Diaconate: The International Edition

On Saturday, the 5th of May, 2018, His Excellency the Most Reverend Wolfgang Haas, Archbishop of Vaduz, Liechtenstein, conferred the diaconate upon six men, four French and two German, of our international seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany. The 2018 ordinandi:

Rev. Mr. Janosch Donner
Rev. Mr. Christophe Joly
Rev. Mr. Julius Kappel
Rev. Mr. Hubert Lion
Rev. Mr. Thibaut Matschek
Rev. Mr. Thomas Souville

The day could not have been a more beautiful one for the ceremony, the spring sun illuminating the green hills of the little Bavarian town of Gestratz as the ordinandi processed into the parish church, where the Pontifical Mass and the ordinations took place. His Excellency was assisted by Fr. Patrick du Faÿ, Rector of the seminary, Fr. Brice Meissonnier and Fr. Sven Conrad.

As each candidate entered the crowded chapel, he carried a candle in his right hand and his stole and dalmatic, the particular vestments of the deacon, on his left arm. The main part of the ordination ceremony comprises the laying of the bishop’s right hand upon the head of each candidate and the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon him, the clothing of the candidate in the stole and dalmatic, and the presentation to him of the book of the Gospels, which it is his new duty to sing during Mass.

Please pray for these men and the newly-ordained deacons of our North American seminary, who advanced to the diaconate on March 17th of this year. They are drawing close to their priestly ordinations, the culmination of years of prayer, study and discernment, and your prayers are invaluable to them as they enter into this final stage of preparation.