Deacon Christian Huebner

This past Thursday, September 27th, our own seminarian Christian Huebner was ordained to the diaconate in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. As a transitional deacon, Christian will be making his life changing promises. He will be pledging his obedience to the Archbishop of Washington and his successors. He will be making a promise to live the celibate life. He will also be promising to pray the Liturgy of the Hours regularly. All deacons, priests and bishops pray the Liturgy of the Hours also known as the Breviary. The Liturgy of the Hours consists of praying the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. By praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the whole day is consecrated to God.
While ordination to the priesthood tends to get everybody's attention, it is the ordination to the diaconate that is a huge existential change for the man. When I was ordained to the diaconate, I remember sitting in the pew with my family and then being called up to the altar. All of a sudden, the way you go to Mass changes radically. You stop going to Church just looking to be "filled" with a good homily, good music, or good liturgy. As a deacon, you go to Church now to serve the people of God in the pews and are very concerned about their salvation. While our seminarian Christian, already reflected the heart of Christ the servant, his heart will now be ordered by God (this is where we get the word "ordained") to love His people with total devotion by the grace Christian received at his ordination to the diaconate. This love of the people increases even more when a man becomes a priest and a pastor. Please keep our seminarian Christian in your prayers as he continues to prepare for his next ordination to the order of presbyters and the priesthood in June 2019.  St. Edward the Confessor, pray for him!
 
God Bless,
              Fr. Scott