THE PSALMIST of the late Pope Francis’s Mass at the Manila Cathedral in 2015, a UST alumnus, was ordained to the priesthood on June 13 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kenneth Rey Parsad, who studied theology at UST, was ordained by Bishop Oscar Solis, the first Filipino-American bishop and first Asian-American to serve in an American Catholic diocese.
Parsad gained admiration from netizens when he sang the responsorial psalm during the Papal Mass in 2015.
A year later, he graduated from the University and taught for the UST Institute of Religion.
Solis, in his homily at the ordination Mass, reminded Parsad to become a “bridge builder between heaven and earth.”
“You become an instrument of God’s salvation to continue to manifest his presence in this world,” he said. “From now on, the mission of Christ is your mission. Remember you are sent as a shepherd to live among the flock, he entrusted you with pastoral care to lead, to nourish, to protect and to guide, and to bind,” he added.
During his first Eucharistic celebration on June 14, Parsad reflected on Solis’s homily the previous evening.
“Jesus is a builder, a bridge builder, a reconciler,” Parsad said.
“He brings people together and brings them back to God. The priesthood is for this, working for the task of reconciling people together and helping people today. So please help me pray that this will never get lost as I begin this personal ministry,” the newly ordained priest added.
Originally from the Diocese of Bangued in Abra, Parsad finished his formation at the Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.
He released “Still,” a studio album under Universal Records that included inspirational songs, in 2016.
