by JMac & Father Mylin Noronha for BISMumbai

On 22 February 2020, the feast of The See of Peter -the Apostle, 03 Salesians Scholastics – Akhil Abraham and Nelson Mudaliar and Ronald Vaz were ordained Deacons by Bishop Thomas Dabre - Bishop of Pune at Sacred Heart Church, Yerwada.

Their ordination to the diaconate comes as a culmination of three years of theological formation, and is a definitive step in their journey towards being ordained priests.

In his homily, Bp Dabre drew inspiration from the collect of the liturgy of the sacrament and urged the ordinandi to be ‘Effective in action, gentle in ministry and constant in prayer’. He also referred to the gospel of the eucharist and said, “If you love God, you will love the people; and if you love the people, you can serve them.” The Bishop also reminded the ordinandi of their total commitment to God as celibates, their duty to serve the people of God and the need of God’s grace for fidelity in their vocation.

On behalf of the Provincial, Fr Ashley Miranda - The Vice Provincial – thanked the Bishop, the formators of the deacons. He also expressed his gratitude to the parents of the deacons and reminded them to continue praying for their sons. He exhorted them to constantly challenge their sons to be good ordained ministers.

In his vote of thanks, Dn Mudaliar said "I feel blessed and privileged to be an instrument of God. Thanks to all the people and friends who have moulded us and shaped our lives the past years and who have seen us make it to this moment."

During the year of Consecrated life in 2015, Pope Francis said to religious, “Wake up the world. Be witnesses of a different kind.” May the newly ordained deacons be ‘Men with a difference’ who begin their ministry with fervour and creativity to serve God and His people, and prepare well for their priestly ordinations.