PROVIDENCE — Side by side they sit on either side of the aisle in this intimate, dimly lit space, alone with themselves and their thoughts. In less than an hour, they’ll abandon the serenity of the bishop’s chapel inside the cathedral residence, head up one flight of stairs, and immerse themselves in the solemnity of their priestly ordination. For the moment, however, these two young men, barely three decades old, enjoy an opportunity for personal reflection on where they are, from where they’ve come, and to where they’re going.
The slightly younger of the two hails from southern Rhode Island’s beach community of Narragansett. With his shock of reddish hair and easygoing smile, Vincent Jeremiah Zizza (rhymes with “pizza”) goes by the nickname “Jay,” so as not to be confused with the other Vincent Zizza, his father. As he waits in the bishop’s chapel, he no doubt relishes the calm and quiet it affords — an occasion he’ll soon enjoy more frequently at his new assignment as parochial vicar of St. Philip’s Parish in the Greenville section of Smithfield.
Earlier last month, Zizza divulged to Rhode Island Catholic how, during various diocesan summertime assignments throughout his formation, he’s come to appreciate the differences between seminary and parish life.
“You go from living with a group of guys to a rectory setting, which is a very unique situation. The first two years, it was very difficult, but now I enjoy the silence it brings, having a place to rest, to pray.”
The contemporary currently seated to his right grew up in the town of Lincoln in northern Rhode Island. Mateusz Christopher Puzanowski spent the past four years at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
During formation, Puzanowski returned to Rhode Island for his own summertime parish assignments, but living in Europe for an extended period has taught him lessons he plans to apply when he assumes his new role as parochial vicar at St. Luke’s in Barrington.
“It’s just a different atmosphere, different culture, much more relaxed, which I like very much. In Italy, in Europe, they know how to have good leisure, which is very important. In America, on the whole, people work, but they don’t rest. We worry too much. Leisure is a very important part of our faith, like when Jesus says, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ It’s like, ‘Okay, calm down, we’re going to be okay.’ That was an experiential insight living in Rome which I will bring back with me, because it definitely influenced me.”
Side by side they now lie prostrate at the foot of the altar in this cavernous Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, a gesture of their willingness as priests to submit to the will of Almighty God by laying down their lives in service to Him and His Church. The tradition during the Mass of Ordination comes shortly after Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R, has delivered his homily. Drawing from the day’s chosen liturgical readings, the bishop knits them together to suggest why so many Catholics have a favorite priest in their lives.
“The priest,” observes Bishop Lewandowski, “is the bearer of glad tidings, good news, especially for those who are sad, in pain, down and out, feeling low or lonely. The anointed one, as [the prophet Isaiah] says, is a healer, a liberator, one who comforts, who spreads joy. He’s a problem solver, a companion, a source of unwavering hope for captives and prisoners, for the brokenhearted, and for those who are lost.
“The first Letter of Peter takes this a step further. Who is the priest? All those things that Isaiah foretold, but also one who reveals God’s glory, makes visible the invisible mystery of God’s love. A selfless shepherd serving as an example for all in the flock. In [John 15:9-17], Jesus repeats over and over again in a pleading fashion, remain, remain, remain. Stay on hold, stick with it, stay here, be with me. He uses that word, ‘remain,’ to show us we can’t survive spiritually on our own.
“Father Jay, Father Mateusz,” the bishop encourages them, “make Jesus your favorite priest, and someday you won’t just be the favorite priest of your parents and close friends, you’ll become the favorite priests of hundreds of parishioners … because they will see Jesus in you. They’ll hear and understand Jesus through you, and even touch Jesus in His body and blood because of you.”
Side by side they now stand in the cathedral’s basement hall. As newly ordained brother priests, they welcome wave after wave of loved ones and friends, maybe even a few strangers, who kneel before them to be among the first to receive their priestly blessings.
“The parish is not simply the building or the church, but ultimately the people themselves. I’m quite excited,” Father Jay remarks, “for the parish community, to see how they’ll grow in their relationship with Christ, what things they’re after. I find that to be quite beautiful. I’m very excited to preach at [St. Philip’s] and to hear confessions. The desire to hear confession and to preach were a constant joy or hope during seminary.”
“I’m most excited about celebrating Mass. Really excited about hearing confessions,” echoes Father Mateusz, “absolving sins, healing people. The sacraments bring healing. Christ gives himself in every sacrament, and I want to bring that to people. And then, of course, relating to people, getting to know families, individuals, and guiding them, if I can. We have a lot of good priests in our diocese, and I’ll be assigned to one of them [at St. Luke’s], and I’ll try to learn as much from them as I can.”
Having traveled different roads from different starting points, Father Jay and Father Mateusz have briefly come together for this milestone celebration replete with sacred rituals, transcendent music, and the comforting company of loved ones. Festivities now over, they must leave one another’s sides to begin new journeys on separate paths. Yet, wherever their vocations take them, they’ll remain forever linked by their shared experience on Saturday, June 27, 2026, their ordination day.
