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Dear Friends in Christ,

When we think of the courage that is given by faith, there is an unbelievable wealth of example to be found in the history of our Church. Two will suffice for our meditation today.

The first is Stephen, the first named deacon of the Church, and the first martyr of our holy Faith - the first to die for the sake of loving our Lord Jesus Christ above all others. As he fell under the weight of the stones, Stephen's spirit was exalted, he saw Heaven, and cried out in a final insistence of his love and surrender, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

The second example of courage sustained by faith belongs to a Blessed of our Church, and a figure of great significance to our candidate, to his family, and to all who participate in this ordination today - the "Lily of the Mohawks," Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Oppressed and persecuted by her own people, for the Faith she had found and for the virginity to which she had consecrated herself, Blessed Kateri was baptized in 1676, and taken by God in 1680. But in those few years, her life of sanctity and service created a story and an act of witness that would far outlast the few years of her mortal life - and this was done by the simplest tasks - teaching the children around her the prayers of our Faith, and sharing the trials and tribulations of the old people for whom she cared. When her time came, on Wednesday of Holy Week in 1680, the last words she spoke were, "JesusÉI love you."

Though two among countless thousands, the lives and deaths of these, St. Stephen and Blessed Kateri, serve to illustrate the holy ministry to which God, and the Church call certain individuals. In both, we see lives shortened, but completely given to prayer, to teaching, and to service, those actions traditionally associated with the diaconate - and we see spirits, who are still vital, who still play a most important role, in keeping us inspired, in keeping us faithful and true to the good work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today, another man, filled by God with the spirit of St. Stephen, and moved in a special way by the chaste and single-minded virtue of Blessed Kateri, asks the Church for ordination to the diaconate - our brother in the Lord, William MacDonald. He comes with the full support of his wife Marian, his two sons, his family and his friends, especially the members of his diaconate class. As I now turn my words to William directly, let those who love him, begin now an unending prayer, to the triune God, to Mary Most Holy, and especially to the intercessors, St. Stephen and Blessed Kateri, asking them all to lend their protection to our brother, and to fulfill in him, the good work to which he has been called, by the voice of our Lord.

Dear brother, today you are being raised to the order of deacons, and the Lord has set an example for you to follow - a life that began and ended with the praise of the Father in Heaven, and that in between, was filled by loving and serving mankind. Be now, as best you can, and with the Holy Spirit to guide you, a reflection of the life of Jesus Christ - border your days with the limitless power of prayer - prayer of adoration, of thanksgiving, and of petition - and within those borders, pass the hours serving, with obedient, pure and selfless love, the community of our Lord's family, His Church on earth. Love the altar, love the Word, and love God's people. From this three-fold ministry, work to make God's people an acceptable offering. And faithful to your ordained task, be confident, that on the last day, when you go to meet the Lord, He will greet you, and with the martyrs and saints, lead you into Paradise, and into the eternal joy and peace of God, the Almighty Father.

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