Please keep these men, and Deacon Kevin Kahmann of the Diocese of Covington, in your prayers over their last year of study and formation for the priesthood.
Showing posts with label diaconate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diaconate. Show all posts
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Deacon Ordination today
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West joyfully celebrate the ordination of three men to the transitional diaconate: Timothy Ralston of St. Michael's in Georgetown and Robert Muhlenkamp of Holy Trinity in Coldwater for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Matthew Rader for the Diocese of Toledo; Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will preside at the 11:00 Rite of Ordination at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Rite of Ordination of a Deacon
Considering we had ten men ordained as deacons this past weekend, I found the Rite of Ordination of a Deacon online. This whole interweb thing is great, eh?
As I imagine that married couples remember their wedding day when they attend a wedding; so does attending an ordination bring back memories of my own ordination.
A few things stick out in my mind of the day I became a cleric for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
First, I was the only one of the seven ordained that day (an eighth joined us later that year) who wore an off-white alb. I had several people ask if we were all seminarians since my alb was different. My quip back was "Oh, yeah, we are, it's just that I am a little off color!" The looks turned even stranger after that.
Secondly, I was going back to preach at the parish where I interned during seminary for the weekend. A few weeks earlier, Fr. Tim (my pastor) asked me if I wanted to jump in with both feet; as there was a baptism of twins at the 4:30 Mass that same day. Hey, that's pretty cool, I'm a twin so why not also baptize a set of twins for my first baptisms?!? That was great fun, and a real honor. The next weekend began the onslaught of family functions as I think I got one of my nieces, but I can't remember which one, Elizabeth, maybe?
It is great to see the guys so happy and excited the morning before the ordination; 'bouncing off walls' seems to be the most apt description. Please keep them in your prayers, as well as the three men being ordained in less than three weeks now.
As I imagine that married couples remember their wedding day when they attend a wedding; so does attending an ordination bring back memories of my own ordination.
A few things stick out in my mind of the day I became a cleric for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
First, I was the only one of the seven ordained that day (an eighth joined us later that year) who wore an off-white alb. I had several people ask if we were all seminarians since my alb was different. My quip back was "Oh, yeah, we are, it's just that I am a little off color!" The looks turned even stranger after that.
Secondly, I was going back to preach at the parish where I interned during seminary for the weekend. A few weeks earlier, Fr. Tim (my pastor) asked me if I wanted to jump in with both feet; as there was a baptism of twins at the 4:30 Mass that same day. Hey, that's pretty cool, I'm a twin so why not also baptize a set of twins for my first baptisms?!? That was great fun, and a real honor. The next weekend began the onslaught of family functions as I think I got one of my nieces, but I can't remember which one, Elizabeth, maybe?
It is great to see the guys so happy and excited the morning before the ordination; 'bouncing off walls' seems to be the most apt description. Please keep them in your prayers, as well as the three men being ordained in less than three weeks now.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Deacon Ordinations
Today, at St. Peter in Chains, ten men will be ordained as Transitional Deacons for service to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Toledo.
I recently was asked the question as to if all priests were first ordained deacons, to which I gave a strong affirmative!
Why?
First, the Diaconate is about service. The deacon assists the priest (or bishop) at Mass, proclaiming the Gospel and preparing the gifts at the altar are his primary duties. He also leads the Prayers of the Faithful (Intercessions). All of these roles show that he is to be a man in and among the people; bringing the needs of the faithful with him to the altar and placing their concerns and prayers along with the gifts that the priest can offer them to the Father in the Eucharistic Prayer.
Finally, what's the difference between a Transitional Deacon and a Permanent Deacon? In form and function, not much. They serve in the same roles liturgically, so the faithful will notice much difference between them.
However, in the Archdiocese, there are some practical differences. First among them, transitional deacons automatically have faculties to preach, which permanent deacons must do a bit more schooling to be granted. Also, transitional deacons are permitted to wear clerical attire, whereas permanent deacons are not.
Other than that, much else is the same.
Remember, pray for priests, seminarians, and those ten who will be ordained this day; as well as the three who will be ordained priests in May.
I recently was asked the question as to if all priests were first ordained deacons, to which I gave a strong affirmative!
Why?
