Ordained into a Chaotic World: The 2020 Priests, 5 years later

Five priests were ordained in a near-empty Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years later, they look back on their priestly ministry so far. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic)

By Matt Walker

It was Saturday, May 16th, 2020, and the waves of societal disruption caused by the coronavirus were nowhere near letting up.

Despite the unwelcome changes dominating the world around them, five men sat in a near-empty Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, moments away from a radical spiritual transformation they not only desired, but had been preparing years for.

They were each about to be ordained to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ in a ceremony that would look unlike any the Archdiocese of Denver had previously seen. Their first months following ordination would be even more unique, as the men learned to be priests in near solitude and were largely unable to minister to their new flocks.

Five years later, with those experiences partly in the rearview mirror and still a part of who they are becoming, three members of this “COVID class” accepted the invitation to look back at their experiences in a unique yet blessed time in Colorado Catholic history. 

Five men were ordained priests in a near-empty cathedral in 2020.

As the men were ordained priests, they entered an uncertain and chaotic world.

Though nearly empty, the Cathedral was permeated by a spirit of prayerful joy.

The COVID-19 pandemic raging, only a small few were allowed to attend the solemn Mass.

A few family members were in attendance to prayerfully support the men being ordained.

Father Christian James Mast, one of the 2020 ordinandi.

(Photos by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic)

From Crisis to Gratitude: How It Started

Father Juan Adrian Hernandez

This brings me right back to that unforgettable day. The Cathedral was almost empty. Just the men being ordained, Archbishop Aquila and Bishop Rodriguez, a few priests and a few staff helping with the livestream. No more than 20 people, I think. It was quiet, solemn, and deeply moving.

It was hard not having my family or friends there because travel restrictions didn't allow them to fly from Mexico. Like many of my classmates, I had imagined that day so differently … filled with people, music, hugs and celebration. And suddenly that was all gone. Instead, we walked into this vast, mostly empty space that felt stripped down.

And yet, in that silence and simplicity, God did something profound. Even though many weren’t physically there, I felt their presence. I knew they were praying alongside me and my brothers, and that gave me strength. It reminded me that the priesthood is never something we enter into alone. We carry the prayers and love of so many with us.

I remember looking at the single flame in the darkened Cathedral, the sanctuary lamp, and thinking how true it is that Christ really is the only light that can guide us in moments of darkness. I felt like I was being ordained not in spite of the darkness, but into it … to bring the light of Christ to a world that was hurting, isolated and afraid.

The Mast family gathered outside St. John Vianney Seminary to celebrate Father Mast's ordination.

Father Mast's parents were among the few in attendance at the historic ordination.

Father Mast's siblings were also in attendance for the historic ordination in a near-empty cathedral

(Photos provided)

Father Christian Mast

Although our ordination was very different from the others we are used to, it was beautiful to be able to pray through the Mass. It was very silent. I remember a priest telling me the day before that, after ordination, you see the world differently as a priest of Jesus Christ. I was incredibly grateful to the Lord that he had chosen me.

As priests, we are at the service of the Lord wherever he needs us. We simply ask for the grace to respond “yes.” The consolation I received getting ordained during a pandemic was knowing that Christ had called me at that specific time, and he knows what he is about.

Father Juan Madrid

Before the ordination, I was in a sort of crisis, mainly because I was afraid that my ordination date would be postponed for too long or even canceled due to COVID. Despite that, the date was not changed, and even though my family, my community and friends from Chile could not attend, it actually happened. In a way, I felt privileged being ordained in such a chaotic time.

Father Juan Adrian Hernandez

We weren’t really supposed to celebrate after the ordination due to all the COVID restrictions at the time. And to be honest, I was feeling pretty down. Not having my family there was really hard.

But God provided in a quiet, unexpected way. The Carmelite sisters who live at the seminary put together something incredibly simple and beautiful, just a small gathering with heartfelt joy and warmth. There was no big party, but their love and care made it feel like a true celebration. It was like God saying, “I haven’t forgotten you. I’m still here, even in this.”

Father Christian Mast

Originally, several of my classmates were going to do one big celebration together and invite all our guests. Because of the pandemic, those plans were cut. We were able to have parents and siblings at the ordination. In total I had seven guests. I was grateful to celebrate my ordination with my immediate family in the courtyard of the seminary.

New Shepherds, Hidden Flocks

Father Juan Madrid

To begin my ministry during COVID was a challenge, but also a gift. I was assigned to Holy Cross Parish in Thornton as a parochial vicar and to Frassati Catholic Academy as a chaplain. Being surrounded by fear and even death motivated me to attend to the people, particularly the sick, bringing to them a message of hope and faith in the risen Lord.

