“A sower of Christian grace”

“Teodor-Gheorghe, who today has become a priest, is the good soil – one who has received our Lord’s word and grace.” These were the words of His Excellency, Bishop Cristian Dumitru Crișan, in the homily delivered on the occasion of the ordination of Father Teodor Avram of the Society of Jesus as a priest in the Byzantine Rite. Father Teodor, a native of Romania, entered the Society in 2015 when he joined the Irish Province. He now exercises his priestly ministry at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Dublin and at St. Joseph’s Church on Berkeley Road, while also serving as Vocation Promoter for the Province.

His Excellency, Bishop Cristian Crișan, was accompanied by cantors and liturgical assistants from Romania for the solemn celebration, which took place in the chapel of Belvedere College SJ on Sunday, 12 October 2025. The liturgy was attended by many of Father Teodor’s fellow Irish Jesuits, including the Provincial, Rev. Fr. Shane Daly SJ, and his Socius, Fr. Terry Howard SJ, together with members of Father Teodor’s family and friends.

In his address, His Excellency emphasized that Father Teodor, in addition to being “good soil,” is also called to be a ‘sower’, “helping others to join the People of God – a faithful sower of Christian grace within their families, among their friends, and in their workplaces.” You may read His Excellency’s full homily below.

“Our Faith is Our Life”

Most Rev. Fr. Shane, dear brothers and sisters,

Today, on the 21st Sunday after Pentecost according to the Eastern calendar, we gather to serve and praise our Lord, and also to celebrate an important event for the Jesuit community in Ireland and for the whole Church – the ordination to the priesthood of Teodor-Gheorghe Avram SJ. Every ordination is a sign of renewal, and we can say to our Lord, for all vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life: Eucharisto!

The Gospel we have just heard, according to St. Luke – the Parable of the Sower – is symbolic of our celebration and of today’s event as well. The seed did not fall along the path to be trampled or eaten by the birds, nor on rocky ground to wither for lack of moisture, nor among thorns to be choked. Rather, “it fell on good soil, and when it grew, it yielded a crop a hundred times more than was sown.”

Indeed, in today’s celebration, the future is already present in the seed, for the seed carries within it the bread of the future, the life of the future. The seed may seem insignificant, and yet it holds the promise of life to come. It is the presence of the future – a promise already fulfilled in mystery today. Thus, in that parable, the Sower tells us: “We are living in the time of sowing; the Word of God seems but a word, almost nothing. But take heart – this Word carries life within it, and it bears fruit!”

At the same time, this Gospel emphasizes Jesus’ method of preaching – his use of parables. Jesus always makes a distinction between his Apostles and the crowd. To those who have already chosen to follow him, he can speak openly about the Kingdom of God; to the others, he speaks in parables, hoping to awaken their hearts and stir them toward conversion.

Indeed, by their very nature, parables demand effort — they challenge not only the mind but also the freedom of interpretation. St. John Chrysostom explained: “And this Jesus says to draw them unto him, and to provoke them, and to signify that if they would convert, he would heal them.” In truth, God does not force us to believe in Him; He draws us to Himself through the truth and goodness of His incarnate Son. For love, in its very nature, always respects freedom.

Teodor-Gheorghe, who today has become a priest, is the good soil – one who has received our Lord’s word and grace. And at the same time, he is also to become a sower, helping others to join the people of God – a good sower of Christian grace in their families, among their friends, and in their places of work.

After the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday, April 13 of this year, when Theodor received the diaconate through the blessing of His Beatitude Cardinal Lucian Mureșan – who left us on 25 September this year, for whom we now pray for eternal rest, in the historic Cathedral of Blaj, the residence of the Major Archbishop of the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania, today, here in Ireland, Theodor is consecrated a priest of Jesus Christ. He is sent forth to continue and strengthen his mission of accompanying the faithful along the right path to salvation.

We invoke upon Teodor the grace of the Holy Spirit and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and our Holy Mother. In this Jubilee Year – which is also the Year dedicated to Cardinal Iuliu Hossu in Romania – we invoke the blessing of the seven Blessed Martyrs of our Greek-Catholic Church upon him and upon each of you, dear faithful present here today at this Divine Liturgy.

As the Holy Father Pope Francis said during the tribute to Blessed Iuliu Hossu, recalling his heroic defense of the innocent during the Second World War and his unwavering faith under Communist persecution, in the Sistine Chapel on 2 June of this year, the episcopal motto of Iuliu Hossu, “Our Faith is Our Life,” ought to become the motto of each one of us.
Thank you.

Bishop Cristian Dumitru Crisan,

Belvedere College SJ,

12 October 2025.