Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan is excited about the eight men ordained May 30 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minn.

“They’re a very dynamic group and filled with the light of fire for evangelization,” said the rector of St. Paul Seminary, where they were trained. “They have a great desire to reach out to people — that’s certainly timely.”

Ordained by Archbishop John Nienstedt were Fathers Jake Anderson, Byron Hagan, Peter Hughes, T.J. McKenzie, Bruno Nwachukwu, John Powers, James Stiles and Alvaro Perez Silva.

Msgr. Callaghan said. “The Church is blessed to have these men who are filled with the Spirit.”

It was standing-room-only for the ordination Mass at the 2,500-seat Cathedral on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown St. Paul, and the 100-year-old church gleamed in bright sunlight in what Archbishop John Nienstedt called “an occasion of joy and celebration.”

In his homily the archbishop invoked words of wisdom from both Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in offering advice to the new priests. He urged them to “plunge deep” into Christ’s love “and give him your love in return.”

The archbishop said, “What we offer the people of God is not the gift of ourselves, but the gift of God, of Jesus Christ working through our personalities, flawed at times as they may be.”

As Jesus is immersing himself in them, he told the newly ordained, “. . . never cease to be immersed in the truth of the Gospel, in the truth proclaimed by the Church’s magisterium, as well as in the truth that is found in selfless service to the poor, the sick, the lost, the forgotten, the stranger in our midst. Never put off until tomorrow the needs that come to your attention today, even if it means depriving yourself of something you justly deserve.”

Father Thomas Margevicius, who has taught liturgy and worship to the new priests over the past four years, said any of the difficulties the church might be going through have not dissuaded the eight from seeking the priesthood.

“These men have decided to surrender themselves to the Lord’s service in the Church with intentionality,” the seminary professor said.

“They’re not naive. The see all the problems in the Church just as we all do, but they don’t let the problems dampen their enthusiasm to serve. On the contrary, the problems have aroused them to be good and holy priests.

“To a man,” he added, “all of them love prayer and preaching and are looking forward to preaching the Word of God.”