Newly ordained deacons come from diverse backgrounds
Six men from the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Seminary of the Good Shepherd have been made deacons in a bumper season of ordinations for the church.
Deacons Mark Anderson, Benjamin Saliba, Adrian Simmons and Benjamin Gandy were ordained in recent weeks for the Archdiocese of Sydney, Eden Langlands for the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn, and Michael Kasiita for the Archdiocese of Kampala, Uganda.
They join two new priests for the Archdiocese of Sydney and Bishop Danny Meagher who was consecrated on 8 December. The new deacons come from a diverse range of backgrounds, reflecting the make-up of the contemporary church.
Before they are formed to be spiritual fathers they need a feel for how they are participating in Christ’s identity as beloved son…not just in their heads but hearts. – Fr Michael de Stoop
Anderson grew up in Cronulla and worked as an electrician in remote mining camps in Western Australia, hearing the call to join the seminary age 35. “My years of working in the mines meant that I was still single when I eventually returned home to Sydney,” Anderson said.
“I was anticipating a good life as a husband, and father of a family. In a very strange way however, through prayer, I heard a call from God asking me to become his priest.”
Kasiita is the youngest of six children, “a very small family” by Ugandan standards, and considered a clerical vocation from an early age. “When I was little, I remember that we always walked as a family to a 6.15am morning Mass every day, to our parish which was about 3km from our home,” Kasiita said.
“We also had morning and evening prayers each day as a family at home. All this helped me to grow in the Catholic faith.”
What the six men share in common is the benefits of a deeper, more spiritual formation at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd.
“What’s unique about the present batch of guys being ordained is the outstanding maturity that’s there,” Seminary Rector Fr Michael de Stoop told The Catholic Weekly. “You’d have to go back, in my mind, to the late 80s or early 90s to see the number of men being ordained, the like of which are currently being ordained.”
Seminary formation has changed significantly in recent decades, in response to the shifting mission field and calls for reform after the Second Vatican Council, culminating in the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Will Give You Shepherds) of St John Paul II.
That document encouraged seminaries to focus on a balanced programme of human, spiritual, academic and pastoral, with human formation – formation of character – as the foundation for all else. “Before they are formed to be spiritual fathers they really need a feel for how they are participating in Christ’s identity as beloved son,” Fr de Stoop said.
“It’s knowing that, not just in their heads but in their hearts. Human formation helps them to be much more receptive, and to listen well – to listen on a deep level.”
Fr De Stoop said the six new deacons were “great role models for the seminarians who are more junior to them” and would leave “quite a gap” in seminary life. Because they are a large group, Fr de Stoop added that they will benefit from fraternity with each other during their many years of ministry.
Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers, who ordained four of the six men, said the new deacons are a sign not just of a change in the nature of seminary formation, but in those being called.
“They’re wonderful fellows who go in to the seminary, quite determined, with experience in the workplace – they’re more mature when they enter,” Bishop Richard said.
The prestige has been shattered, such that the men heading to priesthood now are there as a response to a very clear call from God, rather than from any worldly ambition. – Bishop Richard Umbers
“It’s also reflective of the times in which we live. The prestige, so to speak, of the priesthood has been shattered, such that the men who are heading to priesthood now are there as a response to a very clear call from God, rather than from any worldly ambition.”
Bishop Richard said the six new deacons were “people who know how to be bold in proclaiming the word, and who can be close to people and accompany them”.
He wishes the deacons well as they serve parishes across Sydney and New South Wales and prepare for ordination to the priesthood. “We continue praying for them, and look forward to their ministry in the church in Sydney for decades to come,” he said.