Seven transitional deacons enter life of ordained service

The parallel between the first reading and what was about to happen was apt. Only moments before, Bishop Carl A. Kemme observed, a passage from the Acts of the Apostles instructed the early Church to “Select from among you, seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom.”

Similarly, he noted, seven men from the Diocese of Wichita – Peter Bergkamp, Paul Brungardt, Kyle Demel, Isaac Hilger, Jacob McGuire, Luke Meyerhoff and Koby Nguyen – had proven reputable, capable, and filled with the Spirit of willingness to lay down their lives for Christ and his flock. 

The bishop noted he had spent much of a recent day in one-on-one conversations with the men about to be ordained to the priesthood and transitional diaconate. 

“It is heartwarming to see these men arrive at such a moment, but they are here after many years of hard work, study, prayer, and formation,” he said. “Like a proud father, I have seen how much they have changed, the ways in which they have grown. The Church in her solicitude has observed them carefully to see if they indeed have what it takes to serve. Over these years as their formation progressed, so too did their desires to do something radical and even revolutionary – at least from the perspective of the world – to conform their entire lives to that of Christ, first as a deacon and then, God willing, as a priest.”

Bishop Kemme noted that the young men were about to take a profound step. “Make no mistake about it, this is indeed very radical, to promise to remain celibate and chaste and to be obedient to Christ and his representatives on Earth for the rest of their lives,” he said. 

The bishop said when he was ordained a transitional deacon in spring 1985 he had no idea what awaited. “I could not see at all, then, the many opportunities to exercise my service, by preaching, teaching, baptizing, witnessing marriages, and then – eventually after priestly ordination – celebrating Masses, hearing confessions, and the countless ways I was called to offer pastoral care for so many sheep in the Lord’s flock.”

Life in the decades since has been full, rich and deeply satisfying, he assured them. “Brothers, I can guarantee that the same will be true for you, you who are at the beginning of what we hope will be also for you a full, rich, and abundant life of humble and selfless service,” the bishop said. “Your decision to come here tonight, after years of discernment and preparation to give your complete and irrevocable yes to God’s plan for you – a yes that will be given time and time again as each new opportunity to serve presents itself – will result in a life well lived, a life of abundance, a life of grace.”

Except for St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, the Acts of the Apostles says little of those first deacons except their names, the bishop noted, although being chosen demonstrated they had distinguished themselves in the early Church. The apostles then laid hands on them to impart the Holy Spirit so they could serve others. 

Now the seven assembled young men would receive that same Spirit, Bishop Kemme noted. 

“Is it not providence, dear brothers and sisters, that before me – a successor of the apostles in this a new apostolic age – before all of us, we see seven men?” he asked. “Like the first deacons, we know their names, Peter, Paul, Kyle, Isaac, Jacob, Luke and Koby, but we also know much more about them.

“All of us can rightly attest that they enjoy a good reputation,” the bishop continued. “Each of them has labored long and hard in the years of discernment and formation and have been deemed worthy by those responsible for their formation to receive this special grace. They come from solid and wholesome backgrounds. In many ways, they represent the finest of our diocese.”

Therefore, the bishop said he had chosen them for a new life of service to God and his people. 

“As your bishop and ordaining prelate, dear sons, I pray that you will one day look back upon this night, perhaps many years from now, as I do now, and realize how very blessed you are to have been given such a gift,” he said. “For as much as you are giving yourselves so completely to the Lord, you are receiving so much more in return, the invitation and the honor to be the Lord’s faithful, joyful, and hopeful servants, from now and until the day of your death. May the Lord, who has called you to this moment, sustain you, strengthen you, and inspire you to serve him with all your hearts.”

Candidates kneel before the altar as Bishop Carl Kemme presides over the diaconate ordination liturgy that took place during the Mass held during the evening of Thursday, May 22 at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Wichita. (Advance photo)