At noon on the Feast of St Henry (July 13), I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Terry at St Mary’s Cathedral.
It was such a joyful occasion for me. I was greatly moved to see all the people who had made the journey to be there – family and friends and parishioners from all over the diocese.
They came from the parishes of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Bridlington, Eastfield and Filey, where I served as a pastoral worker and later deacon, and from the cathedral.
There were people from my home parish of St Charles in Tudhoe (in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle), from the Anglican parish of St Paul’s in Spennymoor, and from St Margaret Clitherow’s in Haxby, where I first began to discern a vocation.
There were also some I’d met during my time on various placements as a seminarian, and people I met as a teacher and deacon while on the diocesan pilgrimage in Lourdes and priests, both from the diocese and those whom I had known during my various times in seminary.
I must admit that in the weeks leading up to my ordination I felt nervous; not because of the organisation required or that I was about to be the focus of attention, but because of the commitment I was making to lifelong priestly ministry and what that meant.
Frequently leading up to ordination parishioners, friends and family asked, “How are you feeling?”
My response was often something like, “If I could sum it up, I’d say I’ve got pre-wedding jitters!”
If I reflect on those weeks before ordination, it’s clear that’s exactly what I had. The fear of taking this life-changing step, although it can be seen as being a very different life from that of marriage, the commitment involved in accepting the vocation is identical. We commit to a life of love and service.
When I entered the cathedral at the beginning of the ordination Mass and saw the people there, these nerves and fears left me. I was overwhelmed by the support and the idea ministering to others as a priest came to the forefront of my mind. All pre-wedding jitters were gone!

I felt a great love for everyone present, which put everything in perspective and reminded me of the reason I was being ordained.
One of the readings I chose was St Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, which is often read at weddings, where he speaks of love being the highest of the virtues.
“Love is always patient and kind…love is always ready to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.”
For me, this is what priesthood should be and indeed what any life lived well is: a life devoted to loving God and loving others.
An incredibly powerful moment in the ordination ceremony was when the Litany of Saints was sung. I was very emotional.
Those present ask numerous saints to pray for the Church, the world and the person being ordained, and as a sign of humility the person being called to ministry lies prostrate on the floor of the cathedral and makes a total dedication to being the servant of Christ, bringing his love to others, wherever the ministry takes him.
In his homily, Bishop Terry spoke of this when he said, “Fulfil…the ministry of Christ the priest with abiding joy and genuine love. Seek not your own concerns but those of Jesus Christ.”
One of the best bits of advice I was given by several people both before the ordination, during the homily at my first Mass preached by Monsignor Gerard Robinson and the weeks after was, “Be yourself.”
That’s what we are all called to be – ourselves – or more accurately, to be the best version of ourselves. We are asked to become empty, letting go of all ego.
Paradoxically, in doing this we become the person Christ wants us to be because we make space for him so he can work in us and through us. Hopefully, over my lifetime, I will try to live this out as a priest of the diocese.
I would like to thank everyone involved in organising the day and who made the ordination such a joyful occasion.I’d also like to thank everyone who journeyed with me from the beginning, 20 years ago, when I first began discerning a call to the priesthood with the diocese and, indeed, at whatever stage of the journey I met them – Bishop Terry, Monsignor Gerard and the vocations directors, my family and friends. Thank you to those people who gave me a nudge in the right direction, challenged me and inspired me to continue, even though they may not have known.

God bless +
Father Steven Leightell

You can read Monsignor Gerard’s homily from Father Steven’s first Mass here.

See pictures from Father Steven’s ordination here.