Men to be ordained transitional deacons
Seminarians Paul Abbruscato, Steve Bertonazzi and Carlo Santa Teresa will be ordained transitional deacons this Saturday, June 13, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Galloway Township.
The invitation-only morning ceremony will include family and friends of the seminarians, and ordained clergy of the Diocese of Camden. The celebrations, along with the first Masses they will assist at as deacons the following Sunday, will be live-streamed across diocesan social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The trio’s ordination to the transitional diaconate marks the final stage in their journey to the priesthood, to culminate next spring.
The three recently completed their year of Third Theology, Abbruscato at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and Bertonazzi and Santa Teresa at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
Calling Atlantic City’s Parish of Saint Monica home, Abbruscato, 35, worked in a restaurant and behind the bar before realizing his calling. He found “deep peace and joy” upon entering the seminary.
“Be willing to give God all of you, letting him be your strength and your Rock of salvation,” he wrote on the diocesan vocations page, www.camdenpriest.org, in advice for young men considering priesthood.
Bertonazzi, 44, from Saint Padre Pio Parish in Vineland, thanked the “good faith and prayers from family and friends” that are coming to fruition on Saturday, and pledged that he is “ready to help people on their journey to Christ.”
Saint Peter, Merchantville’s Santa Teresa, 30, sees the upcoming celebration “a blessing and privilege to be called, to be his instrument, in bringing hope and good news to others.”