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Littleton native ordained a Capuchin priest by Archbishop Chaput
By Anna Maria Basquez
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| Photos by James Baca/DCR Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., poses with newly ordained Father Barnabas Eichor, O.F.M. Cap. |
Father Barnabas Eichor’s relatability to the common man will likely be a key strength of his priesthood, a peer said Friday upon his ordination as an Order of Friars Minor Capuchin Franciscan priest.
“He was a semi-truck driver,” said Father Charles Polifka, provincial minister for the Capuchin Franciscan Mid-America Province, of Father Eichor’s life before his path to priesthood. “He served in the Army. He served in Desert Storm and in Desert Shield. He was commended in the Army. He has a couple of degrees—one in economics and one in anthropology.
“He’s common—ordinary—so he connects with people,” Father Polifka said. “He’s a good preacher. There’s nothing lofty about him, including his size.”
More than 200 people attended Father Eichor’s ordination at Sacred Heart Church, 2760 Larimer St. in Denver. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, himself a Capuchin Franciscan, was the ordaining prelate.
Father Eichor’s journey to the priesthood has been a 10-year process, Father Polifka said. Father Eichor is assigned to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays, Kan.
The crowd was a pleasant surprise to the new priest.
“It turned out it was bigger than I expected,” said Father Eichor who grew up in Littleton.
The Capuchin order started as a reform of the Order of the Franciscan Observants. Most recognizable by their brown habits and long capuches, or hoods, for which the order is named, the Capuchins highlight more of the contemplative lifestyle and adhere to a stricter observance of poverty. Capuchin priests put their salaries and gifts toward the community which then spends them on its ministries, education and formation of friars, and other needs.
“Capuchins focus on a contemplative life and prayer, but they’re also active,” Father Eichor said. “That was a big thing for me—action coming out of prayer. That’s what works.”
Archbishop Chaput noted that Father Eichor’s ordination was on one of two feasts of St. John the Baptist, the saint’s birthday, June 24. The archbishop was ordained 41 years ago on the other feast of the saint, the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, Aug. 21.
St. John the Baptist, Archbishop Chaput said, “spoke for God … courageously. He was ascetic.” Ascetics, he added, “lived in the desert and ate strange food.
The Capuchin Franciscan (order) is known for a commitment to poverty. We pray on this feast you will be ascetical ... and an honest and clear prophet of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“All of us here are called to be John the Baptist,” he said, where God is to increase in importance and, “we are to decrease.”
The archbishop emphasized that to be a priest is to be a servant to all.
Father Eichor, who was renamed as a Capuchin from James to Barnabas, was given a name that means “son of consolation,” Archbishop Chaput said.
“We pray you truly will be a son of consolation,” he said, “a son of encouragement.”
Married couple Chris and Laura Chadwick of Thornton, who attend Holy Ghost Church in Denver, said Father Eichor’s ordination was the first rite of its kind they have attended.
“You really feel God’s love pour down on an individual who has been chosen and called to the priesthood when you see an ordination,” said Chris Chadwick, 32, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism two years ago.
“To see the sharing of the apostolic office being transmitted to the next generation is a reminder of the continuity of faith, and that it goes all the way back to the apostles. It’s like seeing the Bible come alive,” said Laura Chadwick, 34, a former Protestant. “It gave me an even deeper appreciation for the beauty and truth of our faith.”
“This is a mountain in many ways,” Father Polifka said addressing Father Eichor at the close of the Mass. “Now you go down the mountain to involve your heart and hands in the ministry of the priesthood.”
He thanked Archbishop Chaput, saying, “You can take the bishop out of the Capuchins, but you can’t take the Capuchin out of the bishop.”
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