Father Christian Mast

My first anointing was a person with COVID. I was already nervous about making sure I did everything right for a normal anointing. I remember showing up to the hospital, having to call brother priests to have them explain how to do COVID anointings.

It was really hard to ease into the priesthood compared to someone ordained in a normal year. I was able to start at my parish, Our Lady of the Valley in Windsor, in July that summer. It seemed like everything was in flux, yet a lot of people were looking to you for guidance.

It certainly took longer to get to know parishioners because there were so few at each Mass. Every weekend for a year, I was meeting parishioners for the first time. I would say one of the greatest gifts, though, was learning how necessary it is to rely on the Holy Spirit. I don’t necessarily need to know the plan, but as long as I know the one who does know the plan, I will be fine.

Father Juan Adrian Hernandez

The early years of my priesthood were shaped by that quiet ordination: fewer crowds, fewer distractions, and more space for intimacy with God and his people.

There was so much fear, uncertainty, and loneliness. I often felt like I had very little to offer. But again and again, God made that enough for his grace to act. It really is his work and not mine. I’m just the vessel.

I’ve come to see that the Lord doesn’t need a packed church to do something powerful. He just needs open hearts, and mine was wide open that day.

I started out at St. Thomas Aquinas in Boulder. I was newly ordained, full of energy and ready to dive into parish life, but suddenly, everything felt distant and quiet. People were behind masks, sitting apart and many were still staying home. It was hard to learn names, to read expressions, to build relationships — all the things that are so important when you’re beginning priestly ministry.

I remember vividly the first times I started seeing more and more people return to church. It felt like I was finally meeting the flock I had been sent to serve. I was already their priest, but it was months later that I began to really see their faces, hear their stories and feel like we were walking together. I had imagined those connections happening right away, but instead, they came little by little, through patience and trust. And honestly, I think it made me appreciate them even more. Every handshake, every shared moment, every conversation felt like a gift.

5 Years Later: How It’s Going

Now on mission in Chile, Father Madrid is working to begin two parishes.

"I am pushed by the Lord to rely on him in every way and to trust in God's providence," Father said.

As he lives among the poor, Father Madrid says he is brought ever closer to Christ.

(Photos provided)

Father Juan Madrid

In July 2024, I was assigned to a Missio ad Gentes in Alto Hospicio, a city in the northern desert of Chile. [A Missio ad Gentes is a small community of the Neocatechumenal Way, formed and sent at the request of local bishops in areas where the Church is in need of vibrant, living examples of the beauty of the Gospel.]

My mission here is basically to start two churches from scratch in two totally different places. One is in the city and the other is in a shantytown in the slums. For the most part, my experience here in the desert has been of a deep relation with Christ, living with the poor. I am pushed by the Lord to rely on him in every way and to trust in God's providence. Despite the danger presented by one of the poorest places of Chile, every day I find the same challenge and motivation I found while we were in the lockdown of COVID, which is the salvation of souls.

Father Christian Mast

I was at Our Lady of the Valley for three years, and the chaplain at Bishop Machebeuf High School in Denver from fall 2023 to spring 2025. This upcoming fall, I will be the chaplain at St John Paul the Great High School in Denver.

Getting ordained in a pandemic made me really reflect on the Lord and his calling for me. It’s what he wants and needs from his priests, and his will that ultimately matters. I didn’t become a priest because it looked comfortable; I said yes to being a priest because Christ asked me, and I belong to him and the needs he has for my life.

Father Juan Adrian Hernandez

Right now, I’m in Thornton at Holy Cross Parish, and I also serve as the chaplain at Frassati Catholic Academy. It’s a deeply fulfilling ministry that continues to form me as a spiritual father.

When I look back at those pictures from the ordination, we look like we were being sent out on a mission. And we were. But not as heroes with all the answers. More like rescuers, but ones who are also constantly being rescued by the same grace we’re called to offer. That’s the beautiful paradox of the priesthood. We bring Christ to others, but he is also constantly working on our own hearts.

I do believe my priesthood is different because of how it began, and in many ways, I’m grateful for that. Because there was less going on externally, I had more space to listen: to God, to people in quiet moments and to my own heart. That kind of reflection might have taken years to arrive in a “normal” setting. Instead, I was invited into it right away.

There have been surprises, struggles and blessings I never saw coming. But I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. It has made me a more attentive priest, a more grateful man and, hopefully, a more faithful servant. If anything, I’ve learned not to rush. The Lord does his best work over time. And he’s not finished with me yet.