Archbishop Aymond's homily at today's ordination of 5 to the Transitional Diaconate

During the homily of the May 18 Ordination Mass of Sylvester Adoga, Luis Duarte, Dennis Obienu, Luis Valencia and John Yike, Archbishop Gregory Aymond reminded the ordinands and congregants gathered inside St. Louis Cathedral of the three-fold ministry of the deacon:

First and foremost, deacons are to show the “human face of Christ,” especially of “Christ, the Messiah of Charity,” to all God’s people, including those in their midst who suffer from homelessness, human trafficking, incarceration and racism.

Secondly, the archbishop urged the diaconate candidates to be the “voice of Christ” in teaching and preaching, always making sure to prepare well before breaking open the Gospel for those hungry for God’s word. “Believe what you read in the Gospel. Teach what you believe. Preach but you believe. And practice what you believe,” he told them.

Finally, Archbishop Aymond reminded the deacons of their important roles as prayer leaders who will be assisting the priest at Mass, distributing the Body of Christ to the people, taking holy Communion to the sick and dying, performing baptisms, burying the dead and offering consolation to the grieving.

To be able to carry out these roles as humble servants of the church, the archbishop advised the men to:

- Stay close to Jesus in daily prayer, not only by reading the Liturgy of the Hours, but by finding “that quiet moment every day with the Lord, alone with him.”

- Take seriously their vow of celibacy. “You have said you were willing to remain single in order to give your entire life to the ministry of Christ,” the archbishop told them “You’re not a bachelor; you are married to the Church.”

- The archbishop’s final word of advice was to remind the ordinands to never separate themselves from the people, be it through their own indifference or by thinking of themselves as some sort of “a privileged class” as ordained ministers. “You are a servant,” the archbishop said, repeating Christ’s own description of himself in the Gospel: “I come to serve and not to be served.” #nolacatholic #clarionherald