10 new deacons will be ordained for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop Boyea on Saturday, May 13, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Deo gratias!
Two of the diaconate candidates are seminarians who will progress, God willing, onto the priesthood. Meanwhile the other eight are married men who will be ordained permanent deacons. That includes James Collom of Saint Martha in Okemos. He writes:
"As I approach ordination, I find myself increasingly praying with the words that Bishop Boyea will say after I make my promises of prayer and obedience, 'May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.' It is both humbling and reassuring to think that despite the anticipatory nervousness of things like assisting at Mass or preaching, that really, the good things, the things that are of God aren’t dependent upon me. That God, the author of every good thing, really is seeking a cooperator, someone to be configured to Christ the servant, through which God can act to bring about some small piece of salvation history. It’s an incredibly humbling thought. I think the thing I am most looking forward to are the quiet conversations held with parents as they prepare to have their child baptized or with a couple preparing for marriage or an individual who has some business before the Tribunal. These conversations are so incredibly privileged; to be able to speak on behalf of the Church and God is something that inspires a great sense of reverential awe. If I could beg one thing of the faithful, it would be to please pray for me and for my fellow ordinandi; that our ministries will always be one that leads people to Christ and inspires in others a greater love for our Savior."
Please keep James and all the ordinands in your prayers in the days to come. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for them!