Deacon class: What does this ordination mean to me?

“What does this ordination mean to me?” The Hawaii Catholic Herald posed this question to the diocese’s latest deacon class. Here are their replies, sent in mostly by email. Some of the answers were edited for space considerations.

Willingly choosing to complicate life

By Keith Cabiles

If I’m being honest, my first thought was “anxiety and sleepless nights.” I watched a video of Bishop Larry’s homily at the 2007 deacon ordinations, in which he said that to be ordained, you open yourself up to long hours, to criticism, to trials, and you willingly choose to complicate life; anyone would easily question your sanity.

I think all of that actually begins when someone first answers “yes” to a vocation calling; and it probably only intensifies after ordination. But at the same time, there is a kind of peace and joy that I already feel from serving others, a peace and joy that I also expect to intensify when ordained.

In light of all this, what will ordination mean to me? I believe it means that I will need, increasingly and with a humble heart, to rely on Christ to continue to give me the strength, perseverance and guidance to do his will.

Doing things I never imagined doing

By William R. Friese

Becoming a deacon gives us a new character — one that now calls on us to continually be open to allowing Christ to act through us, each with our individual talents and specialties, to witness to his presence in our world.

As an example, I came to the diaconate with a background as a senior military officer, where I was used to being in control, but one personal challenge I have had has been learning to just let go now and allow the Holy Spirit to work through me. I don’t have the answers, but God does. Because of this change, I’m now doing things that I never imagined doing five years ago.

Being a deacon means now being an outward symbol of the Church within our lay communities — at home, at work, in our neighborhood, at a store, wherever. It’s an opportunity — and a calling — to actually “live” the Gospel in our everyday lives. St. Francis reminded us to preach always, only using words when necessary. We don’t wear the tonsure as a distinguishing mark anymore, but people should now know we are distinguished as Christians by our very example in everyday life.

My goal is to serve as Christ served

By Stephen A. Kula

Receiving ordination has been a lifelong dream of mine, not always in the forefront of my mind, but always present in the subconscious. In grade school I dreamt of becoming a priest when I grew up. I think God has always been pushing me in that direction, helping me to realize that dream is really about serving him and can be fulfilled in other ways.

Throughout my life I have been aware of nagging questions: “Oh God, why this?” or “God, what are you trying to tell me?” or even “God what am I supposed to learn from this?” I have always felt that working in the not-for-profit arena was a gift (with the dying, the developmentally disabled, and currently with tragic death and dying) because it helped to satisfy my desire to serve.

But after five years of preparation and formation, having completed the formal studies and now on the verge of ordination, I am feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment, a sense that this is how God intended me to share myself with his people. My ultimate goal is being able to serve as Christ served, going beyond the present and physical to the spiritual.

I feel the Holy Spirit working through me

By Raul Perez

Before answering the call to the diaconate, I thought that I was serving God through ministry in the church and my family. However, the years of formation have made me see the presence of God all around. I encounter God not just within our faith community but through the people that he has put in front of me.

I see the love of God as I minister to the people who are sick and dying at hospice and hospitals, to the people who are incarcerated longing to receive Jesus and the hope for a better future, and to those who are homeless and less fortunate in our society. I can feel the Holy Spirit working through me more than ever to be his instrument in spreading peace, love, joy, and hope. None of this is possible without really knowing God and having a close and personal relationship with him.

I am a prayerful person to begin with, but I learned to never cease praying even when things are not going my way. I praise God in my daily prayers and in everything I do. It also helped my family in times of trials and difficulties. God is always there for us. My prayer life, together with my family has grown significantly. Pray, pray, pray.

I learned to completely surrender to God’s will and know that, when you answer the call, he will provide you with everything you would need.

Journey has been arduous, awesome

By Michael E. Weaver

My ordination to the diaconate will be very meaningful on so many levels. My father Jerome Weaver was a deacon for the Diocese of Honolulu, and to be called to the same vocation as he was, and to know how much that calling meant to him, will make my ordination day an overwhelmingly emotional one for me and for my family. It will also be bittersweet since my mother Verna passed away just last March. I so wanted her to be there on this special day.

But as wonderful as the day of ordination will be, it is the days, weeks, months and years after that day that will mean the most to me. To be able to answer God’s summons to service, to stand before God’s altar in worship, to proclaim God’s Word and to take that Word out into the world, all of that, and more, is what I have felt called to for a long time. The road behind me on this journey to ordination has been both arduous and awesome. The road ahead, with God’s help, will be equally so. God is truly good! All the time!

It is all about Christ and his mission

By Joseph T. Soon

Ordination to the diaconate is going to be a very humbling experience for me, as it will allow me to fully submerge myself in serving Christ and his Body, the church, and all brothers and sisters in Christ. Five years of formation have made me realize that it was and is never about me, it is all about Christ and his mission here on earth. It has also taught me to be more other-centered and not self-centered. It has been and will always be a very emotional journey as I continue to strive to be a worthy instrument of his love.

