ROCKFORD—Two men were ordained by Bishop David Malloy as deacons on May 15 at the Cathedral of St. Peter here.

 

Seminarian Nathan Pacer was ordained as a transitional deacon — an important step before his scheduled ordination as a priest in 2022.

 

Stewart Dobson was ordained as a permanent deacon. He is a member of the permanent diaconate class of 2020, but was unable to be ordained with his class last fall after he contracted the COVID-19 virus at that time. 

 

Many of the deacons in Deacon Dobson’s class attended his ordination on Saturday as did several of Deacon Pacer’s seminary friends and Father Michael Monshau from St. Paul Seminary. 

 

A handful of priests and seminarians, family members and friends attended, and the event was livestreamed so other loved ones could participate as well.

 

Acknowledging those family members, Bishop Malloy said in his homily,  “Your prayers, your faith, your support are part of what has brought Nate and Stu to this day, along with the calling of the Lord, of course.”

 

He spoke of the reading from the Acts of the Apostles that describes the beginnings of the diaconate.

 

Those chosen back then, he said, were “men who had impressed the Church by their faith and character.”

 

In that reading, the bishop added, “we sense a depth and a seriousness of belief that helps us understand the calling and the presence of Nate and Stu today. The Apostles not only asked for men of good repute. They also said that those men must be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom.”

 

Noting that the Holy Spirit gives gifts “specifically” according to a person’s calling, and that wisdom is of God and is grace-filled, Bishop Malloy pointed to how the Apostles “prayed and laid hands upon those seven men.

 

“These men were being set apart from the other believers. The prayer of the Apostles was the particular intercession of the Church for a special calling that is linked to the essence of service, but at the same times goes beyond any day-to-day understanding of it.”

 

He noted also the “permanence” of that call, which is “looking always forward, not backward ... Your diaconate is rooted in service both historically and in grace. That will be as a service to the faithful, a service to your parish, a service to the Diocese, and a service to the Church universal.

 

“Let it always be, in the context of faith and prayer, your constant question: ‘How can I help?’”

 

Their service, he said, includes assisting priests and the bishop, building up Church unity, praying for the Church and the world, and to proclaim God’s Word.