Cardinal Timothy Dolan served as the ordaining prelate and chief celebrant at the ordination of Rayappan Rajesh Ravi on Saturday, December 20, during an emotional ceremony at St. Augustine’s Church in Larchmont.  

Concelebrants included Bishop Stephen Pillai of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India,  Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishops John S. Bonnici, Peter J. Byrne, Gerardo J. Colacicco, and Edmund J. Whalen, Diocese of Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop and Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary James Massa, Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre Luis Miguel Romero Fernandez, M.Id., Father Brian R. Kiely, rector of St. Pope John XXIII National Seminary, and Monsignor Joseph P. LaMorte, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York.  

Readings were done in both English and Tamil, reflecting Father Ravi’s Indian heritage.  

In his homily, Cardinal Dolan spoke of the earthly father of Jesus, and how the final Sunday of Advent is often referred to as Saint Joseph Sunday. He also pointed to Saint Joseph as an example for the newly ordained priest.  

“Saint Joseph, the patriarch of the esteemed seminary here in the Archdiocese of New York where you studied. Saint Joseph, the protector of the Church Universal, that Church now to be your bride as priest. Saint Joseph, especially close to us priests. 

“Exemplary in his obedience, he was so attuned to God’s will. A man known for his silence, his silence, with no words reported from him in Scripture. A man of duty, quiet duty, effectively carrying out his high responsibilities, the expectations that the Lord had placed in him,” Cardinal Dolan said.  

The cardinal and the concelebrants individually laid hands on the ordinand, as those being ordained are called. Ravi declared his intention to join the priesthood before those in attendance. He took vows of obedience and chastity. Cardinal Dolan anointed him with chrism, consecrated oil. 

Cardinal Dolan then laid his hands upon him, reciting the prayer of ordination and conferring the Holy Spirit upon them. The concelebrants then individually laid hands on Ravi also. 

An emotional ordination

The new priest then received his stole and chasuble, the principal garment of the priest celebrating the Eucharist. Upon the completion of his vesting, performed by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Bonnici, Father Ravi faced the altar and was overcome with emotion. 

At the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal Dolan asked Father Ravi for his first blessing and knelt before him to receive it. 

In closing remarks, Bishop Bonnici, who serves as St. Augustine Church’s pastor, thanked Cardinal Dolan, whose resignation as Archbishop of New York had been accepted by Pope Leo XIV just two days earlier. “Thank you for being with us here today to celebrate this beautiful sacred ordination of Father Rajesh Ravi. And I know the family and people gathered here today would like to personally thank you for being such a gift to the Church in New York and for loving and serving us so well for so long. Thank you so much,” he said. Those in attendance leapt to their feet to applaud and cheer Cardinal Dolan.  

Following the ordination, hundreds of guests and members of the parish community first waited in line to receive Father Ravi’s first blessing, then gathered for a celebration at Saints John and Paul School, next door to St. Augustine’s Church.  

Father Ravi thanked his parents, sisters, and friends, in a moving message included in the ordination ceremony’s program. 

“To my dearest parents – whose love first taught me to believe. To my beloved sisters – whose laughter carried me through weary days. And to my cherished friends – both clergy and lay – who hands lifted me when my strength was small, whose prayers became the quiet wind beneath my calling,” he wrote. 

“So, I offer you what is eternal: each time I left the chalice before the altar of the Lord, your names, your hearts, your families will be remembered in that holy moment – where heaven bends close to earth, and thanksgiving becomes love.” 

The new priest’s first temporary assignment will be at the Church of St. Brendan in the Bronx.