October 11

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The day is October 6th, 2011, in the Eternal City of Rome. I find myself along with 34 of my seminary classmates milling about a church sacristy, all dressed in our albs, waiting for a Mass to begin. But there’s a nervous excitement buzzing around the room, with some of us cracking jokes to keep things light and others quietly keeping to prayer. For when we begin to move in the procession for Mass, our lives will be forever changed; it is our ordination to the diaconate at St. Peter’s Basilica.

It’s been fifteen years since that wonderful, life-altering day for me. The day itself and many of the moments are locked in my memory; from the ordination itself to the celebrations thereafter, it was all so beautiful. It’s a powerful thing, lying down on the floor of a church and hearing the litany of the saints being sung on your behalf; and even more powerful to place your hands in the hands of a bishop and promise respect and obedience to the office for the rest of your life. I was fortunate to have much of my family and friends be able to make the journey over and to witness this monumental step in my life of faith.

You may be wondering why I was ordained a deacon, especially since I’m now a priest. There are several reasons for that, both spiritually and sacramentally speaking. On the sacramental side, Holy Orders is a bit unique in that there are three distinct grades to the one and the same Sacrament. And so, deacons, priests, and bishops all receive Holy Orders, but we all start with the diaconate and proceed from there. Which makes a lot of sense when you consider it spiritually; the deacon is ordained and is conformed to Christ the Servant, meaning the ministry of the diaconate is one of service, in all the various forms it takes. Yes, I went on to be ordained a priest as well, but at the end of the day, I was and always will be ordained to service, first and foremost.

I hope you know, dear members of our parish, how seriously I take the life of service that I have been called to. There are days that come more easily in that regard, and there are days in which there is struggle and weakness, but the desire to serve you to the best of my ability is always present. I love the life the Lord has invited me to, and I love the people I serve, even if my humanity is still imperfect in how I go about that sometimes. On this 15th anniversary, please know that I am recommitting myself to serving the parish of St. Charles as your pastor and that thank God for the opportunity to do so, according to His Divine Will.

Peace and Goodness, Fr. Dan