Bishop Alfred Schlert ordained 15 men to the permanent diaconate at a Mass concelebrated Sept. 14 at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown. Appropriately, the Ordination took place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which commemorates Christ’s sacrifice and signifies the need for self-denial in fulfilling one’s vocation.
The diaconal charism of service has its roots in the early Church. The first deacons, elected by the apostles themselves, were tasked with the care of the poor and widowed in the fledgling Christian community.
In the modern Church, a deacon exercises his charism within the Mass by proclaiming the Gospel and delivering the homily, reading the intercessions, calling for the exchange of peace, assisting with the distribution of Holy Communion, preparing the sacred vessels, and announcing the Mass dismissal.
He also serves the needs of the Church by performing baptisms, officiating at simple nuptial ceremonies, bringing viaticum to the dying, and conducting the Rite of Committal at the cemetery after a funeral Mass.
In his remarks prior to the start of the Mass, Bishop Schlert commended the candidates for Ordination, all of whom are married, for their openness to the “additional vocation” of the diaconate. Bishop Schlert also offered a tribute to the late Deacon Von George, who passed away from cancer eight days earlier after being ordained a month ahead of his classmates due to his illness.
The Rite of Ordination opened with the Calling and Election of Candidates, in which the Ordinandi were presented to Bishop Schlert. Before the congregation of close to 600, the Bishop announced his decision to ordain the men, prompting the rousing applause that indicated the people’s consent.
After the candidates publicly declared their resolve to practice a ministry of service, preaching, and prayer, each knelt before Bishop Schlert and pledged obedience to the Bishop and his successors. The Bishop responded, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment,” a paraphrase of Philippians 1:6, indicating his desire for the ongoing sanctification of the Ordinandi.
In an expression of total submission to God and complete reliance on His grace, the Ordinandi then prostrated themselves before the Altar while the Litany of Supplication was chanted. The litany was followed by a period of reverent silence, during which the Bishop laid hands on each of the candidates in a gesture that, together with the Prayer of Ordination, is the outward sign of the Ordination to the Order of Deacons.
The deacons were then invested with the stole, which is worn during celebration of the Sacraments, and the dalmatic, the vestment worn at Mass. After the investiture, each was presented with the Book of the Gospels while the Bishop gave the exhortation to “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
The newly ordained deacons then received, as a sign of welcome, the fraternal kiss of peace from Bishop Schlert and nearly 50 of their brother deacons.
Addressing the new deacons in both English and Spanish, Bishop Schlert noted, “Our Lord now calls you to broaden your gifts of service to the people of God beyond your own families, and has bestowed on you this special Sacrament to fortify the work that you are about to undertake. I ask you, I encourage you, I plead with you as your Bishop, to maintain a generous spirit of openness, to fully cooperate with all that God offers you.”
The newly ordained deacons’ assignments were announced after the Mass and are listed on page 2 of the AD Times and on AD Today. The Ordination Mass can be viewed on the Diocese of Allentown YouTube and Facebook page.
Photos by Ed Koskey.
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