![](\"https:\/\/padrimariani.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/marians-newest-priest-001.jpg\" "\\"marians-newest-priest-001\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>Father David Smith, MIC, was supposed to be ordained in his home parish in Azusa, California, on July 11, the Feast of St. Benedict. But as with many scheduled events in 2020, plans changed. He was ordained, instead, on Monday, Aug. 17, by the Most Rev. Robert. J. McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts, at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, before several Marian Fathers and brothers as well as a handful of his family members.<\/p>\n
Father David\u2019s many brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews, as well as dozens of other family and friends were tuning in from around the country via livestream to watch the ceremony. None of them expected the power to go out during the ceremony. Thankfully, it didn\u2019t \u2014 but it was supposed to.<\/p>\n
In the morning, the Marian Fathers had received word from the local power company that a scheduled outing would take place at 11 a.m., right in the middle of the ceremony, which was set to be livestreamed across the country.\u00a0At the end of an ordination ceremony, which had gone\u00a0on without a hitch, the Provincial Superior of the Marian Fathers, Fr. Kaz Chwalek said, \u201cI have to tell you a secret. At 11 a.m., we were supposed to lose power, so I was begging the Lord during this Eucharist that He would provide us with power \u2026 and the Lord has done this. I am so grateful!\u201d By some miracle, at the last minute, word was received that the power outage wouldn’t happen until later in the day, so the ceremony could continue well-lit, with dozens of Fr. David\u2019s family and friends from around the country tuning in.<\/p>\n
Watch the livestream\u00a0from the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>