14 Marian Helper • Winter 2025-26 • Marian.org TAKES THE CAKE: Upon his return to the Marian Fathers’ Divine Mercy Apostolate in London, Fr. Alex celebrated his first Mass in the chapel, offering blessings at the end. A festive celebration was held in the garden, featuring a cake topped by a likeness of Father in marzipan! Vocations WELCOME, FR. ALEX: The newest priest for the American Province of the Marian Congregation is Fr. Alexander D. Pumphrey, MIC, ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 16 at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. The Most Rev. Edward B. Scharfenberger, DD, Bishop of Albany, New York, was the celebrant and conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders. In his homily, Bishop Scharfenberger noted how happy Fr. Alex has been to serve as a deacon. “You have nothing to be afraid of. You are not about to lose your diaconate,” he reassured him, for the diaconate, which means “service,” is the foundation of the priesthood. “A priest who is not a good deacon will not be a very happy priest. The same goes for bishops,” he said. “Every one of us must remember that we are called to serve our Master. And we are called to be His disciples. And the mark of discipleship is service.” Father Alex is now serving at the Marian Fathers’ Divine Mercy Apostolate in London, England. “I am excited to see where the Lord will lead me, and I hope and pray that He will keep me humble enough to always recognize that He is the one at work, not I,” he says.
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