Transitional diaconate ordination

MONTVILLE  Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained Francis Hamilton Balfour Lennie IV to the transitional diaconate Aug. 9 during the noon Mass in Lennie’s home parish of St. Pius X Parish here, the final step before being called to be ordained a priest in 2021. This was the second ordination of a transitional deacon that the Bishop presided at since being ordained and installed as the eighth Bishop of Paterson on July 1.

During the Ordination Rite, the Bishop ordained Rev. Mr. Lennie, a longtime St. Pius X parishioner who was graduated from the former parish school. The Bishop served as main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Among the concelebrants was Father Mark Olenowski, St. Pius X’s pastor.

“It’s been a long, seven-year journey [in priestly formation]. I’m excited to start ministering in a formal setting [as a deacon].” Rev. Mr. Lennie, 28, told The Beacon a few days before his ordination. This fall, he will enter his fourth and final year of theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange. “As a deacon, I want to help bring people into the faith through Baptism. I want to bring Christ into people’s lives, including those in diverse family situations. I cannot wait to preach. I want to fully embrace this diaconal year. I want to find out how to serve a parish the best I can,” he said.

Rev. Mr. Lennie’s ordination was livestreamed on St. Pius X’s website. Due to state mandates during the pandemic, strict guidelines where followed for the Mass including social distancing, the wearing of face masks and limiting the number of attendees.

“We come together on this beautiful day that God has given us as the Church of the Diocese of Paterson, the parish of St. Pius X and Frank’s family and loved ones, for our brother, Frank, who today will be ordained to the Order of Deacon,” Bishop Sweeney said at the Mass. The Bishop urged Lennie to “offer faith, hope and peace to the people, even in the storms of life. We hope, God willing, you will become a priest next year.”

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney listed a deacon’s responsibilities: to proclaim the Gospel, to dispense the Eucharist, to give instruction in holy doctrine, to prepare the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to preside over Baptisms, marriages, funerals and public prayer. A deacon also carries out acts of charity in the name of the bishop or pastor, he said.

“You are called to be a humble and loving servant at the altar and with God’s Word. You are now a steward of God’s mysteries. Never allow yourself to be turned away from the hope of the Gospel,” Bishop Sweeney said.

During the ordination rite, the candidate stood before Bishop Sweeney, who questioned him on the Office of Deacon. The candidate declared his intention to be ordained to the diaconate and to fulfill its duties. He knelt before the Bishop and placed his hands between the Bishop’s, promising obedience and respect to him and to his successors. Then the candidate prostrated himself before the altar, symbolizing his humility and dependence on God’s grace. The Bishop invited the assembly to join in praying the Litany of the Saints to ask God to bless the candidate.

In keeping with the practice of the Apostolic Church, Bishop Sweeney laid hands on the head of the candidate to signify the conferral of the Holy Spirit and the commission to service. He asked God to guide him to the service of the Church and to renew the spirit of holiness within him.

Then Bishop Sweeney invited Father Olenowski to help Rev. Mr. Lennie put on his stole and dalmatic, before he handed the Book of the Gospels to the candidate.

“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach,” the Bishop told the new deacon before he gave him the fraternal sign of peace, welcoming him into the Order of Deacon.

The vocation journey of Rev. Mr. Lennie kicked into high gear while a student at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne. There, he enjoyed religion classes and watched the priests up close celebrating daily Masses in the chapel that he attended. As a senior, he earned the Father Sylva Award for Service for helping set up for school-wide Masses. Two priests at the time — Father Peter Clarke, former DePaul chaplain and current president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville and Father Michael Donovan, former DePaul president who is currently serving in the Newark Archdiocese — encouraged Lennie to enter the seminary.

As part of his seminary studies, Rev. Mr. Lennie said that his apostolic experience meeting with patients at St. Joseph Medical Center in Paterson was a challenge as he had to “come up with something to say to people who are sick. But I learned that it’s a ministry of presence — just being there for them,” said Rev. Mr. Lennie

Born to Frank and Coleen Lennie, the new deacon has a brother, Ray, 24. He credits his Confirmation with setting him “on fire” with the Holy Spirit and with his faith, which is rooted in the formation by his grandparents, Patricia and Raymond Williams.

In his closing remarks that preceded Bishop Sweeney’s, Father Olenowski thanked Rev. Mr. Lennie’s family, seminary community, clergy and “people of God” for helping him “become the man he is today.

“As a deacon, you are called to serve by Christ. It is not always easy because sometimes you are called out of familiar and comfortable places to go to unknown regions. Sometimes you will do what Jesus did and be with those who are ill and facing difficult struggles in their lives. But that’s what the service is all about — to be a distributor of Christ’s hands, feet, heart and love,” Father Olenowski told Rev. Mr. Lennie.