‘Present’: Archbishop Lori ordains 14 permanent deacons at solemn, yet joy-filled Mass

Editor’s note: A list of the new deacon assignments can be found at the end of this story, along with a photo slideshow and a link to the livestream video.

As 14 candidates to the permanent diaconate heard their names called during the May 9 ordination Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland, they solemnly rose from their pews, stepped toward the altar and declared themselves “present.”

When it was Fernando Paniagua’s turn, that single word was especially meaningful.

Only a few months earlier, Paniagua had been diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy – a rare, terminal variant of Alzheimer’s disease that in its early stages attacks the brain’s ability to process what the eyes see. Though his vision remained intact, his brain was losing the ability to interpret what he saw.

Paniagua’s family wasn’t sure he would be able to be ordained, even though he had completed four years of theological study and pastoral formation at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park. After his diagnosis, his wife, Silvia Peart, sat down with him and asked how he wanted to spend his remaining time. He told her there was one thing he wanted above all else: to be ordained and begin his ministry. 

With the blessing and support of Archbishop William E. Lori, Paniagua’s candidacy moved forward and now, as an aide helped her husband navigate the steps into the sanctuary where Paniagua took his place beside his fellow ordinandi, Peart was overwhelmed with emotion.

“That’s all he wanted,” Peart recalled after the more than two-hour Mass finished, her eyes still moist with emotion. “That’s all he wants.”

Deacon Paniagua’s poignant moment was one among many on a joy-filled day marked by prayer, solemnity, jubilant applause and celebration across cultural boundaries. More than 1,600 people filled the cathedral for the Mass. 

During the ordination rite, the candidates placed their hands in those of Archbishop William E. Lori and promised obedience to him and his successors. They prostrated themselves on the marble floor of the sanctuary as the congregation chanted the Litany of the Saints.

In an ancient gesture, the archbishop laid his hands on their bowed heads, conferring the gift of the Holy Spirit. He offered a prayer of ordination, asking God to dedicate each man to the service of the church.

With the conferral of the sacrament of holy orders, the new deacons were created.

In addition to Deacon Paniagua, the newly ordained deacons included Deacons Alejandro Cañadas, Eduardo Castro, Antonio Diana, Isaac Lopez Rivera, Christopher Marron, Patrick O’Brien, Peter Ogden, Richard Olkowski, Christopher Patrick, Phillip Snyder, Dean Trombley, Angel Velasquez and Darron C. Woodus.

In his homily, Archbishop Lori told the new deacons their ministry would be grounded in love and sustained by ongoing testing and service. 

“The gold standard in ministry is love,” he said. “Not the self centered love of the world, but the self giving love of Christ, who is the source of all consecration and ministry.” 

He reminded them that their work would not be done in isolation but in communion with the Church and their families, urging them to remain rooted in prayer so that “it will not be you who are speaking and acting, but Christ who will speak and act.” 

After their ordination, the deacons were vested in stoles and dalmatics, the liturgical garments of their office. The archbishop handed each new deacon a book of the Gospels and offered each a fraternal kiss, a gesture repeated by more than 60 other deacons. Also present for the Mass were Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Denis J. Madden and approximately 60 priests.

Deacon Castro was among several bilingual men ordained during a liturgy that incorporated readings and songs in Spanish. An immigrant from El Salvador whose father watched the ordination in Central America via livestream, Deacon Castro said he felt a special responsibility to the Spanish-speaking community.

“The reason I answer yes to the Lord is because of my Hispanic community,” he explained prior to the Mass. “OK, Lord. You really want me? Here I am.”

Deacon Velasquez noted that when he received the archbishop’s blessing during the Mass, his mind was filled with gratitude to God and to his family for their support.

Deacon Ogden admitted to “losing it” during the procession into the stone cathedral.

“It was so much more emotional than I expected it to be coming in,” he said. “It was kind of like getting married all over again to a certain extent – but much deeper spiritually.”

