Lenin Suarez thinks he may have first felt the call to the priesthood when he was just 7 in his hometown of Barrancabermeja, Colombia.
But the call became louder for him at age 15 when he was part of his parish’s “very charismatic” youth ministry group. He remembers when he had to discern between seminary and medical school, and being told “as a priest, I could be a healer of souls. As a doctor, I could be a healer of bodies.”
Angel Acuña, from La Plata, Colombia, believes his call to the priesthood began when he was 11, after an unhappy childhood convinced him he was “very self-centered.” A child’s biography of St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order, changed his outlook.
St. Dominic “was a happy guy even though he was sick and he was poor,” Acuña said. “So I decided to imitate him.”
Deacon Suarez, 27, sponsored by St. Margaret Parish in Bel Air, and Deacon Acuña, 36, sponsored by St. Joseph parish in Cockeysville, were two of six men ordained to the transitional diaconate May 20 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen by Archbishop William Lori.
In a joyful and gentle service on a quiet Saturday morning, those in the nearly full nave broke into applause as the ringing of the cathedral bell announced the election of the candidates.
Deacons Acuña and Suarez were the only two who did not have at least some family members present.
The other four were: Deacon Daniel Andrades, 29, of Karachi, Pakistan, sponsored by St. Joseph, Fullerton; Deacon Franz Belleza, 31, of Cebo City, Philippines, sponsored by Our Lady of Victory, Arbutus; Deacon Michael Misulia, 34, of Libertytown, sponsored by St. Peter the Apostle, Libertytown; and Zachary Watson, 29, of Olathe, Kan., sponsored by St. Mark, Fallston.
As transitional deacons, all are expected to be ordained to the priesthood in another year.
“We will do what the Apostles did so long ago – set apart six worthy men,” Archbishop Lori said in his homily.
He outlined their new roles as “proclaiming the Word, serving at the altar, and charity toward those in need.”
Citing the reading from chapter 20 of the Gospel of St. Matthew (“Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must become your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave”), Archbishop Lori reminded the candidates that Jesus urged the Apostles “to abandon the evil of worldly thinking.”
“In every age, the powerful make sure that the destructive force of their authority is felt,” he said. “We must reject worldly ways of thinking,” which include “all forms of elitism, narcissism and authoritarianism.”
Acknowledging the strong human drive for success, Archbishop Lori reminded the candidates, “Jesus sought to transform this drive into a passion to belong to God, body and soul, and for service.”
Deacon Suarez first came to the United States in 2018 at the invitation of a priest from Paterson, N.J., who told him of the urgent need for bilingual clergy.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” he said. “I feel this is what the Lord wants me to do.”
Deacon Acuña, who also arrived in 2018, said, “They made it clear to me” that the archdiocese needed more bilingual priests. “Those (mostly Spanish-speaking) congregations are growing in numbers.”
He’d been eager for ordination to the diaconate. “I know I will grow in holiness and virtue.”
The archdiocesan outreach to recruit Spanish-speakers has been a priority for the past few years.
“Please pray, and ask the Lord to send us many more men,” Father Steven Roth, director of vocations for the archdiocese, told the congregation. “Your presence here today means you have played a pivotal role” in the lives of the six transitional deacons, he added.
At the end of the liturgy, Archbishop Lori announced the pastoral assignments of the newly ordained deacons as they complete a final year of formation for the priesthood.
Deacon Acuña will serve at Sacred Heart, Glyndon; Deacon Andrades at Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus; Deacon Belleza at St. Joseph, Cockeysville; Deacon Misulia at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore and the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland; Deacon Suarez at St. Joseph, Fullerton; and Deacon Watson at St. Clare and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Essex.
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Watch video of the ordination here.
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