First, the Diaconate is about service. The deacon assists the priest (or bishop) at Mass, proclaiming the Gospel and preparing the gifts at the altar are his primary duties. He also leads the Prayers of the Faithful (Intercessions). All of these roles show that he is to be a man in and among the people; bringing the needs of the faithful with him to the altar and placing their concerns and prayers along with the gifts that the priest can offer them to the Father in the Eucharistic Prayer.
Finally, what's the difference between a Transitional Deacon and a Permanent Deacon? In form and function, not much. They serve in the same roles liturgically, so the faithful will notice much difference between them.
However, in the Archdiocese, there are some practical differences. First among them, transitional deacons automatically have faculties to preach, which permanent deacons must do a bit more schooling to be granted. Also, transitional deacons are permitted to wear clerical attire, whereas permanent deacons are not.
Other than that, much else is the same.
Remember, pray for priests, seminarians, and those ten who will be ordained this day; as well as the three who will be ordained priests in May.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Deacon Ordinations this Weekend
This coming weekend, Archbishop Pilarczyk will ordain ten men from Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West to the Transitional Diaconate. They are as follows:
For the Archdiocese of Cincinnati:
Marty Bachman, St. Jude's, Bridgetown
David Endres, PhD, Sacred Heart, Fairfield
Robert Hadden, St. Mary's, Greenville
Shawn Landenwitch, Our Lady of the Visitation, Mack
Matt Lee, St. Mary of the Woods, Russell's Point
Barry Stechschulte, St. Philip the Apostle, Morrow; St. Augustine, Minster
Tony Tozzi, St. Gabriel's, Glendale
For the Diocese of Toledo:
Chris Bohnsack, St. Thomas Aquinas, Toledo
Jason Kahle, St. Michael's, Kalida
Tony Recker, St. Augustine's, Napolean
Please keep these ten men, along with all seminarians and priests in your prayers.
For the Archdiocese of Cincinnati:
Marty Bachman, St. Jude's, Bridgetown
David Endres, PhD, Sacred Heart, Fairfield
Robert Hadden, St. Mary's, Greenville
Shawn Landenwitch, Our Lady of the Visitation, Mack
Matt Lee, St. Mary of the Woods, Russell's Point
Barry Stechschulte, St. Philip the Apostle, Morrow; St. Augustine, Minster
Tony Tozzi, St. Gabriel's, Glendale
For the Diocese of Toledo:
Chris Bohnsack, St. Thomas Aquinas, Toledo
Jason Kahle, St. Michael's, Kalida
Tony Recker, St. Augustine's, Napolean
Please keep these ten men, along with all seminarians and priests in your prayers.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Holy Orders
My newest article in the Catholic Telegraph, which hits the mailboxes today:
As winter fades and spring starts to melt into summer, there are a great many events to celebrate in our local Church; first among these is the great celebration of our Salvation won by Christ in the mystery of Holy Week and Easter. With this celebration, we welcomed nearly 1,200 new converts into the fold of the Catholic Church, just here in our Archdiocese. There is no greater celebration during the Church year.
However, there are two other great ceremonies that are celebrated this time of year which rival the beauty of the Easter Vigil, especially for me as a priest: Ordinations to the Diaconate and to the Priesthood, the Sacrament where men are configured to be more like Christ in service to His Bride, the Church. Like Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Orders is a non-repeatable sacrament: once you are ordained, you are a priest forever. However, it is also unique in that it is entered through a series of three steps, or levels. Hence the name Orders, for this Sacrament is the foundation for the structure of how Christ constructed His Church.
This break down is not accidental, but a purposeful orientation for the man who presents himself to the Church for priesthood. He does not begin his priesthood seated on a throne in glory, rather his ordained life begins with service as a deacon. The very word means “servant” in Greek. For some, this is a permanent state, the Permanent Diaconate. The men ordained to this level live a life marked in service to God and to the parish they are assigned, the world in which they live and the marketplace where they work. Having worked with a few of these men, they are great assets and aids to the pastor. For men who are on the way towards priesthood, transitional deacons, their participation in the Order of Deacon forms them in a life of service and of giving themselves completely for the life of the Church. It is a formation in the command of Christ: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn 15:13).”
