On Saturday, June 17, 2023, Bishop David Bonnar ordained three new priests for the Diocese of Youngstown: Father Bob England, Father John Rovnak and Father Frederick “Fritz” Schleuter.
There wasn’t an empty pew to be found in all of St. Columba Cathedral—the rows were filled with the ordinands’ friends and families from around the country, as well as priests and deacons from all counties of the diocese. The three soon-to-be-priests moved through the crowd, making sure they had a special moment with everyone there to celebrate them, before being swept away for preparations.
The ordination Mass is one of the most important events at St. Columba Cathedral in a year—it is not only a celebration of the many years of study, dedication and discernment the priests have completed, but also of the order of the priesthood itself.
The St. Columba Cathedral Choir opened Mass with the hymn, “O God Beyond All Praising,” with Ralph Holtzhauser, diocesan director of music, on the organ.
The transitional deacons who were about to be ordained walked in procession with the members of the Knights of Columbus in full regalia, followed by the dozens of priests in attendance, and finally, Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland Michael Woost and Bishop Bonnar. Transitional Deacons England, Rovnak and Schleuter took their seats in front of their families in the first pew.
Bishop Bonnar welcomed all those in attendance, saying “This ancient rite of ordination to the priesthood … promises new life and great hope for the local Church of Youngstown.” He then praised the humility and sacrifice of the three ordinands.
“Together, we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on these three men so they can go forth and be an Alter Christus to the whole world,” Bishop Bonnar continued.
The role a priest plays as Alter Christus—literally “other Christ”—is the heart of the priestly vocation. According to Pope Pius XI in Ad Catholici Sacerdotii, “The minister of Christ … continues the work of the redemption in all its world- embracing universality and divine efficacy … in some way, he is himself a continuation of Christ.”
After the Introductory Rites, the first reading came from Numbers 11, when Moses entreats God for aid in leading the Israelites. The second reading, delivered in Spanish, came from Ephesians 4, in which Saint Paul tells the Ephesians how certain members of the faithful are called to serve as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in order to “equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ.”
In the Gospel reading, from John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples and describes many ways in which He and His disciples are unified by God, saying, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” The reading reiterates the significance of priests acting as God’s representatives on Earth—that they were chosen by God for this purpose.
Once the Gospel was concluded, the ordinations began. In accordance with the solemnity of this calling, the Rite of Ordination is steeped in tradition and sacred ceremony.
The first part of the ceremony was the Election of the Candidates. The ordinands were called by name to come stand in front of the altar.
The first to be called was Transitional Deacon Bob England.
England comes from Christ Our Savior Parish in Struthers. He first felt a desire to join the priesthood at a very young age—he remembers how he, as an eight-year-old, would memorize his pastor’s words during Mass and would later repeat them at dinner, blessing his own food. Despite this early attraction, however, England wouldn’t enter the seminary until later in life.
Although England felt a call to the priesthood throughout his entire life, it became undeniable in his thirties, but he was afraid that the opportunity may have passed him by.
“Somebody had to ask me,” England said. “One day my pastor … asked me to go on a vocation retreat, and it was there that I finally discerned that I wanted to dive in with both feet to pursuing discernment for this vocation.”
And so, at 45, England entered the seminary.
“Present,” England declared, and stepped forward.
The next to be called was Transitional Deacon John Rovnak, who comes from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Youngstown. Like England, Rovnak felt an early calling to the priesthood. In sixth grade, his teacher assigned a project where the students would invite her to an event happening in the year 2050. Rovnak invited her to his 25th anniversary as a priest. As it turns out, he was only a couple years off—his 25th anniversary will be in 2048.
His teacher, Dolores Sonoga, was there to celebrate his ordination. “Present,” Rovnak answered the deacon, and stepped to the altar.
The final ordinand to be called was Transitional Deacon Fritz Schleuter, from St. Paul Parish in Salem.
Although Schleuter is the youngest of the newly-ordained priests, he was older than the other two when he first felt the call to priesthood. Attending a teen-focused summer program at Catholic Familyland in Bloomingdale, Ohio, he participated in an experiential meditation on the five sorrowful mysteries of Christ that had a profound impact on him. Later, after praying daily for God’s guidance during his freshman year at the University of Dallas, three of his friends approached him over the course of a single weekend, encouraging him to join the seminary. The final push followed at Sunday Mass—where the responsorial Psalm had the parishioners saying: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
Schleuter took the hint. He finished out his second semester in college and entered the seminary by August.
