The Oblates of the Virgin Mary are pleased to announce the upcoming Ordination of our brothers
Leland Thorpe, OMV and Nathan Marzonie, OMV
to the Order of Priesthood through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit. They will be ordained by His Excellency, the Most Reverend
Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, JCD
on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM CST at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in Alton, Illinois.
519 E. 4th Street
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 465-4284
We invite you to celebrate this joyous occasion with our community by tuning into the live stream on the St. Mary’s Facebook page.
About Br. Leland
Working as a software engineer in Pittsburgh, Leland first heard of the Oblates from reading the books of Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV. Deacon Leland professed his first vows on August 5, 2017, and his final vows on January 28, 2022, followed by his diaconate ordination on January 29, 2022.
“What a journey it’s been! Thank you for your friendship and support as I’ve tried to walk this path, sometimes running eagerly forward and sometimes tripping over my own feet. I hope that my vows and ordination will help you see how great our God’s Mercy is that He has called a man like me and gently sustained me along the way.”
Br. Leland Thorpe, OMV
Celebrate by Supporting Our New Priests and Their Ministries
About Br. Nathan
Br. Nathan comes to us from Flushing, MI. He was accepted to medical school but felt a stronger call to enter religious life. He was assigned at Holy Ghost Church and the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality in Denver, Colorado before making his final vows on January 28, 2022, and completing his diaconate ordination on January 29, 2022.
“I am grateful to God for all that he has done for me. As I have continued to reflect on my life over the years, my gratitude has grown from more deeply understanding how God has provided for me. I received many years of formation before entering religious life, and I continue to benefit from all I learned from my family. Since entering the Oblate community, I have had brothers who have patiently helped me on the way. I owe much of who I am as a man to these gifts. I look forward to the future full of hope for a priestly ministry in which these things given to me will bear much fruit.”
Br. Nathan Marzonie, OMV
Celebrate by Supporting Our New Priests and Their Ministries
First Masses
Fr. Leland Thorpe will offer his first Mass on Sunday, August 14, 2022 at 11:00 AM CST at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in Alton, Illinois.
Fr. Nathan Marzonie will offer his first Mass on Sunday, August 14, 2022 at 9:30 AM CST at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in Alton, Illinois.
Masses of Thanksgiving
Fr. Nathan Marzonie will also offer two Masses of Thanksgiving with blessings and receptions to follow each one:
- Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 10:30 AM CST at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Flushing, MI
- Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 12:00 PM MST at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Denver, CO
“It is very important that we understand deeply how good God is, and not measure him by our own limitations or think that he tires of our wavering, weakness and negligence. Our God is not such. Let us think of him as he truly is, filled with goodness, mercy and compassion, and let us know him as the loving Father he is, who raises us when we have fallen, who never tires of forgiving us, and to whom we give great joy and honor when we seek forgiveness.”
Venerable Bruno Lanteri, Founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary
Ordination to the priesthood is a momentous milestone, and we’re overjoyed to celebrate Brothers Leland and Nathan and their journeys thus far.
Congratulations! Blessings and all the best to both of you!
Thanks be to God for calling you and for you answering Him. The world desperately needs you. I’ll pray for you each day. Father Leland and Father Nathan. Through the most gracious intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, May the Good Lord sustain you each and every day.
Congratulations and may our Lord Jesus continue blessing you both.🙏♥️♥️