Transitional Diaconate Ordination
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
May 3, 2025
Called by Name
In these days when we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, and pray for the Cardinals as they choose the next successor of Peter, we have gathered in this Cathedral of Mary Our Queen to choose and to ordain five men to serve the Church as deacons. In so doing, we are acting in accord with a most ancient tradition.
After praying and consulting the whole community of disciples, the Apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to create what we call the Order of Deacons. They were responding to pastoral need, specifically the needs of Greek-speaking Jewish converts to the Faith. Like many followers of Christ, these converts were poor and relied on the Church for food and financial assistance. In dedicating “seven men of good repute” to serve their needs, the Apostles created more than they may have realized at first. These seven men became, not only ministers of charity, but evangelizers. So it is that we find Philip, one of the seven, boldly proclaiming the Gospel, and Stephen, bearing witness to the Lord by the shedding of his blood. Thus, the three-fold ministry of the deacon began to take shape – a ministry of Word, Sacrament, and above all, Charity.
Just as the names of the original deacons rang out in the Acts of the Apostles, so too, dear brothers, your names rang out in the Cathedral this morning. You stood and responded before one and all with the simple word, “Present!” You are indeed present, not just physically, but in every dimension of your being, body, mind, and spirit. And you are ready! I know this, for like the Apostles, I too have prayed and consulted the community: your seminary formators, the pastors under whom you have served, parishioners, and peers – and they have testified to your readiness to serve. It is upon their testimony that I rely in choosing you and in ordaining you. By now, you have to know how happy I am to ordain you as deacons, and I hope to be even happier, long about this same time next year!
Gifts That Differ
Today’s reading from Romans also addresses your readiness for ministry when it speaks of the various gifts and charisms the Holy Spirit bestows upon the members of the Church, the Body of Christ. As you know, dear brothers, seminary formation is not just about sanding down rough edges. It has everything to do with bringing forth in you and your fellow seminarians the abundant gifts God bestows on each of you, gifts natural and supernatural. These are given to build up the Church, the Body of Christ – a Church that is ‘united, diverse, and interdependent’ (S. Hahn, AA, CCSS, 219). For the image of the Church as the Body of Christ is more than a metaphor. It is real: we belong to one another in Christ. We are part of the communion of saints. And in that communion and for its sake, we have received gifts and charisms to be placed at one another’s service. That, dear brothers, is what you are doing in this grace-filled moment.
Among the gifts St. Paul enumerates is the gift of ministry, in Greek, diakonia: practical service of those in need, such as widows, orphans, the poor, the sick. Notice that the capacity to serve them is first of all God’s gift to you. Only then is it your gift of self, a gift you are to give without reserve. The same is true of the other gifts and ministries you will exercise as deacons such as evangelizing, proclaiming, preaching, and teaching. These too are God’s gifts that enable you to serve others by opening their minds and hearts to the ‘truth that will set them free.’ The same is also true of your service to the Church’s sacramental life – as you assist at the altar, baptize, preside at weddings and funerals. Let’s never forget we are sharing in the Lord’s ministry to his beloved Church and we do so only because of his abounding generosity and mercy towards us.
As One Who Serves
Leave it to the Lord himself to have the last word, for in the Gospel, he instructs you on how to exercise diaconal ministry in words he first spoke on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified. Ironically, as he was enroute, the mother of James and John approached Jesus to see if she could secure for her two sons prime spots in his Kingdom, a kingdom she thought of in terms of earthly power and splendor.
Jesus took that early display of clericalism to instruct us all on the way we are to exercise ministry, diakonia, in the Church: not with bluster, self-absorption, or ambition, but with humility and love. In this way, you give not only of your talents and gifts but your very self. You will powerfully express your intention to give your life to the Church in your promise to be men of prayer, your promise of obedience, and your promise of chaste celibacy. Thus will true authority, the authority of Christ, shine through you, the authority of the One who “came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” All this is more than exhortations and promises. We are on the cusp of a sacramental reality. For by the imposition of my hands and the prayer of the Church, the Lord will draw you close to himself, and in the power of the Spirit, leave up your soul the imprint, the seal, of his own diakonia. Configured to Christ, his gift of self will permeate your whole being. Configured to Christ, you are to serve after his own mind and heart. Thus you will build up the Church as a communion of life and love by being a living sacrament of Christ the servant in our midst.
If the mother of James and John miscued, Mary our Mother is always spot on. Mary is among us in this sacred liturgy and she is praying for you, dear brothers, that you will be deacons after the mind and heart of her Son, deacons who are…“effective in action, gentle in ministry, and constant in prayer.” Mary, Our Queen, pray for us!