Fr Brenti, LC, was ordained in the chapel of the Center for Higher Studies of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome.

November 10, 2008. Rome, Italy. On November 1, 2008, on the feast of All-Saints’ Day, Thomas Brenti, LC, was ordained to the priesthood in the chapel of the Center for Higher Studies of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome. A long-time friend of the family, Bishop Renato Boccardo, the Secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State and titular bishop of Aquipendium, presided over the ordination.

Originally from Orleans, France, Father Brenti, LC, has an unusual family story. His grandfather was Jewish and his parents grew up Protestant. After their conversion to the Faith, his parents became co-founders of the Community of the Beatitudes, one of the new ecclesial movements that is rejuvenating the Catholic Church in France. On April 10, 1988, his father went on to become a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. At that time, Father Brenti was 9 years old, and the ceremony left a mark on him.

“I still remember, with the same emotion I had then, seeing him prostrated in the church of St Nicolas de Blois. While still a married man and a father,

	Fr Brenti with his family and Bishop Renato Boccardo.

he was making a total gift of self to God at the service of the Church by his ordination. Never in my life will I forget his example.”

Twenty years later, Father Brenti would follow his father’s example of generosity. As Bishop Renato Boccardo observed, the ordination day, like the day of baptism, makes the priest a new creation. From now on, he will be an ambassador of God’s peace to the world.

And an ambassador is an apostle not only of peace, but also of joy. Father Brenti’s mother said it best at the conclusion of the video: “This has been a great day, an absolutely extraordinary day. Everyone was telling me, ‘What joy that you are able to be there!’  It’s a good thing we can share our joy with everyone, because if not, we would explode, we would suffocate!” 

Watch the video at this link.