During the 10 a.m. Mass June 16 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki formally accepted seminarian Michael Friedel as a candidate for the diaconate and priesthood for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

The Rite of Candicacy is the written petition of an aspirant to become a candidate for holy orders, and the written acceptance of that candidate by the bishop.

Friedel recently completed Pre-Theology II at Mundelein Seminary, and has been assigned to continue his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

"Normally, the Rite of Candidacy takes place in the context of a liturgy at whichever major seminary the aspirant attends, but the Pontifical North American College in Rome requests that their seminarians come having already been declared candidates," Friedel said.

In the introduction to the 1972 apostolic letter Ad Pascendum, Pope Paul VI said: "By admission into candidacy for the orders of diaconate and for the priesthood, the man who aspires to the diaconate and priesthood publicly manifests his will to offer himself to God and the church, so that he may exercise a sacred order. The church, accepting this offering, selects and calls him to prepare himself to receive a sacred order and in this way he is properly numbered among candidates for the diaconate or priesthood."