Written by Peter Sanchez
Energized by “their enthusiasm and sense of mission,” Bishop Dennis Sullivan ordained four men to the Transitional Diaconate on May 15 at Saint Agnes Church, Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood, NJ.
Photos by Dave Hernandez
Seminarians Christopher Joseph Myers, Logan Joseph Nilsen, Cesar Steven Serrano Pirateque and Stephen George Robbins were all vested with the stole and dalmatic and received the Book of the Gospels, signs of their preaching ministry, and are now “committed to the growth and spread of the Gospel … in imitation of Jesus, ‘who came to serve and not be served’ (Mt 20:28),’’ the Camden prelate remarked to them.
Laying his hands on each of them, Bishop Sullivan asked them to “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.”
In addition to Bishop Sullivan, those sharing in the joy of the young men on the blue sky May day included well-wishers present in the pews and those watching from afar on livestream: family and friends; their Director of Vocations, Father Adam Cichoski; diocesan clergy, and their seminary educators (for Myers and Pirateque, those from Immaculate Conception in South Orange, New Jersey; for Nilsen and Robbins, those from Saint Joseph in Yonkers, New York).
The four affirmed in the presence of the faithful that they “resolve to be consecrated for the church’s ministry … to discharge the office of deacon with humble charity … to hold fast to the mystery of faith … to embrace the celibate state … to maintain and deepen the spirit of prayer that is proper to your way of life … (and) to conform (their) way of life always to the example of Christ.”
The graced liturgy is a “passage” for what’s to come for Deacons Myers, Nilsen, Pirateque and Robbins, Bishop Sullivan said, as next year, the four men will, God willing, join the ranks of the priestly brotherhood. Until that time, they will soon begin their summer parish assignments at diocesan parishes and, in the fall, return to their respective seminaries for their final year of education, while completing weekend parish assignments in the Diocese of Camden.
Vesting the newly ordained transitional deacons with their stole and dalmatic were those clergy who have been spiritual friends and mentors to them over the years: Deacon Myers by Rev. Mr. Carlo Santa Teresa; Deacon Nilsen by Father Vincent Guest, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Camden; Deacon Pirateque by Father Joseph Szolack, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish; and Deacon Robbins by Father David Rivera, pastor of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Parish, Hammonton.
Beginning the next step in their journeys, the four left with the words of Bishop Sullivan emblazoned in their hearts, to “be Good News to a world inundated with bad news … with a heart for all. … Remain strong and steadfast in Christ.”