Patty Ogden, who has been married to Deacon Ogden for 37 years, said her husband brings a love for the Church and a deep devotion to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. She hopes that his example and preaching might inspire others to a deeper love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

She also noted that her parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Oakland – the westernmost parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore – brought more than 25 parishioners to the cathedral, leaving Garrett County at 6 a.m. for the more than three-hour bus drive.

For Deacon O’Brien, also from St. Peter, the laying on of hands was unlike anything he had experienced. The invocation of the Holy Spirit is what made him a deacon – and he could sense a divine change.

“I felt it,” he said. “I experienced it. It was something different. It was something new.”

He had fought to keep his composure throughout.

“I didn’t leak,” he said with a smile, “but I was about to.”

In the pews, family members watched the rite unfold with emotion and awe. Josiah Trombley, the son of newly ordained Deacon Trombley, said the liturgy left a lasting impression.

“It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” he marveled.

Deacon Woodus noted that deacons cannot enter formation without the blessing of their wives. Like his brother deacons, he expressed gratitude for his wife’s support, caring for their four children and encouraging him through demanding studies.

“You know, she’s the one who encourages me when I may get down about having to write a paper or having to give a reflection or something like that,” he said.

Deacon Woodus encouraged men discerning the diaconate to act rather than hesitate.

“If you’re interested in the ministry, you have to take the first step toward the ministry,” he said. “It’s just like anything else we do in life. If you want to be healthier and exercise, you have to take a step and go into the gym. You have to take that step. Don’t just continuously think about it and talk about it, but do something.”

Taking that step might consist of a conversation with a priest or deacon, or attending an information session, he said.

Justin Kral, among more than 30 parishioners from St. Michael in Overlea who attended the ordination, came to see two sons of the parish, Deacons Olkowski and Castro, ordained. He said priests are often stretched thin, especially with ministry to the sick, and that deacons can help by offering pastoral visits. While they cannot hear confessions or anoint the sick, he said, deacons can provide a ministry of presence and support.

“Having that inclusion is important,” Kral said.

Near the beginning of the Mass, the candidates declared themselves “present.” At its conclusion, they left the cathedral as ordained ministers, ready to carry that presence into parishes, hospitals, prisons and other ministries across the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

For Deacon Paniagua, from St. Mary in Annapolis, presence has always been central to who he is. He has served the homeless at Sarah’s House in Fort Meade and Spanish-speaking parishioners in Edgewater and West River – people, he said, who feel overlooked.

“I want to serve the poor and marginalized,” he told the Catholic Review a few weeks before his ordination, “to ensure that all members of the community feel heard, encouraged and spiritually supported.”

He stepped forward when his name was called. He intends to keep doing so.

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

Assignments

At the end of the ordination Mass, Archbishop Lori announced the new deacon assignments as follows:

Deacon Alejandro Cañadas – St. John the Evangelist, Frederick, and St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown

Deacon Eduardo Castro – St. Joseph, Cockeysville

Deacon Antonio Diana – St. Philip Neri, Linthicum, and St. Clement I, Lansdowne

Deacon Isaac Lopez Rivera – St. Timothy, Walkersville

Deacon Christopher Marron – St. Leo the Great, Little Italy

Deacon Patrick O’Brien – St. Peter the Apostle, Oakland

Deacon Peter Ogden, St. Peter the Apostle, Oakland

Deacon Richard Olkowski – St. Michael, Overlea

Deacon Fernando Paniagua – St. Mary, Annapolis

Deacon Christopher Patrick – Church of the Resurrection, Ellicott City, and St. Paul, Ellicott City

Deacon Phillip Snyder – St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Pasadena, and Our Lady of the Chesapeake, Lake Shore

Deacon Dean Trombley – St. Michael, Poplar Springs

Deacon Angel Velasquez – St. Francis de Sales, Abingdon

Deacon Darron C. Woodus – St. Bernardine, Baltimore, and Archbishop’s Delegate for Black Catholics

Use the navigation arrows below to watch a slideshow from Kevin J. Parks. To view more photos or purchase prints, visit our Smugmug page by clicking here. For capsule profiles of each of the new deacons, click here. To watch a recorded livestream of the ordination, click here.

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