral Basilica of St. James on June 6 behind a massive procession of\u00a030\u00a0seminarians,\u00a060\u00a0diocesan priests, and\u00a0the\u00a0six\u00a0auxiliary bishops\u00a0of the Diocese of Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But following a Mass\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0rite of ordination, the former transitional deacon\u00a0emerged\u00a0as Father Paul Zolak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bishop Robert Brennan, who administered the rite, noted to the congregation\u00a0that\u00a0Father Zwolak is now the youngest\u00a0priest in the diocese.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At age\u00a027,\u00a0he\u00a0is\u00a0also the\u00a0newest member of the pastoral staff at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish<\/a> in the Flatlands.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a really great time, because I\u2019ll be able to serve God\u2019s people through my priesthood, and to bring them to salvation and to God,\u201d Father\u00a0Zwolak said before the Mass. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0just trusting in God.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0just going to work through\u00a0his grace\u00a0so that I can obey his word, and to do what he tells me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Father Zwolak is the only priest to be ordained this year, so Bishop Brennan\u00a0chose to celebrate the Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Priestly Ordination Returns to Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn<\/a><\/p>\n Before the Mass,\u00a0the\u00a0bishop\u00a0described how an ordination is always a special event, marked by\u00a0the consecratory prayer, the\u00a0clergy\u2019s\u00a0laying hands\u00a0on the head of the new priest, and\u00a0the bishop\u2019s anointing of his hands with chrism oil.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very, very moving experience,\u201d Bishop Brennan said.\u00a0\u201cYou get that sense of the power of the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n And such was Father Zwolak\u2019s ordination.\u00a0<\/p>\n Helping him don his new vestments was Father Peter Purpura<\/a>, pastor of\u00a0Our Lady of Hope Parish in Middle Village \u2014 Father Zwolak\u2019s home parish, where he\u00a0attended the Catholic academy and became an altar server.\u00a0<\/p>\n Father Purpura\u00a0assisted\u00a0with the chasuble, while\u00a0Father Bill Sweeney, pastor\u00a0of\u00a0St. Francis de Sales Parish, Belle Harbor, helped with the stole. Father\u00a0Zwolak\u00a0served an internship with Father Sweeney.\u00a0<\/p>\n After the Mass, Father Purpura was shown an old\u00a0photo of himself\u00a0with a young boy, the\u00a0future\u00a0Father Zwolak,\u00a0who\u00a0was wearing\u00a0the attire of an altar server.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Father Purpura said. \u201cI recognize him, but\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not sure I recognize myself! But it is a joy to think that the young boy that I knew since he was in fifth grade today is now a priest.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u00a0speaks to the beauty of a parish, right? A parish that is always there accompanying people throughout their lives.\u00a0I think\u00a0this\u00a0is\u00a0very encouraging for the life of the parish and the\u00a0Church.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Soon-to-Be Priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn Says Seeking God More a Marathon, Less Like a Sprint<\/a><\/p>\n It has been 13 years since the last ordination at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, which\u00a0was\u00a0once the exclusive\u00a0venue\u00a0for priestly ordination because it is the seat of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Larger groups of new priests and their families\u00a0necessitated\u00a0moving the annual rites to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, a much bigger space.\u00a0<\/p>\n The congregation on June 6 filled the\u00a0historical\u00a0cathedral\u00a0basilica, which had recently completed a massive renovation project under the direction of its rector, Father Joseph Gibino<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also\u00a0participating\u00a0in the rite were\u00a0Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio<\/a>,\u00a0Auxiliary Bishop James Massa, the rector at St. Joseph Seminary and College at Dunwoodie, and Auxiliary Bishop\u00a0Witold\u00a0Mroziewski.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joining them were\u00a0Auxiliary Bishops Emeritus Neil Tiedemann, Paul Sanchez, Octavio Cisenaros<\/a>,\u00a0and Raymond Chappetto<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other\u00a0participants\u00a0were Msgr. Joseph Grimaldi, vicar general for the diocese, and Father Patrick Keating,\u00a0moderator of the curia.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the Mass, Bishop Brennan commented that Father Zwolak has been well formed for the priesthood, having grown up\u00a0in a vibrant parish\u00a0and its Catholic academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n