October 25, 2016 — Fourteen Jesuits were ordained as deacons on Oct. 22 at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. For Jesuits in formation, ordination to the diaconate is the final step in preparation for priestly ordination in the Society of Jesus.
Bishop Michael Barber, SJ, was the ordaining prelate at the Mass during which 11 Jesuits from the U.S., two from Korea and one from East Africa were ordained to the diaconate. These men are currently studying theology at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California.
The Jesuits ordained are:
- Jacob J. Boddicker, SJ (Wisconsin Province)
- Rodolfo Casals, SJ (USA Northeast Province)
- Jun-yeol Choi, SJ (Korea Province)
- R.J. Fichtinger, SJ (Wisconsin Province)
- Luke J. Hansen, SJ (Wisconsin Province)
- Chanyong Jeon, SJ (Korea Province)
- Brett B. McLaughlin, SJ (USA Northeast Province)
- Oscar Momanyi, SJ (Eastern Africa Province)
- David C. Paternostro, SJ (Central and Southern Province)
- Stephen M. Pitts, SJ (Central and Southern Province)
- Ryan J. Rallanka, SJ (Oregon Province)
- Angelo J. Rizzo, SJ (Maryland Province)
- Sean M. Salai, SJ (Central and Southern Province)
- Christian Wagner, SJ (Chicago-Detroit Province)
For the next nine months, the new deacons will gain pastoral experience before being ordained to the priesthood. As deacons, they can proclaim the Word of God, preach and preside at the sacraments of baptism and marriage and at the rite of Christian burial.
Earlier this year, 18 other Jesuits were ordained to the diaconate at Masses in Boston, Montreal and Toronto. To learn more about Jesuit vocations and formation, visit www.jesuitvocations.org. (Photos by Nano Visser)