"The Lord has given you the example. That just as He Himself has done, so also you must do. Like Jesus, who appeared in the midst of the disciples, your job is to do the will of God in charity from the heart."
By Dr. Joe McAleer
The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary are pleased to announce that Br. Patrick Lynch, MIC, was ordained to the transitional diaconate, the last step, God willing, on his vocational journey to the priesthood.
The ordination took place on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 9 a.m. at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The Most Rev. William D. Byrne, Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts, celebrated the Mass and conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Men studying for the priesthood are ordained as transitional deacons prior to beginning their final period of study before ordination to the priesthood. Deacons are able to preach at Mass, baptize, celebrate weddings, and bring Viaticum to the dying, all while undergoing additional pastoral, liturgical, and educational preparation.
Ministry of charity and service
In his homily, Bishop Byrne stressed the ministry of service associated with the diaconate.
"Deacon Patrick will carry out a ministry of charity in the name of the whole Church," he said. "In all his duties, he will act with the help of God, in such a way as one who did not come to be served, but to serve.
"The Lord has given you the example. That just as He Himself has done, so also you must do. Like Jesus, who appeared in the midst of the disciples, your job is to do the will of God in charity from the heart.
"To serve others with joy — therein lies the key. To serve with love, to serve with kindness — this is what the world is starving for. This is what changes and transforms hearts.
"You are blessed to come from a big family, rooted in faith. As a minister of the Church, you will be a public witness. You will be a signpost to the world. And you must show yourself without blemish and beyond reproach before God and others. Your life must show to the world that we are all called to be fishers of men.
"So do not allow yourself to be turned away from the hope of the Gospel. There will be days when it will be challenging. There'll be days when it's harder to pray. But on those days you must even pray more. And hold fast to the great mystery of faith with a clear conscience expressed by your actions and the Word of God, which your lips will now proclaim, the very words of the holy Gospel, so that the Christian people, brought to life by the Spirit, may become a pure offering acceptable to God. And so that you yourself some day may go out to meet the Lord on the Last Day and be able to hear Him say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!'"
Power of Prayer — and an Invitation
At a reception and luncheon following Mass in the St. Faustina Center, Deacon Patrick offered thanks and reflections.
"There are so many people present whom I have been blessed to know and have played an important part in my vocation," he said. "It really is just a witness of love for me from all of you.
"To my parents, Griff and Denise, and all my siblings, I love you all so much, and I'm just so happy that you can be here today.
"Next, I want to thank my Marian brothers. I am just so very blessed to be part of this community. It's a really good group of guys, who do some awesome work for the Lord.
"I have to point out Mr. David Van Sise. I wouldn't be here today without him, because I went to high school with his son Gregor. Mr. Van Sise invited me to make a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. This is such a beautiful place, and God's grace is just so abundant here. And that's what kind of started my interest in wanting to be a Marian. So thank you, Mr. Van Sise. It just shows how powerful one invitation can be. You never know where it leads."
Lastly, Deacon Patrick thanked his spiritual director, Fr. Thomas Nau, from the diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, "for keeping me on the straight and narrow." He also thanked Fr. Daniel Firmin, the pastor of his home parish, St. James the Less in Savannah, Georgia.
"The people of that parish have prayed for me by name every Sunday for six or seven years now," Deacon Patrick said. "Thank you so much for having prayed for me all these years. I am so grateful."
England-bound
Deacon Patrick preached his first homily as a deacon at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Sept. 7, at the National Shrine. He will now head to the Marian Fathers' Divine Mercy Apostolate in London, England, where he will work alongside newly-ordained Fr. Alexander Pumphrey, MIC, and Fr. Lukasz Mazurek, MIC.
“I am so grateful for all of those who have shown me by their example what it means to serve others with love," Deacon Patrick concluded. "In a particular way, I want to thank our Marian Helpers, whose prayers and generosity were a constant support during my formation. May God reward you for all you do for us.”
Please pray for Deacon Patrick Lynch, MIC, and all of our Marian priests, brothers, and seminarians!
Visit Marian.org/vocation-support to help Deacon Patrick Lynch, MIC, and his brothers answer God’s call.
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