PASTORAL LEADERSHIP should embody the sweet odor of Christ to become a nurturing shepherd who guides one’s flock, a Dominican priest said.
In his homily during the installation of Santisimo Rosario parish priest Fr. Glen Mar Gamboa, O.P., Fr. Art Vincent Pangan, O.P. of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas called for more dedicated priests to shepherd God’s people and build up the church.
“[M]ay this, your translation into your new ministry of shepherding this Church community, may we always rejoice in your growth in holiness. For our time calls for more pious, more devout, more dedicated shepherds, holier priests,” Pangan said on Friday, May 24.
“The most important thing, Fr. Glen Mar, is in the words of the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, that you smell like your sheep… that you be wrapped with the sweet odor of Christ,” he added.
Pangan drew parallels between Gamboa’s new ministry and the translation of St. Dominic, known as the founder of the Dominican Order. The translation involved moving his remains from a grave to a marble sepulcher at the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna on May 24, 1233.
The event, celebrated as the Solemnity of the Translation of St. Dominic, marked the beginning of his canonization process that was completed in 1234.
Pangan recounted how the Dominican brothers “trembled with anxiety” as they were expecting decay from the saint’s tomb, but were instead met with a sweet fragrance.
“Fr. Glenmar, if you are now trembling with anxiety, may God do to you what he has done to the first brothers. May God also give you his assurance. And may Dominic, to whom we dedicate your pastoral ministry, give you inspiration always,” he added.
The Dominican priest expressed similar hopes for Gamboa that his ministry would mirror Dominic’s holiness and accessibility to the faithful.
“We pray that [your translation] to your new ministry may also be for the people to see you, to approach you, to come to you more easily as our good shepherd.”
As the 16th parish priest, Gamboa, a professor of the UST Faculty of Canon Law, succeeded Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P., who had served in an acting capacity since January.
The Eucharistic celebration, led by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula, also marked the feast of the translation of St. Dominic. F
