Alfred Guerrero ordained a deacon in his home co-cathedral parish

Story and photos by Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz
Hawaii Catholic Herald

Seminarian Alfred Guerrero, in front of hundreds of friends, family and well-wishers at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, took his final major step toward the diocesan priesthood May 27 when Bishop Larry Silva ordained him a deacon.

Guerrero, 27, is a co-cathedral parishioner. As a deacon, he is now able to assist at the altar, proclaim the Gospel and preach during Mass. His diaconate is called “transitional” because it is a stepping stone toward priestly ordination, unlike the “permanent” diaconate which is a distinct vocation for men who are typically married.

Guerrero entered the seminary in 2009. He is the son of the late Calixto and Zenaida Teresa Guerrero. He grew up in Kalihi and is a Farrington High School alum. In 2012, he earned bachelor’s degrees at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon as a double-major in philosophy and religious studies. Guerrero is completing his last year of graduate work and priestly formation at St. Patrick Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California.

A congregation of more than 400 people witnessed Guerrero’s ordination at the co-cathedral. Bishop Silva was the main celebrant at the Friday evening Mass. Deacons and priests from various islands joined him in the sanctuary. Several diocesan seminarians assisted in the liturgy, including Deacon EJ Resinto, who is scheduled to be ordained a priest in July.

The Liturgy of the Word gained a cultural touch with co-cathedral parishioner Nita Ayag proclaiming the first reading, from the Book of Jeremiah, in Ilocano, a Filipino dialect.

Deacon Clarence DeCaires, the diocese’s director of permanent deacons, began the ordination rite after the Liturgy of the Word by calling Guerrero forward.

Father William Shannon, diocesan director of seminarians, presented Guerrero to Bishop Silva as a candidate for ordination. After the bishop accepted Guerrero’s candidacy, the congregation assented with a resonant, “Thanks be to God!”

In his homily, Bishop Silva noted that Guerrero often refers to himself as a “humbled servant.” The bishop said the young seminarian has “come here today because you know that you can do no other than to respond to this call that the Lord has placed on your heart.”

“Today you say yes to that call no matter where it may take you,” Bishop Silva said. “Your future in the end will be filled with light, happiness and abundant love.”

Guerrero, after the bishop’s homily, once again was called forward to the sanctuary. He pledged his obedience to the bishop by answering “I do” to several questions about his responsibilities as a new deacon.

He afterward prostrated himself in the sanctuary. The congregation chanted the Litany of the Saints as Guerrero lay face down in prayer.

He then knelt before Bishop Silva. The bishop silently laid his hands on Guerrero’s head — a solemn gesture passed down from the time of the apostles — and ordained him a deacon.

Guerrero was vested with a deacon’s dalmatic over the alb he wore from the start of the ceremony. He was presented with the Book of the Gospels. The ordination rite concluded with deacons at the Mass greeting the newly ordained Guerrero with the “fraternal kiss of peace.”

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Deacon Guerrero assisted Bishop Silva at the altar.

This summer, Guerrero has been assigned to pastoral work at St. Catherine Church in Kapaa, Kauai. In the fall he will return to Menlo Park, California, to complete his studies at St. Patrick Seminary and University. He is expected to graduate next year with a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology and master’s degrees in divinity and theology.

According to director of seminarians Father Shannon, Guerrero’s ordination as a diocesan priest is slated for late spring or early summer in 2017.