“The priesthood is not a career to be achieved, but a mystery to be received”

St Chad’s Cathedral hosted the week’s third and final ordination to the sacred priesthood on Friday 10 July.

Fr Tenny Antony was ordained by Mar Joseph Srampickal, under the Syro-Malabar Rite, part of the Eastern Catholic Church.

The ordination took place in the presence of Archbishop Bernard Longley and Auxiliary Bishops David Evans, Timonthy Menezes and Richard Walker.

Following his ordination Fr Tenny will serve at the Sacred Heart, Henley-on-Thames.

The 37-year-old, of St Thomas More parish in Coventry, was vested by Fr James Kozhimala - Parish Priest of Liverpool Syro-Malabar parish, during the service.

Just days before his Ordination Fr Tenny shared a personal testimony outlining his journey to serve God, and asked for prayers for himself, Fr Jithin Titto and Fr Jonathan Henry - “that we may grow to be holy and humble priests to guide souls to encounter the only saviour for humanity”.

Fr Jithin was ordained on Monday 6 July and Fr Jonathan on Saturday 4 July.

Before answering God’s call Fr Tenny had a career in banking, as a mortgage product manager. He had also completed his MBA (Master of Business Administration) just before entering seminary.

But the call had been growing…

“In my early twenties, I began to sense a quiet movement of grace within my heart - a gentle yet insistent call drawing me to consider the priesthood. At first, I held back. My heart was filled with the very human desire for marriage, for family, for children, and for the life I had long imagined would be mine.

“Yet, in prayer and silence, I began to understand that discipleship is not the art of presenting Christ with my own carefully drawn plans, but the grace of allowing Him to lead me beyond them. To follow Christ is to trust the wisdom of the Creator, who knows the depths of the human heart far better than we know ourselves.

“And so, slowly and not without struggle, I began to surrender. I placed before the Lord my hopes, my dreams, my fears, and the future I had imagined. I asked for the grace not merely to admire His will, but to embrace it.

“In yielding my will to the will of Christ, I discovered that surrender is not the loss of oneself, but the beginning of a deeper freedom. It is the quiet courage to say, “Lord, not my path, but Yours,” and to trust that the One who calls also gives the grace to follow.”

And as his ordination approached Fr Tenny said:

“I feel a great peace in my heart that I cannot express in words. As I approach ordination, I find myself looking back with deep wonder at the journey that has brought me here. There was a time when I was not close to Christ, when faith was not the centre of my life, and when the priesthood would have seemed impossible to imagine. Yet Christ was never far from me. Even when I did not seek Him, He was seeking me; even when my heart was distracted, His grace was quietly at work. This fills me with humility, because I know that my vocation is not the result of my own holiness or strength, but of His patient mercy. To be ordained is therefore not to stand before the Church as someone who has always been close to God, but as someone who has been found, forgiven, and drawn into the heart of Christ.

“This makes the priesthood even more precious to me. I approach it with awe because I know what it means to be distant, and I know the tenderness of being brought near. Through ordination, Christ will entrust me with His mysteries: to offer the Mass, to forgive sins, to preach His Word, and to shepherd His people. I feel unworthy, but also deeply grateful, because the Good Shepherd chooses not perfect men, but men who have known His mercy and can therefore speak of it with compassion. My prayer is that my life as a priest may always bear witness to this truth: that no one is too far from Christ, and that the One who calls us also transforms us, so that through our poverty, His grace may become visible.”

Alongside his faith Fr Tenny is a fan of basketball, football and music, travelling and discovering new cultures, and loves a good party!

“As Indians, we have a natural love for celebration, and I enjoy the joy of dancing, especially at parties, where fun becomes communal and life is shared with warmth and freedom.

“Above all, I cherish time with family and friends - laughing, sharing stories, and being in good company - because these moments reveal something sacred about communion, gratitude, and the gift of belonging.”

And Fr Tenny’s advice for other men considering the priesthood?

“I would say: do not begin by asking whether you are strong enough or worthy enough. Begin by entering the silence of the heart, where God speaks not with noise, but with a still and gentle presence. In the Eastern Christian tradition, discernment is not first a matter of ambition or anxiety, but of purification - allowing the heart to become quiet enough to recognise the voice of Christ. Stand before Him honestly in prayer, with your desires, fears, wounds, and hopes. The priesthood is not a career to be achieved, but a mystery to be received; it is a participation in the kenosis of Christ, who empties Himself for the life of the world.

“Do not discern alone. Seek the wisdom of the Church, the guidance of a spiritual father, and the peace that comes through obedience. The Church teaches us that the will of God is discovered not by grasping, but by surrender; not by imagining a perfect future, but by being faithful to the present moment. Attend the Divine Liturgy, receive the Holy Mysteries, keep watch over your thoughts, and learn to love repentance, for a priest must first become a man who knows his own need for mercy. Above all, ask not, “What will this cost me?” but “How may my life become bread, broken and offered, for Christ and His people?” If the call is truly from God, it will not destroy your humanity; it will transfigure it.”

Fr Tenny celebrated his First Mass, a Mass of Thanksgiving, at St Thomas More in Coventry, his home parish, on Saturday 11 July.

Please keep Fr Tenny in your prayers as he begins his ministry as a priest, serving God's people with faith, generosity and joy.