Five ordained to the diaconate

 

 

Bishop Carl A. Kemme said he and the other priests at the ordination to the diaconate Thursday, May 21, at the Church of the Magdalen were once like the five men standing before him prepared to ordained transitional deacons: eager and ready to serve, to teach, to preach, and be witnesses to the Way of the Lord.

“Let us not waste time on worldly pursuits or honors, or ambition or fleeting pleasures. These are for the pagans,” the bishop said. “But for us who believe, there is really only one thing that matters: to fulfill our mission and to reach the goal of eternal life.”

Ordained come from throughout diocese

Ordained were Matt Glazier, a member of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Madison; Andrew Meng of St. Joseph Parish in Ost; Christopher Rumback of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Hutchinson; William Stuever of St. Joseph Parish in Andale; and Ty Taylor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Mulvane.

Bishop Kemme told them to avoid a double life where one part is on public display and the other a closely guarded secret.

Bishop asks for obedience, fidelity

“No, the life of the ordained is one which requires us to be all in, holding nothing back, setting out as unlikely as we are to succeed, but setting out nonetheless to wherever the church needs us to go, in obedience, fidelity, and perseverance to serve and not to be served, by teaching, by preaching, and by witnessing to the Risen Christ, so that the souls of the sheep of Christ’s fold will be saved and find their way to heaven.”

That cannot be done through their own power, Bishop Kemme added.

“We must always remember and acknowledge that we are but branches connected to the vine that is Christ. From Christ alone, as from the true vine, we receive our spiritual nutrition and our power to serve. This is true for every Christian, but especially true for those who dare to accept and live out the call to ordained ministry.”

All done through Jesus

Deacons, priests, and bishop can do nothing except through Jesus, he said, with prayer, spiritual reading, meditation, and contemplation, and in generously living out the demands of celibate chastity and obedience.

“Only in him will we grow in power and strength, glorifying the Father, bearing fruit that will remain and becoming his disciples,” Bishop Kemme said.

There are lessons to be learned from the pandemic, Bishop Kemme said to a socially-distanced church full of family and friends.

“I pray that as we emerge from these dark times, we will do so more convinced of the importance of faith, the value of family as essential to God’s plan, and the importance of worship as the church directs,” he said.

“I pray that we as Roman Catholics will take these lessons to heart and live out our faith more intentionally, never taking for granted the grace of the Eucharist and all the other sacraments, the commandment to keep holy the Lord’s Day, and to live the Christian faith in the world with urgency and boldness.”