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Deaconate Ordination - The Real Deal


Well, I am trying to catch up with everything that has been going on lately (it's a constant battle to find time to write stuff on here), and so, I am posting about the deaconate ordination just 1 day after it happened!  (of course it's nearly midnight...)  Anyway, it took place yesterday morning, on April the 6th.  We, all the Springfield seminarians here at Bruté, drove down to the Villa Maria, a retreat house that the diocese owns in Springfield), on Friday night, and drove over the cathedral on Saturday morning.  Fr. Daren, once again, had me serving in the book-bearer role.  I was glad to get this position for two reasons; first, I had just done that position a week or two prior (at the Chrism Mass), and, as it turned out, I was also right there when the two guys were ordained deacons.  Really awesome!  It was so cool – Steve, and then Seth, came up, placed their hands within the bishop’s and promised to live the life of a deacon: prayer, celibacy, obedience, etc., then they prostrated themselves on the floor as the litany of saints was sung (my arms were shaking at this point), next was the actual laying on of hands – again I was within inches of the guys when this happened (you could just about feel the Holy Spirit placing the indelible mark of ordination on their soul) – and finally the prayer of ordination.  Obviously, many other things happened during the Mass, but this was the most interesting part, and I was lucky to be right there.  After they were ordained, both received the book of the Gospels from the bishop and were clothed in the dalmatic.  It really was a supernatural moment when they were ordained – awesome!  (of course, then I think that I could be putting my hands in the bishop's in 5 or 6 years...  yeah, scary, keep the prayers coming!)
St. Stephen - pray for us!

After the ordination, we stuck around for the reception (pulled pork, pickles  cookies..), and then went over to the cathedral rectory where we enjoyed some more pulled pork (this time made by Fr. Daren Zehnle, who happens to be a fantastic cook).  His had a really nice smokey flavor, and he had Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce to go with it, so, yeah, really good food.  It was kind of funny, the Bishop walked in a few minutes after we did, (we had just been talking with him while snacking in the atrium of the Cathedral) and the first thing he said upon walking into the kitchen was "eating again?" (he did try some of it himself).  I guess moderation still counts during the Easter Octave...  We hit the road after talking with Fr. Daren a little while longer.  On the way back we met up with Michael's parents in Champain, IL, who very benevolently treated us to ice cream.  Again, we talked for a little while before finally hitting the road again.  I drove the two hours back to Bruté (it's the same road that I drive to go home, so I'm starting to get familiar with it), and we got back here around 9 PM.  It was a long day, but very much worth it.  Keep Steve and Seth in your prayers as they begin their new lives as deacons!
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The Chrism Mass

Well, Tuesday was quite fun (and long).  5 of us guys from Bruté left Indianapolis around 9:15 and drove the 3 hours to the Cathedral.  It was an uneventful drive, during which I slept quite a bit and finished Bishop Paprocki's book.  We got the the Cathedral around 11:30 (gaining an hour with the time change) and met with the other Springfield seminarians from Mudelein, Meinrad, and Sacred Heart seminaries.  We went out to a delicious lunch at Maldaners; I enjoyed the pasta bolognese (at another seminarian's recommendation).  5 stars! 

Then we walked back to the cathedral and began to setup and practice for the Chrism Mass.  Fr. Daren Zehnle, who, besides other duties, is the episcopal master of ceremonies, was in charge of trying to give us all roles, teach us what to do, and make sure everything went smoothly.  Needless to say, he had quite the task on his hands.  Anyway, I was assigned the role of holding the Roman Missal for the bishop.  Thankfully, this job, while hard on the arms, is rather simple to actually do, and so, I didn't have to learn a ton during the practice.
 
We have a beautiful cathedral!
After practice was over, I had the opportunity to serve for the bishop during the Holy Hour.    This wasn't any different than any other Exposition, though there was the inclusion of a deacon, MC, and the cope and miter bearers.  I was in charge of holding the cope (at Exposition) and the book (at Benediction).  The exceptional thing about this Exposition was that it was the first time I wore the roman collar.  While vesting up before hand, Steve, who will be ordained a deacon in 10 days, noted that I didn't have a collar and promptly outfitted me with one.  I had never worn one, so for all I know it could have been totally askew  but it was a very cool experience nonetheless.  Something about that little white square (and the added pressure around your neck) just ups the ante a little.  Quite the awesome experience!  
 

During the Holy Hour we chanted vespers (evening prayer).  It turned out beautifully; the organ throbbing in the background was spectacular, and the cathedral echoed from all the voices chanting in unison (Bruté just doesn't have that kind of acoustics).  Anyway, Benediction went fine, and my arms weren't wobbling too terribly while holding the book up in front of the Bishop. After the Holy Hour, we had a quick dinner (lasagna, salad, steamed vegetables), and then got all vested up for the Mass.  Again, one of the other guys outfitted me with the collar; really cool!

 OK, onto the big event:  Mass started at 6:30, with the procession of all the seminarians, then deacons, then priests.  I was actually in the very back - behind the two vimps (guys who hold the miter and crosier), who processed in after the Bishop.  This meant that I had a great view of the entire procession and could watch the entire operation   After processing up into the Sanctuary (with the organ and choir singing beautifully), I went to my position behind the Bishop's cathedra.  Thankfully, all I had to do was wait to receive the book from one of the deacons and then walk out and held it for the bishop.  Fr. Zehnle had written all the different parts into the worship aid, a project that must have been incredibly time consuming, but, for me at least, was very, very, helpful.  I always knew where we were at in the ceremony and what I had to do next.  

 The only tough thing about holding the book is the physical stamina it requires.  I'm not exactly Mr. Incredible, so after a few minutes of holding that missal, especially when you have to extend your arms to get it near the bishop, your arms start to protest.  Actually, the biggest problem that I had was that my hands were sweaty, so my thumbs, which I propped the missal up with, would start to ever-so-slowly slip sideways.  Of course, this meant more pressure had to be applied, and my thumbs slipped a bit more...  Either way, none of the times I had to hold it (Introit through Gloria, Renewal of priestly promises, blessing of holy oils, and final prayer) were longer than a few minutes and all went pretty well (I didn't drop the book or hold it upside down).

Mass was just incredible!  Being up there with all the other seminarians, deacons, and priests (besides the bishop) was inspiring, and everything really went smoothly.  Really great experience!  I saw the family briefly afterwords; they had driven over from Quincy, so that was cool.  We (the Bruté guys) left around 9:30 and got back to Bruté  around 1:30 AM.  The drive back was alright - my legs aren't too long so I fit in back seats better than most - but the drive was long and late.  (On the bright side it allowed me to schedule classes less than 2 hours after they opened at midnight! - always a silver lining!)

Have a blessed Holy Thursday folks!
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