Ordained to the Transitional Diaconate

NEW DEACONS  Top: Deacon Cesar Dario Jaramillo-Palacios and Deacon Andrew Burns are all smiles in St. Peter’s Basilica after they were ordained as transitional deacons by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston Sept. 29. Above: Deacon Cesar Dario Jaramillo-Palacios and Deacon Andrew Burns with Father Brando Ibarra (left), pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians in Paterson and Deacon Peter Burns of Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla., who is Andrew’s father.

ROME  Two seminarians of the Diocese of Paterson — Andrew Thomas Burns and Cesar Dario Jaramillo-Palacio — were among 30 seminarians, all studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College, who were were ordained to the transitional diaconate during a celebration of the Eucharist Sept. 29 here.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, was the ordaining prelate at the Ordination Mass, celebrated at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, in the Vatican. Cardinal O’Malley, a member of the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin, has been the Archbishop of Boston since 2003, and was created a Cardinal in 2006 by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and participated in the conclave which elected Pope Francis in 2013.

In his homily, Cardinal O’Malley spoke to those about to be ordained, reminding them of the crucial connection to their service at the liturgy with their works of charity for the Church and all her people. Reminding them that the recently canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta always had the words “I thirst” written next to the tabernacle where her sisters prayed, the Cardinal noted that this longing for and reception of Jesus in the Eucharist was the preparation the sisters needed to take care of the sick, suffering and forgotten they would see throughout the day, who were in fact, “Jesus in disguise.” He reminded them that their privileged work at the altar, was in fact, as servants, and that in the Lord’s wisdom, Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet was intrinsically connected to the first Eucharist, that liturgy and joyful service are always bound together.

During the ordination, the new deacons promised to live a life of prayer, celibacy and obedience to their diocesan bishop. The new deacons will have an additional year of theological studies and spiritual formation before being ordained to the priesthood in their home dioceses.

As part of the ordination rite, the Cardinal placed the Book of the Gospels in the hands of each candidate being ordained and said, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

Andrew Burns’ home parish is St. Rose of Lima in East Hanover. Cesar Dario Jaramillo-Palacio’s home parish is St. Anthony of Padua in Passaic.

[The Pontifical North American College serves as the American seminary in Rome. Founded in 1859 by Blessed Pius IX, the college has formed more than 5,000 priests near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses around the United States, Canada, and Australia. The College strengthens the bonds between Rome and local Churches worldwide, and it allows its students to study the Church’s rich religious and cultural heritage at close range.].