Andrew Junker/CATHOLIC SUN

Cody McDonald stands before Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted during his ordination to the transitional diaconate May 30 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

Seminarian takes one step closer to the priesthood with ordination to the diaconate

God willing, Deacon McDonald will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix one year from now.

“We give thanks to God today for one of our young men whom I have the privilege of ordaining a deacon for service to the Church,” Bishop Olmsted said during his homily.

The ordination fell on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, which provided the bishop a context for his thoughts on ministerial life and belief in general.

“We don’t believe in the Blessed Trinity because we can fully understand, just as we don’t love a person because we understand them,” he said. “Even if our understanding falls short, the mystery of the other person or the great mystery of God draws us closer.”

Bishop Olmsted said that the mystery of the “Triune God is at the center of any vocation.”

“Every element of our faith is united to the Blessed Trinity. What an appropriate day for the ordination of a man to the diaconate,” he said.

Deacon McDonald described the ordination a powerful event, one that was long in the making.

“At the start of Mass it struck me that this whole time that I’ve been in seminary, it’s been looking forward to this and looking forward to the commitment of offering my whole life,” he said. “This is the moment where I’m finally just handing myself over.”

Deacon McDonald said for years the idea of being ordained had just been a “beautiful thought,” but processing down the cathedral’s nave made all his prayer and discernment concrete.

“It made me a little nervous,” he admitted. “But a powerful moment was lying prostrate on the ground and having everyone there praying for me to be open to receiving all the grace that God will give me.”

During the ordination ceremony, the ordinand lies face down on the church’s floor while the bishop, priests and laity kneel and pray the Litany of the Saints.

Bishop Olmsted described a deacon’s duty as being “servant to all.” Some of a deacon’s ministry includes proclaiming the Gospel, preaching during Mass, assisting at the altar, baptizing and marrying Catholics.

“The Lord has set an example that just as He, Himself, has done, so should you do,” Bishop Olmsted told Deacon McDonald. “Do the will of God from your heart.”

Many of Deacon McDonald’s family members joined him in the first pew during the Mass. Parishioners from St. Mary in Chandler -- Deacon McDonald’s home parish -- also attended the Mass.

This summer, Deacon McDonald will serve at Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa before returning to St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver this fall. But before all that, the new deacon put into action his new ministry.

“Right after the ordination, my family had a small get together, and just to be able to bless the food as a deacon was special,” Deacon McDonald said. “The next day at St. Mary’s I preached my first homily.”