Madam, – In grateful response to Canon Michael C Kennedy (August 2nd) and Niall Carroll (August 19th). I am a priest for 55 years. For me this means that I bring Christ into a specific time and place in the Eucharist when I stand at the altar. The Blessed Virgin Mary did this, bringing Jesus into our world at Bethlehem. What more priestly thing than this could she possibly have done? And Mary was not ordained by Jesus, because she was ordained already at the Annunciation. I made my commitment to God the Father through my ordaining bishop. Mary made her commitment so beautifully to God the Father through the Angel Gabriel. So the very first priest of the Christian age was a woman, Mary. – Yours, etc,