Diaconal ordination of Fr Nicola Tovagliari, LC, in the parish church of Gorla Minore in the province of Varese, Italy.

July 20, 2008.  By making their lives a gift to God, two sons of Ireland and Italy have also become a gift to their homeland.

On July 4, Deacon Darren Brennan, LC, an Irishman, was ordained to the diaconate in Dublin. Two days later, on July 6, Deacon Nicola Tovagliari, LC, was ordained in his hometown in Gorla Minore, in the Italian province of Varese. 

Both men are a sign of hope for their native country.

During the homily at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, Archbishop Diarmuid commented on the special grace of receiving a new Irish deacon in a year when the Church in Ireland is celebrating its Year of Vocation. After the Mass, His Excellency also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to preside over the ordination, and assured them of his support and prayers.

Deacon Darren commented, “The moment of the litany of the saints was especially important for me, because I was deeply aware of my own poverty on the one hand, and of the greatness of God on the other. He gives to us with full hands, while man often gives very little.”

The ordination in Gorla Minore was held in St Lorenzo parish, and was presided over by Bishop Luigi Stucchi, auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of Milan. In his homily, Bishop Stucchi spoke of the meaning of the diaconate as a call to service and encouraged Deacon Nicola to live out his ministry in fidelity

	Archbishop Diarmuid Martin before laying hands on Darren Brennan, LC.

to the Church and with a spirit of service to souls.

After the ceremony, the new Italian deacon thanked everyone present for their prayers, expressing his gratitude for the grace of his ordination.

The two new deacons are now preparing for their upcoming priestly ordination on December 20 in the Roman basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. All are welcome to attend.