The ordination took place on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day falls on December 12.

December 16, 2009. Rome, Italy. On the morning of December 12th, in the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, Bishop Brian Farrell, LC, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, ordained 59 religious from the Legionaries of Christ to the priesthood. About 4,300 guests attended the ceremony, including relatives, friends, Legionaries of Christ, and Regnum Christi members.

Watch the video here.

The ordination took place on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day falls on December 12, and her image was present in the Roman basilica. It was a cause of great joy for the Legionaries to be ordained during this Year for Priests, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Maria Vianney, patron of all parish priests worldwide.

In his homily, Bishop Brian Farrell, LC, said, "I would like to comment on another context:

	A moment during the homily by Bishop Brian Farrell, LC, when he exhorted the new priests to live their vocation with generosity.

Did you want to choose Legionary life? Good, but remember that the Legion, that is now coming to life under the sign of the Cross, will only have a future if we all abandon every sentiment of self-sufficiency and understand that we are essentially in a permanent state of conversion, which is never acquired once and for all. The field that the Lord opens up for your work is immense. But the value of your apostolate is not founded on the goods of this world or on yourselves. Rather, its roots are found in the goods that are of Christ; that Christ who lives and grows within us. St. Paul understood this: ´It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!´” (Gal 2:20).

Read the complete homily at this link.

The new priests hail from 11 countries, with half (29) coming from Mexico. A total of 9 are from the United States, 7 are from Spain, and 3 are from Canada. There are 2 German, 2 Brazilian, 2 Italian, and 2 French priests, and one priest from Venezuela, one from Vietnam, and one from the Czech Republic. Their ages range between 30 and 40, with the exception of two who are 50 years old. All have spent between 10 to 14 years in preparation for

	It was a cause of great joy for the Legionaries to be ordained during this Year for Priests.

the priesthood, dedicating themselves to their spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral formation. These 59 new priests bring the total of Legionary priests to 860 worldwide.

The newly ordained priests tell their vocation stories in first person in a book that was published today under the title “I Call You Friends” (Os llamo amigos) which can also be read in a special section on the Regnum Christ and Legion of Christ web pages.

On Sunday, December 13, the newly ordained priests and their families attended the Angelus in St Peter´s Square. At the end of his address, Pope Benedict greeted the newly ordained Legionaries with these words:

"I affectionately greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims, in particular the Legionaries of Christ who were ordained priests yesterday and who are accompanied by their family, friends and members of Regnum Christi, as well the faithful from various parishes of Formentera, Zaragoza, Málaga and Valencia. On this third Sunday of Advent, faced with the now imminent presence of the Lord Jesus, the liturgy insistently invites us to rejoice. In Christ, the words of the prophet Zephaniah to Israel are fulfilled: “The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who saves. He rejoices and is pleased in you; he loves you and rejoices with jubilation”. I exhort all of you, especially the new priests, to continue – sustained by the infinite love of God manifested in Christ – along the path of spiritual preparation for Christmas, and to celebrate the birth of the Savior with joy and abundant fruit. I wish everyone a good Sunday!"

At the Wednesday audience in Paul VI Auditorium on December 16, the Holy Father addressed another greeting to the Legionaries at the end of his summary for Spanish-speaking pilgrims:

"I greet the Spanish-speaking faithful from Spain and various countries of Latin America, especially the newly ordained priests of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, along with their relatives and friends, and the members of Regnum Christi. I would like to remind the new priests, on the occasion of the Year for Priests, to learn love for Christ and generous service to the Church from St John María Vianney. May your self-giving always be total, full, and joyful, without ever forgetting the Lord’s predilection in your lives."

We give thanks to God for these new priests who are putting their lives at the service of the Church, and we invite everyone to pray for their perseverance and sanctification at the service of God, the Church, and society.