On the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, 21 men were configured to Christ the Servant and commissioned to lay down their lives for Christ’s Church as they were ordained to the permanent diaconate.
The ordination Mass was presided by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila June 24 at a fully-packed Light of the World Parish in Littleton. Families, friends, fellow pastors and deacons all gathered to witness the laying on of hands for these 21 men, who represented many different regions of the Archdiocese of Denver.
“It is with great joy that the local Church of Denver gathers on the solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist. She rejoices to ordain 21 of her sons to the permanent diaconate,” Archbishop Aquila said in his homily. “Coming from all four corners of the archdiocese, the Western Slope, the eastern plains and the I-25 corridor, we are blessed by your witness and your response to the call that the Lord has given to you.“
As the deacons begin their ministry, the archbishop urged them to be mindful of God’s call for them and the need to continually see the world through the lens a biblical worldview.
My brothers, it is important that as Christians, the way that we look at the world is through sacred scripture. We have a biblical worldview, not a worldview formed by humanity, but a worldview we view revealed by our God,” he told them. “We recognize that it is our God who calls each one of us, who forms each one of us in our mother’s womb. It is he who gives to us the gift of life. It is he who calls us into relationship with him. He has created every human being out of love, and we must receive that love in a particular way as disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Referencing the second reading from the Book of Acts, when St. Paul recalls St. John the Baptist’s humble invocation of Christ, the archbishop reminded the new deacons to always imitate the humility of Christ, just as St. John the Baptist did when he said, “Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”
“You, too, are called to humility, to recognize that you, as all of us who share in sacred ministry, whether it be deacon, priest, or bishop, none of us is worthy to unfasten the sandals of the feet of Jesus,” Archbishop Aquila implored. “We are called to seek humility, to pray for humility, a humility after the heart of Christ himself, who as St. Paul, reminds us, humbled himself.”
It is in that humility, the archbishop emphasized, that the new deacons are to carry out their ministry, which is sorely needed in today’s new apostolic age.
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Photo by Neil McDonough
Photo by Neil McDonough
Photo by Neil McDonough
Photo by Neil McDonough
Photo by Neil McDonough
“The world needs you as deacons. It needs you as witnesses,” Archbishop Aquila told them. “Always nourish that biblical worldview, always nourish and recognize that God has got a definite plan for each and every one of you that only you and you alone can fulfill in the world, in the Church, in your families. He has entrusted to you and will entrust to you today, through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the laying on of my hands, the Ministry of the Diaconate. You will be configured more to Christ the servant and meditate upon that what it means to serve and to be a servant. To be one who sees the needs that are present and responds to those needs.“
The ministry of the deacon is unique in that it is a secondary vocation to their primary calling as husbands and fathers. At times it can be challenging to balance these two roles, but Archbishop Aquila stressed that each vocation feeds into the other.
“Each time the Eucharist is celebrated, my sons and brothers, in that total gift of self and in that service of the altar, not only do you renew your baptism and confirmation, but you also renew your marriage,” he said. “[And] it is important for you, too, to have your priorities in order. As Jesus has taught us, the love of God always comes first. There is then the love of your wife and your children. And then there is the diaconate and your ministry. It is important that as you try to balance those vacations and those calls that the Lord has given to you, that you always keep those priorities in focus.“
To conclude, the archbishop recalled the history of deacons in the Church and their succession as witnesses in these 21 new deacons ordained for the archdiocese.
“May you be the witnesses of those deacons who have gone before you, whether it be Stephen, Lawrence or the other saintly deacons within the Church, you are called in 2023 to be those who give witness to Jesus Christ and to the gospel,” Archbishop Aquila said. “May you live that faithfully throughout your ministry, until that day, when the Lord welcomes you home and says to you, ‘Welcome my good and faithful servant and Deacon.'”