On November 5, in the Chapel of St. Joseph’s Seminary, my classmates and I were ordained to the Order of the Diaconate by Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn. Accompanying Bishop Brennan were Bishop Joseph Espaillat, Auxiliary Bishop of New York; Bishop James Massa, Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, along with more than 40 different priests and deacons across the different sending dioceses of the seminary, namely the Dioceses of Brooklyn, Rockville Centre, Bridgeport, and Camden. The chapel was filled to capacity with family and friends of the ordinandi in celebrating this blessed occasion of these men being raised to a new life of ministry in the Church.

Bishop Brennan addressed the ordinandi, using primarily the exhortation from the Rite of Ordination, in which he first addressed the faithful present, explaining the duties that deacons assume. Namely, the deacon is to proclaim the Word of God, baptize, preside at prayer, bring viaticum (the Eucharist as given to a person near or in danger of death) to the dying, and assist at marriages. “From the way he goes about these duties,” he instructed the faithful, “may you recognize him as a disciple of Jesus Christ, who came to serve, not to be served.” Bishop Brennan emphasized the manner in which the deacon is to carry out Jesus’ mission in teaching, proclaiming, and bringing healing as one of humble and loving service.

I had the unique experience of having my grandfather, Pedro Irizarry, a permanent deacon with over 30 years of service to the Archdiocese of New York to vest me as a deacon. He currently serves my home parish of St. Peter-St. Denis in Yonkers. He has been a shining example of carrying out the mission of Jesus, as Bishop Brennan articulated, with “humble and loving service.” It is my grandfather’s example that continues to edify and inspire me, even more so as a fellow deacon of the Church. It is that example of humble and loving service that edifies each of us to carry out the will of God in our lives, whatever that may be.

Reflecting on the ordination overall, I still have no words, but only sentiments of awe and wonder. The whole day went by like a blur, but I definitely felt and continue to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. As soon as the ordination rite began, I was strangely filled with a sense of conviction, a sense of being right where I needed to be and doing what I was born to do. The same feeling of conviction came to me when I proclaimed the Gospel for the first time, when I preached my first homily, and when I raised the Cup of Salvation (Ps. 116). This conviction by the Holy Spirit drew me toward wonder and thanksgiving for the great gift that was given to me. This conviction also drew me to an awareness that this journey toward holiness has only just begun, with the added joy of Ordination to the Priesthood, God willing, coming this summer for me and for my whole class.