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June 17, 2020OKLAHOMA CITY – Archbishop Coakley ordained seminarians Rodrigo Serna and Brannon Lepak to the transitional diaconate on June 6 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Due to precautions related to COVID-19, the ordination was open to the seminarians’ family and friends but was not open to the public. The ordination was live-streamed.
God willing, the new deacons will be ordained to the priesthood in 2021.
Archbishop Coakley spoke to the seminarians about their calling, their sacrifice and their gifts.
“Strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit, these men will help the bishop and his priests in the ministry of the word, of the altar and of charity, showing themselves to be servants to all. As ministers of the altar, they will proclaim the Gospel, prepare the Sacrifice and distribute the Lord’s Body and Blood to the faithful,” Archbishop Coakley said during his homily.
“Firmly rooted and grounded in faith, you are to live chastely and beyond reproach before God and man as is proper for the minister of Christ and a steward of God’s mysteries. Never allow yourself to be turned away from hope offered by the Gospel. … When you go out to meet the Lord, you will be able to hear him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord,’”
Deacon Lepak’s home parish is Christ the King Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and he attends Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass. Deacon Serna’s home parish is Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Norman. He is studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Saint Louis, Mo.
Diane Clay is editor of the Sooner Catholic.
Are you discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life?
Contact Fr. Brian Buettner, vocations director, at [email protected] for more information. okcvocations.com.
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