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Cardinal Dolan used two words to describe the feelings the eight men the Holy Spirit had chosen for ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacon might have been experiencing Saturday morning as they prepared to prostrate themselves before the altar at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the Litany of Supplication. His words: “awe” and “intimidation.”
But while the cardinal hoped there would certainly be a powerful sense of the former, he said there was certainly no need for the latter.
“It should not intimidate you,” he assured the eight. “For one, Jesus tells us do not be afraid. Number two, we also know Almighty God never gives us a call, a vocation, a charism, a task without giving us the grace to do it.”
But most importantly, Cardinal Dolan told the eight men about to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders that the sacraments had surrounded them since the day they were baptized into the faith many years before. The eight are: Deacon Daniel Byrne, Deacon Lawrence Candarelli, Deacon Wilson Martinez, Deacon Candido Padro Jr., Deacon Nicholas Ramoni, Deacon Francis Rose, Deacon Angelo Salvatorelli and Deacon Richard Scheibe.
“Sacrament is an extraordinarily important word in the Catholic vocabulary,” he explained. “You eight men are soon going to be very intimately bound in the celebration of and administration of the sacraments. We savor the sacraments. We know there are seven of them in our Catholic life. Baptism, confirmation, the sacrament of penance or confession, the holy Eucharist, Holy Orders, marriage and the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.”
But then he gave them a very assuring definition of one of the words at the center of Catholic theology.
“You know what a sacrament is, right?” he asked. “A sacrament is an outward sign given us by Jesus, cherished and celebrated in his Church, imparting his very life to us. You like that definition? It’s not mine. It comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. My brothers, today you share in a new sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders.”
But what he said was most important for the men to consider is that with their ordination, they become themselves living embodiments of the sacraments.
“What I want to point out to you, my eight brothers, is that beginning today you become a sacrament. In other words, the Church mandates you to live that definition I just gave of the sacrament. Think of it. You are to be an outward sign given us by Jesus, cherished and celebrated in his Church in imparting God’s life to others. You’re called to be a sacrament!”
Then each of the men rose and stood before their bishop who questioned them together. Each of the elect then knelt before the cardinal and promised to respect and obey him and all his successors. The cardinal invited the congregation to pray as the eight prostrated themselves before the altar in a sign of service while the Litany of Saints was sung. Following the singing of the litany the cardinal stood, stretched out his arms and asked God to sanctify the eight men, saying, “We believe them worthy to exercise sacred ministries.”
Then each man again knelt before the cardinal who placed his hands on their heads silently. Finally, with hands again extended the cardinal said the Prayer of Ordination. Following the laying on of hands signifying ordination, the deacons were vested with their stoles and dalmatics, which signifies Christ on the cross.
More than 50 deacons processed and assisted at the Mass. Then they welcomed their new brothers into their midst. During his homily the cardinal had thanked the families of the eight men, particularly their wives who had shared in the long journey, playfully noting the wives, perhaps best of all, were the ones to judge their husbands worthiness for the diaconate.
Deacon Candarelli of Holy Spirit parish in Cortlandt Manor acknowledged he was a little intimidated when he embarked on the journey five years ago. But he told CNY that those concerns had dissipated by the time of his ordination.
“I got calmer as we got closer to ordination, so I would say God’s grace has overcome the fear. For me it was more a sense of awe,” he said.
His wife, Lori Ann, agreed it had all been worth it.
“It’s been a wonderful, wonderful struggle of a journey,” she acknowledged. “It’s been wonderful to see him grow and to see our family grow with him. And to be so close to the Church is overwhelming.”
Deacon Salvatorelli of St. Benedict’s parish in the Bronx said he felt the powerful presence of God as he prostrated himself.
“We felt the presence of God so heavy on us that we were so overwhelmed in awe that we literally broke down,” he said. “It was very, very touching.”
His wife, Maria, said the formation experience was beneficial for both of them. “I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said of the ordination ceremony. “I took classes with him and I learned a lot and I know that God’s taking care of us.”
When asked what he was feeling right then, Deacon Ramoni of St. John the Baptist parish in Yonkers responded, “Total joy! I feel like I’m home,” he beamed. “I’m a little afraid but I’m confident. I am happy and joyful in Jesus!”
