Kyle Doustou of Lewiston is ordained to the Catholic priesthood by Bishop Robert P. Deeley on May 30.

The journey for Kyle Doustou began at home in Lewiston, where as a nine-year-old he used to “play Mass” using a plug-in Christmas candle, crackers, and Kool-Aid.

On May 30, the child’s dream became a reality when Doustou was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert P. Deeley at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston. The first priest ordained by the bishop since his installation in February, Doustou, at age 26, also become the youngest priest in the Diocese of Portland, which covers the entire state of Maine.

“It’s really the one thing I’ve always wanted in life,” said Doustou of his ordination.

During the Rite of Ordination, Doustou promised to exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely; to celebrate faithfully and reverently, in accord with the Church’s tradition, the mysteries of Christ, especially the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation; and to continue to pray without ceasing. He then promised his respect and obedience to the bishop and his successors.

Doustou then lay prostrate while the Litany of Saints was sung. During the Litany of Saints, the faithful joined in calling upon the saints to ask for their intercession to help sustain the man who is being ordained. The most solemn moment of the ordination is the laying on of hands, done in silence by the bishop, before he prays the consecratory prayer or prayer of ordination.

Following the prayer of ordination, all the priests present, nearly three dozen, laid hands on Doustou, who was then vested with the stole and chasuble by Monsignor Marc Caron, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish, and Msgr. Andrew Dubois, moderator of the curia, whom Doustou says are two principle priestly inspirations in his life.

Family, friends, and parishioners from across the diocese attended the ordination Mass at the basilica, which has special significance in Doustou’s vocation. He said that when he was a boy, he attended his great grandfather’s funeral there and, sitting in the front pew for the first time, remembers a sense of awe coming over him. He credited his grandparents, in particular his grandmother, who he calls “the foremost example of holiness in my life.”

Doustou graduated from Saint Dominic Regional High School (now Saint Dominic Academy) in 2005 and received a scholarship to enter the Basselin Scholars program at Theological College, the national seminary of Catholic University. He earned bachelor’s and licentiate degrees in philosophy, a bachelor’s degree in theology, a master’s degree in theology and continues to work on a degree in canon law.

Father Doustou says he is happy to be back in Maine and is looking forward to serving the people of the diocese.