The second order within ‘Holy Orders’ is the priesthood. The service that a man began in his life as a deacon models and shapes his life as a priest. No one is a priest for himself, rather he is oriented to love the people of God to whom he has been sent. A priest is a man for others. His mission is to help and lead his congregation (his family) to grow in holiness. Especially today, this cannot be imposed upon a parish; it must first be modeled by the priest himself, and then given to his people. At his ordination, a priest is commissioned to imitate the Sacraments that he celebrates, so that he too can be a living Icon present in the world – a Living Icon of the Eternal Priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Finally, a select few are admitted to the third and final Order within the Church’s structure: Episcopacy, the Order of Bishops. This order is the fullness of the priesthood within the Church, and all priests exercise their ministry in unity with their bishop. It is the bishop who exercises his priestly role in leadership, unifying the diocese under his care, being a steward of the treasures of the diocese so that the Gospel can be preached in all of its wonder. The Order of Bishops is the direct descendant of the Apostles, through the Laying on of Hands. We find testimony to this even as far back as the early Second Century in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who states: “You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father.”
As the two celebrations of ordination approach, it is important to keep in mind that no man is ordained for himself, rather he becomes the bridegroom – the Alter Christus, and he gives his life to the Church, his bride, just as all husbands are called to love their wives like Christ loves the Church: unto death. A man does this as a priest so that we may all have access to the Sacraments and may all attain the salvation won for us by Christ.
As winter fades and spring starts to melt into summer, there are a great many events to celebrate in our local Church; first among these is the great celebration of our Salvation won by Christ in the mystery of Holy Week and Easter. With this celebration, we welcomed nearly 1,200 new converts into the fold of the Catholic Church, just here in our Archdiocese. There is no greater celebration during the Church year.
However, there are two other great ceremonies that are celebrated this time of year which rival the beauty of the Easter Vigil, especially for me as a priest: Ordinations to the Diaconate and to the Priesthood, the Sacrament where men are configured to be more like Christ in service to His Bride, the Church. Like Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Orders is a non-repeatable sacrament: once you are ordained, you are a priest forever. However, it is also unique in that it is entered through a series of three steps, or levels. Hence the name Orders, for this Sacrament is the foundation for the structure of how Christ constructed His Church.
This break down is not accidental, but a purposeful orientation for the man who presents himself to the Church for priesthood. He does not begin his priesthood seated on a throne in glory, rather his ordained life begins with service as a deacon. The very word means “servant” in Greek. For some, this is a permanent state, the Permanent Diaconate. The men ordained to this level live a life marked in service to God and to the parish they are assigned, the world in which they live and the marketplace where they work. Having worked with a few of these men, they are great assets and aids to the pastor. For men who are on the way towards priesthood, transitional deacons, their participation in the Order of Deacon forms them in a life of service and of giving themselves completely for the life of the Church. It is a formation in the command of Christ: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn 15:13).”
The second order within ‘Holy Orders’ is the priesthood. The service that a man began in his life as a deacon models and shapes his life as a priest. No one is a priest for himself, rather he is oriented to love the people of God to whom he has been sent. A priest is a man for others. His mission is to help and lead his congregation (his family) to grow in holiness. Especially today, this cannot be imposed upon a parish; it must first be modeled by the priest himself, and then given to his people. At his ordination, a priest is commissioned to imitate the Sacraments that he celebrates, so that he too can be a living Icon present in the world – a Living Icon of the Eternal Priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Finally, a select few are admitted to the third and final Order within the Church’s structure: Episcopacy, the Order of Bishops. This order is the fullness of the priesthood within the Church, and all priests exercise their ministry in unity with their bishop. It is the bishop who exercises his priestly role in leadership, unifying the diocese under his care, being a steward of the treasures of the diocese so that the Gospel can be preached in all of its wonder. The Order of Bishops is the direct descendant of the Apostles, through the Laying on of Hands. We find testimony to this even as far back as the early Second Century in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who states: “You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father.”
As the two celebrations of ordination approach, it is important to keep in mind that no man is ordained for himself, rather he becomes the bridegroom – the Alter Christus, and he gives his life to the Church, his bride, just as all husbands are called to love their wives like Christ loves the Church: unto death. A man does this as a priest so that we may all have access to the Sacraments and may all attain the salvation won for us by Christ.
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