The 34 brothers about to be ordained deacons lay prostrate during the litany of the saints.

June 29, 2008. Rome, Italy. A total of 34 Legionaries were ordained to the diaconate at the Legion’s Center for Higher Studies in Rome on Sunday, June 29.

The 34 new deacons come from 10 countries: the United States (3), Canada (1), Mexico (16), France (2), Italy (1), Spain (6), Mexico (16), Chile (1), Brazil (2), Argentina (1), and Venezuela (1).

A Call to Serve

In a ceremony celebrated by Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, Apostolic Nuncio in Italy, the new deacons committed themselves to a ministry of service to God’s people.

In his homily, Archbishop Bertello said, “When we speak of the diaconate, we speak of service. The term ‘servant’ in Sacred Scripture does not only refer to an economic or social condition. For St Paul, the servant is Jesus who, being God, became man. Jesus, so to say, stripped himself of his divinity, lowering himself so that we could participate in his divinity.” 

“You also will be servants of God; you will be servants of his Word. You will dedicate yourselves to be servants, to put your life at his disposal,” he said.

He continued, “I am always struck by the question that the bishop asks when he says, ‘Do you promise

	Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello during the homily

that through the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours, you will pray for the entire Church and the entire world?’  In this way, you truly become mediators through this prayer; you become capable of responding to the anxieties, demands, and needs of the Church and the world before the Lord.”

“But the Lord also asks you to turn this service into personal prayer,” he said.

“The other day in Brindisi, the Pope used a very beautiful expression when speaking to the priests. He said that Jesus should be the center of our thoughts, the content of our speech, and the model of our lives. If we truly have this contact with Our Lord, we will not think of anything but his Kingdom, we will speak of nothing but him and his Kingdom, we will make our life an apostolate, and we will give ourselves totally to God.”

“I am sure that each one of you in your heart has the spirit, the missionary ardor that is specific to your congregation.”

An Auspicious Start

Archbishop Bertello also commented that these ordinations took place on a very important day for the Church: the feast of Sts Peter and Paul, on the official opening day

	Bishop Bertello lays hands on Jaime Rodríguez from Spain

of the Year of St Paul. St Paul is an important patron of the Legion of Christ and of Regnum Christi, a model of missionary zeal and wholehearted dedication to God.

At the same time, he observed, June 29th was also an important feast day for the Legion, since it marked the 25th anniversary of the approval of the Legion’s Constitutions by the supreme authority of the Church.

The convergence of these feasts made the ordinations ceremony particularly meaningful for the new deacons and their future mission.

The Journey Is Just Beginning

The Legion invests a great deal of time in the formation of its men. On average, the new deacons have spent 12 years in study and apostolic internships before reaching this important milestone.

And the journey is not over yet: after their diaconal ordination, they have yet to prepare for their priestly ordination, scheduled for December 20, 2008 at the Roman basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome — a fitting location for the Year of St Paul. The priestly ordinations will be conferred by Angelo Cardinal Sodano, dean of the college of cardinals and former Secretary of State for both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. 

On that day, God willing, a total of about 50 Legionary deacons will be ordained priests. All are welcome to attend the ceremonies.