History: 17 new deacons for Orange, first diaconate ordination at Christ Cathedral

Last updated on: October 19, 2019 at 7:34 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

History: 17 new deacons for Orange, first diaconate ordination at Christ Cathedral 2019-10-19T19:34:15-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

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The press release:

After five years of preparation, 17 men will be ordained by Bishop Kevin Vann as deacons in the Catholic Church at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 19 in Christ Cathedral. This is the first diaconate class to be ordained inside the new Christ Cathedral. The last class of this size was in 1979 with a total of 18 men.

Upon their ordination at the invitation-only event, the men will join the 141 existing deacons serving in parishes throughout the Diocese of Orange. In addition to Bishop Vann, attending the ceremony will be Auxiliary Bishops Timothy Brown and Thanh Thai Nguyen; the existing diocesan deacons and their wives; and many of the pastors in whose parishes the men will serve.

Their preparation involves academic classes in subjects like canon law and church history, spiritual preparation in prayer and meditation, and pastoral service in hospitals, jails, and the community. Frank Chavez, the diocesan director of the Office of the Diaconate, says the ordination ceremony will include the laying on of hands, which is deeply rooted in the Catholic faith and tradition; a series of solemn vows the men make, including promises to obey and respect the Bishop; the Litany of Saints; and a special Mass where they pray together.

“During the Litany of Saints, the men will lie prostrate on the floor of the cathedral as a sign of their humility as the whole church sings and prays for them,” Chavez says.

Many people including Catholics know little about the lives, training, and calling of deacons, he notes. “Many people see them only serving at Mass, but that’s just part of who we are. We are out in the community as our call is to serve. At Mass, the deacon is the one who is sent out into the community to go in peace.”

The diaconate has grown rapidly in the United States and more than 17,000 deacons now serve nationwide, Chavez says. He believes that Catholic deacons “bring the grace of the altar to the streets and bring the needs of the streets to the altar.”

The Order of Deacon was instituted by the apostles. Seven men were initially chosen and “hands were laid on them” so that they could carry on in the name of the apostles the ministry to widows in need. The ministry assigned to deacons grew to include others in need, administration of temporal affairs of the Church, preaching, and performing certain sacramental ministries.

After several hundred years, the Order of Deacon disappeared in the Western Church. It was restored as a permanent, public ministry in the Roman Catholic Church at the Second Vatican Council and the restoration of the permanent diaconate in the U.S. was authorized in 1968.

Chavez, who was ordained in 1984, is married to his wife Mary; they have two children and live in Yorba Linda. As a deacon he has been able to baptize all five of his grandchildren.

“In my experience, the most profound thing is that we as deacons are privileged to enter people’s lives in very intimate ways at profound times in their lives,” he says, including baptizing their children, burying their grandparents, witnessing vows at their marriages.”

Candidates for the diaconate must be active church members. If married, their marriages must be stable, and they must have good work histories. They must be between 35 and 60 years old before undergoing the formation process and demonstrate active lives of service, apostolic involvement, and leadership in the community. They must demonstrate the potential to develop ministerial skills, including relating well to people and speaking well.

The Class of 2019 Diocese of Orange Diaconate candidates include:

Leopoldo Arana, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Ana-Delhi
William Beam, St. Bonaventure, Huntington Beach
Anthony Caso, St. Boniface, Anaheim
Kevin Durkin, San Antonio de Padua, Anaheim Hills
Andres Guerrero, St. Cecilia, Tustin
David Hernandez, Holy Family Cathedral, Orange
Francisco Javier Martin, St. Joachim, Costa Mesa
Jose Mercado, St. Mary’s, Fullerton
Carlos Muñoz, St. Norbert, Orange
Phong Nguyen, Blessed Sacrament, Westminster
Anthony Palazzolo, St. John Neumann, Irvine
Carlos Pineda, St. Nicholas, Laguna Woods
Richard Purpura, St. Norbert, Orange
Jorge Sanchez, Christ Our Savior, Santa Ana
John Selig, St. Thomas More, Irvine
John Silberstein, St. Kilian, Mission Viejo
Victor Valenzuela, St. Kilian, Mission Viejo

Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos!

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