who walked alongside Fr . Chabaan , including his family , his parish communities , friends and mentors .
Archbishop Vigneron said Fr . Chabaan , 32 , told him he had discerned his calling as a priest first by being an usher at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak .
Reflecting on the “ simple rite ” of ordination , Archbishop Vigneron asked the congregation to thank God for the gift given to Fr . Chabaan — and by extension , the church .
“ We know what holy orders are ,” Archbishop Vigneron said . “ Through the imposition of hands and the consecratory prayer , a man is given to service so it is Christ himself who is present in the church . A man is made a priest so that Christ is present as head of his body , shepherd of his flock , high priest of the redemptive sacrifice , the teacher of truth . This is what the church means by saying that the priest , by virtue of the sacrament of holy orders , acts in the person of Christ the head .”
What God accomplishes through this simple rite is a powerful gift of grace , the archbishop said .
“ We appreciate that Jesus is a new kind of priest for a new covenant ,” Archbishop Vigneron said . “ We are saved and delivered according to the promise of what the messiah would accomplish .”
Through the descent of the Holy Spirit , Fr . Chabaan becomes a participant in the headship of Jesus Christ , the archbishop said .
“ This is your first and most important responsibility : to offer the gift of repentance and renewal in order that those who have been in sin and are recovering can achieve holiness of life ,” the archbishop said , speaking directly to Fr . Chabaan , who will serve his first priestly assignment at Our Lady of Good
Counsel Parish in Plymouth . “ This is an act of mercy . You are consecrated to be with Jesus an agent of mercy in order to accompany all of us , because we are all sinners in recovery .”
Near the end of the liturgy , after Fr . Chabaan blessed the archbishop for the first time , he spoke to the congregation , giving thanks to God , his family , and to the countless members of the faith communities who walked with him .
“ It takes a village to raise a child ; well , it took five parishes to raise me ,” Fr . Chabaan joked , referencing his home parish , Shrine , as well as the parishes he served as a seminarian and deacon : Divine Child in Dearborn , St . Frances Cabrini in Allen Park , and St . Mary and St . John the Baptist in Monroe .
“ I thank almighty God for his love for me and for calling me to serve as one of his priests . I am reminded of the words of St . John Henry Newman : ‘ God has created me to do some definite service . He has committed some work to me , which he has not committed to another . I have my mission .’”
Fr . Chabaan specifically honored his grandparents , particularly his grandfather , for their roles in his vocation , gesturing to an image near the altar of St . Rita of Cascia that belonged to his grandfather .
“ They were my rock and angels ... and without [ my grandfather ], I would have never begun discerning ,” he said .
Zuhal Badros , Fr . Chabaan ’ s mother , told Detroit Catholic she always had an inkling her son would one day become a priest .
“ Since he was little , I knew he would be a priest because he had so much faith in his heart ,” Badros said . “ My dad , God rest his soul , helped form him to where he is today , and I wish my parents were here to be proud like us seeing Zaid reach this point . I am very blessed to have him as a son . It ’ s a very happy day for me .”
Fr . John Dudek and Fr . Robert Voiland were also ordained this summer and studied in the Archdiocese of Boston . Fr . Dudek is assigned to serve at Divine Child in Dearborn and Fr . Robert Voiland is assigned to serve at Our Lady of the Lakes in Waterford .
2021 Sacred Heart Major Seminary Ordinations
REV . ZAID CHABAAN Archdiocese of Detroit
REV . MARK MARTIN Diocese of Lansing
REV . MIGUEL COLUNGA SANTOYO Diocese of Lansing
REV . BRENTON CORDEIRO Companions of the Cross
REV . MIGUEL PEREZ Companions of the Cross
REV . BENJAMIN RIVARD Diocese of Marquette
REV . JEREMIAH HAHN Diocese of Steubenville
REV . KEVIN WOJCIECHOWSKI Diocese of Saginaw
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