OCEANSIDE — Bishop Michael Pham recently presided over his first ordinations since being entrusted with the San Diego Diocese last summer.
Through the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination, the bishop ordained Christopher Haack, Kevin Johnson, Michael Macie, Joseph Naval, Joseph Parker, Juan Pablo Rodríguez, Francisco Sanchez and David Vacchi to the permanent diaconate on May 30 at St. Thomas More Church in Oceanside.
“Today, you are not simply receiving a title or a role,” Bishop Pham told them in his homily. “You are being configured more closely to Christ the Servant. The Church asks you to lay down your lives daily in prayer, in service, in sacrifice and in love.”
At the beginning of his homily, Bishop Pham recalled meeting with each of the eight deacon candidates and their wives and asking the men why they desired ordination. He shared their vocation stories with the congregation.
“Listening to all of you,” he told the eight, “I realize each story is different, yet all are united by one thing: a desire to serve Christ and his people with humility, generosity and love.”
Bishop Pham joked that he also knew “the real reason” they wanted to become deacons: to receive all seven sacraments.
Noting that most people will only ever receive six at most, with priests receiving holy orders and married couples the sacrament of matrimony, he told the eight married men who were about to be ordained, “Today, you are one sacrament ahead of most people.”
Adopting a more serious tone, Bishop Pham explained that, through the sacrament of holy orders, the men would “receive an indelible spiritual mark” and be “entrusted with a ministry rooted in service.”
He explained that the word “deacon” itself is derived from “diakonos,” a Greek word that means “servant.” A deacon’s responsibilities, he said, include proclaiming the Gospel, assisting at the altar and reaching out to the poor, sick and marginalized.
“There is a tremendous need (in this diocese) for this ministry of compassionate presence and service,” Bishop Pham said.
He reminded the eight men that diaconal ministry is “not about status, recognition or authority,” but about “humble service” after the manner of Jesus.
“In a world that often values power, recognition and success,” he said, “the diaconate reminds us that greatness in the eyes of God is measured by our willingness to serve.”
Bishop Pham said that a deacon cannot bring Christ to others unless he himself remains close to Christ.
“Ministry without prayer becomes empty,” he said. “Service without love becomes duty.”
The bishop acknowledged that answering the call to the diaconate also entails “a great sacrifice” for the deacons’ wives.
“I hope you asked her for permission first. Did you?” Bishop Pham asked the men, eliciting laughter from the congregation.
He reminded them that, even after ordination, their family will continue to be their “first vocation” and “primary responsibility.” But, with their wives, they now will offer themselves “more deeply in service to the people of God.”
“Your ministry will reach the sanctuary and the streets,” Bishop Pham told the men. “You will stand at the altar, but you must also walk among the people, bringing Christ’s compassion into homes, hospitals, prisons, schools, shelters and neighborhoods.
“Many people may never remember your homily,” he continued, “but they will remember your kindness; they will remember your patience; they will remember whether you listened to them when they were hurting. That is the ministry of the deacon.”
