“The greatest joy of my life”

ROME – As Karen Jones watched her son round the corner behind Bernini's baldacchino at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome she was filled with pride and the thought that “It’s really happening!”   

“You look at your kid and think he’s in a really good place, just really at peace. It means everything. You want your children to find the thing that makes them know their life is meaningful and what makes them tick. Seeing him in that place where he is confident and you can see it, how right this is for him. To see your son find his thing, especially a thing like this, that’s what you want as a parent.”

Karen Jones was among the handful of family and friends to attend the Diaconate Ordination of Stephen Austin Jones, 29, on Sept. 28 at the Vatican. He was among 19 seminarians to be ordained transitional deacons by Archbishop Coakley, who served as the ordaining prelate. God willing, Jones will be ordained a priest in June.

The Mass was attended by friends and family of seminarians from The Pontifical North American College in Rome as well as priests, staff and hundreds of visitors to Saint Peter’s who stood behind rope barriers to watch. Jones’s family in attendance included his mom, dad Dewayne, stepmom Brenda, his younger brother Chris and sister Kira. 
Along with Archbishop Coakley, others from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City who attended the ordination were Father John Paul Lewis, director of seminarians and the priest chosen to vest Deacon Jones; Father Jerome Krug, vocations events coordinator; Father Stephen Hamilton, pastor of Jones’s home parish of Saint Monica in Edmond; Father Richard Stansberry; Father William Banowski; Father Kelly Edwards; Father Cory Stanley and more than 40 pilgrims from the archdiocese.   

During his homily, Archbishop Coakley talked to seminarians about the changing world around them and how they needed to turn to priestly examples such as Blessed Stanley Rother for guidance and inspiration on how to live as disciples. 

“My brothers, today it is not enough to be good churchmen. You must be disciples. Your life and ministry must be deeply rooted in an intimate friendship with Jesus Christ, who alone can and will sustain you in the challenges that await you in a hostile, post Christendom, and indeed post Christian world,” Archbishop Coakley said. “So, be prepared for sacrifice. Be prepared for opposition and even at times persecution. Look to heroic figures like Blessed Stanley Rother, like Blessed Michael McGivney, like Servant of God Emil Kapaun, all of whom were diocesan priests whose lives and witness offer bold alternatives to the conventional and bland aspirations of a faithless secular world.” 

He continued his homily by saying, “This is an awesome time to be undertaking ordained ministry in the Catholic Church. As Saint John Paul II began his Petrine ministry here in Rome, he cried out for all the world to hear, ‘Be not afraid!’ Jesus Christ goes before us. By his death and resurrection, he has conquered the reign of sin and death. Let them act with the help of God in such a way that all will recognize them as disciples of Jesus Christ who came not to be served, but to serve others.”

On the day after the ordination, Deacon Jones preached his first Mass at San Lorenzo Fuori Le Mura (Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls) in Rome on the Feast of the Archangels. The Mass was attended by family, archdiocesan priests and fellow seminarians, including Joseph Allen from Saint John the Baptist parish in Edmond.

“The greatest joy of my life thus far has been to receive the gift of Holy Orders. It was a joy to celebrate with so many Oklahomans in Rome!” Deacon Jones said.

“As a transitional deacon, I now have the privilege of being a minister of Christ and his Church. This means that I can celebrate baptisms, witness marriages, preside at funerals, and bless objects and people. Since my ordination, I am most excited about being able to preach the Gospel to the people of God. Please pray for me as I make final preparations for my ordination to the priesthood next year!"

Diane Clay is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Photos Diane Clay/Sooner Catholic.