“Present,” Schleuter called out.
When the three ordinands came forward, Bishop Bonnar asked Father Scott Kopp, diocesan director of seminarians: “Do you know them to be worthy?”
“After inquiry among the Christian people, and upon the recommendation of those concerned with their formation, I testify that they have been found worthy,” answered Father Kopp.
Bishop Bonnar then declared the candidates chosen for the priesthood, and the crowd erupted in applause.
In his homily, Bishop Bonnar congratulated the ordinands on their imminent ordination and reflected on the impact of the Mass on himself and the other priests present.
“For those of us already ordained priests, this day always engenders a flood of memories,” he said. “As we gaze at you—Bob, John and Frederick—we cannot help seeing a flashback to our own ordination day … to remember and renew the grace of our own ordination.”
Bishop Bonnar shared a memory of his ordination day, of how the Bishop took him aside and thanked him for “giving your life to the Church.”
Bishop Bonnar said that this small moment was both “an epiphany and a prophecy.” Looking back, he had no idea that he would one day leave the diocese in which he was ordained, in order to become a bishop himself. He said, “The God who calls is always a God of surprise.” So he thanked the ordinands for answering God’s call and committing their lives to serving the church.
Following Bishop Bonnar’s homily and the Promise of the Elect—where the ordinands promise to exercise ministry, celebrate the sacraments faithfully, and to respect and show obedience to the Bishop and his successors—they prayed the Litany of Supplication.
During the Litany of Supplication, the ordinands laid prostrate on the floor, in recognition of their total dependence on the mercy of God and the prayers of the Christian people. As they laid there, all those present invoked various saints from the Church’s history to pray for the candidates.
All three of the ordinands said the Litany of Supplication was especially powerful. Hearing the names of all those revered people, in whose footsteps they were following, brought the true scope of their vocations into focus, they said.
“I didn’t think it would hit as hard as it did,” Rovnak said.
“That line ‘all these holy men and women, pray for us’—I was reminded of my grandmother, who died five years ago,” Schleuter said. “Her memory brought me to tears, thinking about her being up there in heaven interceding on my behalf, praying that I’d be a good and holy priest.”
After the Litany of Supplication, the candidates came, one by one, and knelt before Bishop Bonnar. He laid his hands upon their heads and conferred the office of the priesthood. Afterward, all the priests present also laid their hands upon the candidates, signifying the unity of the priesthood.
When they stood, Bob England, John Rovnak and Fritz Schleuter were no longer deacons—they were Alter Christus, priests of the Catholic Church.
The priests in attendance who had assisted the ordinands along in their journey helped vest them and Bishop Bonnar anointed their hands.
Father England, Father Rovnak and Father Schleuter were then able to—for the first time—concelebrate the Eucharist with Bishop Bonnar.
After administering Communion, there was only one thing left—the three new priests, faces alight with joy and excitement, awaited their assignments from Bishop Bonnar.
Father England will serve as parochial vicar at St. Christine Parish and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Youngstown.
Father Rovnak will serve as parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Poland and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Lowellville. He was also named chaplain of Cardinal Mooney High School—his father’s high school.
Finally, Father Schleuter was assigned parochial vicar at the newly-named St. Francis of Assisi Parish, a merger of St. Anthony/All Saints and St. Mary/St. Benedict Parishes in Canton, as well as Holy Family Parish in Navarre.
After the final blessing from Bishop Bonnar, the ordination Mass was concluded. The crowd once again erupted into applause and engulfed the three new priests in embraces and congratulations.
Transitional Deacons
On Saturday, June 3, 2023, two seminarians, Kevin Bertleff and William Wainio, were ordained transitional deacons by Bishop Bonnar.
Seminarians are ordained transitional deacons during their final year of formation and will serve in diaconal ministry at diocesan parishes, in anticipation of their forthcoming ordination to the priesthood next year. Deacon Bertleff will serve at St. Joseph Parish in Randolph and St. Peter of the Fields Parish in Rootstown. Deacon Wainio will serve at St. Jude Parish in Columbiana and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in East Palestine.
Both men will return to Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio, in the fall to complete their seminary studies.
Deacon Bertleff comes from St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Cortland and graduated from the University of Mount Union. Deacon Wainio comes from St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngstown and graduated from Youngstown State University.