My family and my wife’s family and our Christian family were and are very supportive, in prayer and encouragement. There will always be challenges and I continue to pray for the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and trust in the working of the Holy Spirit that I may always reflect the Heart of Christ in word and in deed.

Call for those willing to be shaped by God

By Eric Kim

If I look back into the life of my wife and I, every so often a door would close and another open, stages so to speak where we could see God’s hand at work. This will be another door opened. Ordination to the diaconate will be the next big step in our journey of faith. I personally never envisioned being in the position I am today, standing with 12 brother candidates and their wives who, over five years, have intimately bonded. We’ve been through countless hours of instruction by some of Chaminade University’s most beloved and knowledgeable professors, learning about prison, hospice, social ministries and yes, even a semester of “Philosophy!”

Still, there were many instances when I felt unworthy and not qualified to be a symbol of Christ the servant. Yet throughout formation (and it really is a transformation), I’ve come to realize that the call to serve isn’t for those who think they’re ready as much as it is for those who are willing to be shaped by God. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what it means to be a servant of God’s people, the imprisoned, the sick and dying and the marginalized, even our own families. Servitude demands humility.

A new dimension of service to God

By Joe Almuena

One of the things I enjoy and look forward to every Sunday is serving with my family during the Mass. We would all serve in one way or another — as a choir member, as an altar server, an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist or as a lector. Once in a while, everyone in the family is serving in one capacity or another in the same Mass. I get such a wonderful feeling of joy seeing the family serving together.

Becoming ordained as a deacon will add a deeper meaning to our service to God together. I get chicken skin envisioning serving as a deacon in Mass with one of the kids as an acolyte, my wife Easter and another child as lectors, another as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and the others singing God’s praises in the choir.

As an ordained deacon, a new dimension of service to God will be added — serving the people of God beyond the walls of the physical church. I am hopeful that this new ministry will also inspire my family to expand their service to the community.

God’s grace turned my doubt into joy

By Romeo E. Ganibe

At the beginning of my diaconal call, I thought about how it would affect my daily life, my wife, my family and my full-time job. The thought of five years of formation seemed quite a heavy load with academic studies, homiletics preparation and online homework, leaving no time for family activities, and time lost from work and rest and relaxation.

But now, I stand here today, five years later, without question or concern. God’s amazing grace has brought my doubt into nothing but complete excitement and joy, and even more a desire to extend God’s amazing love to others.

The extensive studies, new relationships and opportunities to serve in different ministries have been blessings I will never forget. But overall, my personal relationship with the heavenly Father has been my greatest treasure. I take this treasure I hold in my heart as it continues to grow with God, my wife, family and all those I can serve.

Ordination into the diaconate is, for me, a gift: an opportunity to deepen my love for God through serving him and our holy Catholic Church community. With the responsibility of being ordained, I am reminded that I am commissioned to “Receive the Gospel of Christ … believe what I read, teach what I believe and practice what I teach.”

With God, we do not have to be afraid

By Jose L. Ancheta

I view this ordination to the diaconate as a gift from God, not just for me, but also for the entire church in the sense that everything I’ll do once ordained will be in the name of God. What this means to me is that it will lead me to a much deeper relationship with God and greater awareness of his self-giving love and to share this faith with all people without boundaries.

I see the work of a deacon as a faithful servant, proclaiming the Good News, reaching out and offering care and compassion to the needy and disadvantaged, and actively participating in the public square to preserve and safeguard our faith. In addition, ordination will mean my time will be divided between family, work and my ministry. It’s a huge undertaking, but I’m always encouraged with the belief that even in the face of failures and shortcomings, we do not have to be afraid, for the God who calls people to serve is faithful and steadfast in love to those who respond generously.

It is in this insight that led St. Paul, reflecting on the love of Christ that transformed him, to say: “Glory be to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”

Raises service to a sign of grace

By Joseph P. Aglia

These past five years, as a deacon candidate, has been a wonderful spiritual journey with God and with my peers along with my wife Donata at my side. Thank you Bishop Larry Silva, Deacon John Coughlin and his wife Kathy and the deacon formation team for your prayers and support.

Completing the academic requirements of Chaminade University, and receiving the major steps of Rite of Lector and the Rite of Acolyte have greatly strengthened my spiritual growth and personal relationship with God. It has also broadened my knowledge and ability to know the deacon’s role or function, not only to assist the priest but to act in the name of Christ and of the whole church, and raises the meaning of service to an efficacious sign of grace.

I am looking forward for the challenge, the commitment and to take the next important step as a permanent deacon.