‘Father Grandpa Steve’ Witt welcomed to the priesthood

By Barb Arland-Fye

DAVENPORT — After Bishop Martin Amos announced “we choose this man, our brother, for the Order of the Priesthood,” the congregation that filled Sacred Heart Cathedral for Father Steve Witt’s ordination Mass applauded heartily.
“At least you have a few friends,” Bishop Amos quipped before beginning his homily. The new priest’s children, grandchildren, mother-in-law, siblings, former parishioners, fellow priests and deacons were among hundreds of people gathered for the Dec. 15 Mass.
Julie Witt, the youngest of Fr. Witt’s three children, observed after Mass that her father had come full circle. He started out in the seminary, then met his future wife, Patti, became a deacon when his children were young, mourned the death of his wife, and now he’s a priest. “Everything happens for a reason,” added Julie Witt, who is proud of her father for choosing the priesthood. “It’s something he’s always wanted to do.”
Fr. Witt smiled broadly throughout his ordination Mass, but said afterward he had tears in his eyes during Bishop Amos’ homily.
“Steve, you were baptized into the body of Christ and share in the universal priesthood of the baptized,” the bishop said in his homily. “You were confirmed in the Spirit, nourished with the body and blood of Christ, shared in the sacrament of marriage, ordained to word and service as a deacon, and today, through the laying on of hands and prayer, become a priest.”

To read the rest of this article, subscribe to The Catholic Messenger’s e-edition.