Greetings To All,

It's been a while since i checked in at Phatmass, though i've been praying for my Vocation Prayer Partner all the while. Meanwhile, i've been in priestly formation for the Diocese of Buffalo, NY, and i have a joyful announcement to make:

I will be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate on November 3rd, 2006, and wish to ask for your prayers as i approach this climactic moment.

My ultimate goal, of course, is priesthood. But the diaconate is where i'll be making all the major promises, so this too is a big moment. My priestly ordination should follow next year, May 19th.

Please pray that i will be as open as possible to receive the enormous font of grace which will open to me as my bishop lays his hands upon my head.

Many Thanks in Christ,
D.Be

Prayers...

I will certainly keep you in my prayers. Would you mind sharing some reflections on your time spent in seminary thus far?

Prayers of Consecration

Almighty God,
be present with us by your power.
You are the source of all honor,
you assign to each his rank,
you give to each his ministry.
You remain unchanged,
but you watch over all creation and make it new
through you Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord:
he is your Word, your power, and your wisdom.
You forsee all things in your eternal providence
and make due provision for every age.
You make the Church, Christ's body,
grow to its full stature as a new and greater temple.
Your enrich it with every kind of grace
and perfect it with a diversity of member
to serve the whole body in a wonderful pattern of
unity.
You established a threefold ministry of worship and
service
for the glory of your name.
As ministers of your tabernacle you chose the sons of
Levi
and gave them your blessing as their everlasting
inheritance.
In the first day of your Church
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
the apostles of your Son appointed seven men of Good
repute
to assist them in the daily ministry,
so that they themselves might be more free for prayer
and preaching.
By prayer and the laying on of hands
the apostles entrusted to those chosen men the ministry
of serving at tables.

Lord,
send forth upon them the Holy Spirit,
that they may be strengthened
by the gift of the sevenfold grace
to carry out faithfully the work of the ministry.

May they excel in every virtue:
in love that is sincere,
in concern for the sick and the poor,
in unassuming authority,
in self-discipline,
and in holiness in life.
May their conduct exemplify your commandments
and lead your people to imitate their purity of life.
May they remain strong and steadfast in Christ,
giving to the world the witness of a pure conscience.
May they in this life imitate your Son,
who came, not to be served but to serve,
and one day reign with him in heaven.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.


Presentation of the Book of the Gospels

Receive the Gospel of Christ,
whose herald you now are.
Believe what you read,
teach what you believe,
and practice what you teach.

Hooooray!!!!!


Payers for you and for all who discern priesthood!!!!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY! That's wonderful!! So you'll be a priest by next year, wow (feels old,lol) and you'll be ordained in May, the month of Our Lady, wonderful!!!!

Thanks to all! Your support is a blessing to me.

Fr. Cappie, thanks for posting that consecration prayer. My formation advisor has suggested that i pray over the ritual text, and that prayer is the heart of it.


Okay, just a few reflections. I'll try to keep them focused and short (i.e. not boring )

1) i guess i could sum it all up with one quote. When i was discerning, i met with a seminarian who told me, "It's frightening and wonderful all at the same time." As ordination approaches, i am spiritually prepared and morally certain that it is Jesus' will for me. This fills me with peace, although there is always anxiety knowing the heavy responsibility of diocesan ministry. Ezekiel has some awesome and fearsome things to say about shepherds who mislead their flock. But the words "Jesus, I trust in you" help to dispell the fear.

2) Spiritually, i developed a devotion to the Divine Mercy soon after entering seminary. Much later, four years after entering, i had a powerful prayer experience with the Sacred Heart, and have since grown very close to our Lord's Wounded Heart. It's so amazing to think of how Jesus has given me what i need, slowly, in little installments along the way. Also, the Liturgy of the Hours is a great joy, especially praying it in community.

3) The formation process is different for each guy, cauz everyone comes from different backgrounds these days, but for me it was 7 years -- six years of study with a one year parish assignment in the middle. There are frequent spiritual peaks and valleys (my engineering background makes me think of them as "sine waves of the soul"), and often during the low spots i would doubt my vocation. But prayer always confirmed it. That's the great thing about any seminary campus... you have 24/7 access to a Tabernacle. A daily holy hour is key! Although i haven't always been as faithful to it as i should have been. Consistent prayer life is a real battle.

4) When in a formation program, it's important not to over-react to those feelings of doubt. Give it time, like a year or two, and see what happens. Look at the patterns over time. A good spiritual director helped me to see this, and it was crucial. Spiritual direction can make a huge difference.

Thanks for your interest, veritas99, and your prayers. btw, i am a big fan of St. Athanasius too. Wrote a paper on his anti-Arian writings for Trinity class.
God bless and Mary protect.
D.Be

thank you for sharing. Yeah Athanasius is one of my favorite saints and is just great model of perservernce and much more. My prayers will be with you as you prepare

You've got our prayers! Congratulations!!!

I'll be at the ordination. And taking pictures too.

Prayers my brother
Good luck.

Wow. I think I remember you from onerock way back when! I will certainly be praying for you. God bless you and keep you, and Our Lady, Mother of priests, watch over you.

So...how'd it go????