Ordination update: Honduras diocese gets its first permanent deacon

I love getting emails like this. It arrived today from John Donaghy in Honduras:

Dear Deacon Greg,

Yesterday I was ordained as permanent deacon by the laying on of hands by Bishop Darwin Andino of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras.

A transitional deacon, Wilman Perez, was ordained as priest for the diocese. Three seminarians were as acolytes and one seminarian was installed as lector.

The ordinations and installations were in Cucuyagua, Copán, Honduras, which is the seat of the parish where Father Wilman Pérez grew up. There were a large number of people present in the parish hall, since the church is too small for the expected crowd. There were about 40 priests present.

It was a moment of grace for me. I have written about this on my blog and will be writing more. But I wanted you to know about this.

I am the first permanent deacon in our diocese (which is celebrating its centenary). I am also the third in the country; there are two married permanent deacons in the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa. I am, thus, the first celibate permanent deacon in the country.

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From Deacon John’s remarks at the end of Mass:

Sisters and Brothers, I want to greet you with the greeting of St. Francis: Paz y Bien – Peace and Good.

Today is a special day in the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copan. Monseñor Darwin Andino has ordained me as the first permanent deacon in the diocese as we celebrate the hundredth year of the diocese in this jubilee year of mercy.

To be a deacon is not an honor, nor a privilege, nor a prize, nor a matter of prestige or power.

To be a deacon is to be called to live, in a profound way, the call which we all received in our baptism: to be incorporated into Christ – prophet, priest, and servant king. In a special way, it is a call to wash the feet of others and to hand over my life with Jesus, even to the Cross.

Pope Paul VI said that the deacon is an animator – a driving force – of all the faithful for service. As a sign of Christ the Servant, the permanent deacon, ought to join the altar, the table of the Lord with the table of daily life, especially the table of the poor and marginalized.

The deacon assists at the altar in the Eucharist; thus I am called to give thanks, for the word “Eucharist” means “give thanks.’

First I want to give thanks to God for calling me, with all my weaknesses, to serve Him and the People of God in a new way.

I also wish to thank Monseñor Darwin Andino, our bishop and Father German Navarro, my pastor, who invited me to discern if God was calling me to the permanent diaconate. Despite not being worthy, God has called me.

Read it all. 

Congratulations and welcome, John! Ad multos annos!