USA<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> May\u00a031,\u00a02014<\/p>\n<\/div> All eyes fixed on the man now called “Father,” he made his way up the steps to the lectern at the conclusion of the Mass of Ordination. He looked out among the more than 500\u00a0friends, family, and fellow Marians, and he took it all in.<\/p>\n Finally, after an expectant pause, he said the one word that couldn’t have been more eloquent for a man who \u2014 after years of trials, tragedies, and triumphs \u2014 has vowed to give his life fully to Christ and His Church.<\/p>\n “Wow,” he said.<\/p>\n And the crowd erupted in applause.<\/p>\n Deacon Chris Alar,\u00a0MIC, became “Father<\/i>\u00a0Chris Alar,\u00a0MIC,” on Saturday, May\u00a031,\u00a02014, at St.\u00a0Ann’s Catholic Church in Lenox,\u00a0Mass., a\u00a0location chosen out of necessity. Indeed, as expected, the number of attendees far exceeded the crowd capacity of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, administered by the Marians in nearby Stockbridge, Mass.<\/p>\n “How good the Lord is to us,” said the Rev.\u00a0Fr.\u00a0Kaz Chwalek,\u00a0MIC, the Marians’ provincial superior. By “us,” he meant not only the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, but also the legions of Marian Helpers around the world and, indeed, all people of God to whom Fr.\u00a0Chris will minister as a vowed member of the sacred priesthood.<\/p>\n And he will minister to them in his singular style. That style can be described as gentle, compassionate, concerned, and loving. But Fr.\u00a0Chris,\u00a044, is also a man who eschews equivocation. That is to say, he knows well that salvation is found through the sacraments of the Catholic Church, and he won’t let an opportunity go by without stressing that point.<\/p>\n ‘Energized’ for Sure<\/b> Several years ago, his fellow Marian, Fr.\u00a0Ron McBride,\u00a0MIC, dubbed Fr.\u00a0Chris the “Energizer Bunny” of the Marians, a moniker drawn from Fr.\u00a0Chris’ work in Stockbridge, both at the Shrine and the Marian Helpers Center.<\/p>\n Amidst his many commitments \u2014 including a full seminary class load \u2014 Fr.\u00a0Chris spent much of the past three years leading Shrine tours, meeting Marian Helpers, helping to plan events and evangelization initiatives, and assisting with administrative duties at the Marian Helpers Center.<\/p>\n Moreover, four years ago, with the blessing of his religious superiors, he formed the Marian Evangelization Team, which has since logged tens of thousands of miles speaking to parishes and youth groups throughout the United States. Father Chris himself has logged many of those miles, along with the Marian Evangelization Team Director Fr.\u00a0Dan Cambra,\u00a0MIC.<\/p>\n In the homily during the Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, Fr.\u00a0Dan frequently directed his words to the newly ordained priest and assured him that he’s a shoe-in for holiness because of his exemplary humility. “You will realize that\u00a0you<\/i>\u00a0are not the priest, but that it is\u00a0Christ in you<\/i>\u00a0who is the priest.<\/p>\n “Father Chris, welcome to the cross of Christ,” Fr.\u00a0Dan said. “Welcome to the widest possible stretch of your arms … embracing everyone \u2014 the living as well as the dead, the happy as well as the sorrowful, the rejoicing and the suffering.”<\/p>\n Father Dan’s homily was a gem. Here it is in its entirety:<\/p>\n<\/div>USA: Chris Alar, MIC, is ordained to the sacred priesthood<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\nA former wrestler and engineer with a Master’s in Business Administration, Fr.\u00a0Chris enters the priesthood equipped with an analytic mind and a seemingly bottomless wellspring of zeal to help train laypeople to become apostles of Divine Mercy and speak of how Christ loves all of us, despite our sinfulness.<\/p>\n