Archdiocese of New York Seminarian among 25 to Receive Ministry of Acolyte
By: The Good Newsroom
The Most Rev. Joseph Augustine Di Noia, Archbishop, conferred the Ministry of Acolyte in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City
An Archdiocese of New York seminarian was among 25 seminarians from the Pontifical North American College who received the Ministry of Acolyte on March 3, 2024, in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City.
Ian Paul Christopher Mendoza graduated from Iona Preparatory Upper School in 2018. He then studied philosophy at St. John’s University. His brothers David and William are also seminarians; his father Christopher is a deacon at their home parish of St. Columbanus in northern Westchester County’s Cortlandt Manor.
His Excellency, The Most Rev. Joseph Augustine Di Noia, Archbishop, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, conferred the Ministry of Acolyte in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City State, on the students.
In his homily the on the Third Sunday of Lent when the Installation of Ministry Acolytes would take place, His Excellency, Archbishop Di Noia preached on the Gospel passage of John 2:13-25, The cleansing of the Temple. Archbishop Di Noia directly addressed those who would be receiving the Ministry of Acolyte and encouraged them to, “serve the Church as Acolytes with the same zeal that Jesus himself exhibited in the cleansing of the Temple.”
In the rite of the Institution of Acolyte, Archbishop Di Noia placed the paten, which contains the hosts for the celebration of Mass, in the hands of each candidate. He then said, “take this vessel with bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his Church.”
The seminarians, currently in their second year of formation at the college, have two additional years of theological studies before being ordained to the priesthood in their home dioceses.
The Pontifical North American College serves as the American seminary in Rome. Founded in 1859 by Blessed Pius IX, the College has formed over 5000 priests near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses around the United States and Australia. The College strengthens the bonds between Rome and local Churches worldwide, and it allows its students a first-hand encounter with the Church’s rich religious and cultural heritage.