Ordination preview: new deacons for Boston

From the Boston Pilot: 

Cardinal Seán O’Malley will celebrate the Rite of Ordination to the Order of Deacon for 10 candidates at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Sept. 22.

Louis J. Piazza, a deacon candidate of the class of 2012, explained the significance of the rite and gave a bit of insight into the group of candidates for ordination.

“We are welcomed in service to the bishop to work alongside the priests in our archdiocese and to make the Church be bigger than just the four walls of our individual parishes,” Piazza said.

After they are invested and have joined the diaconate, these men who came from various backgrounds will work within a single calling. All the men in this class have secular vocations, marriages and families to look after in addition to the duties they undertake after receiving the stole.

“Love of God and love of Church is central to all of the candidates, but of course the manifestation of that is in very different ways,” he said.

He said motivations in the group range from the inclination toward serving the poor to a desire to work on marriage preparation as deacons.

Piazza said each candidate will have a parish assignment and an assignment within the ministry offices in the Archdiocese of Boston following their ordination.

“These are men who come from the pew themselves and take a step now which is to be a bridge to provide support, assistance and service to the congregation in support of the ministry of the priests and the bishop,” he said.

Read more, including brief biographies of the candidates, at the Pilot website.