Consecrated through the laying on of hands – an act handed down by the apostles – Diocesan seminarian Andrew Heidelbaugh was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Timothy Senior on Saturday, May 17, in front of a congregation of clergy, religious, family members and laity gathered for the richly symbolic Rite of Ordination at St. Patrick Cathedral.
A native of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Enola and a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo, Deacon Heidelbaugh’s path of discernment began several years ago at the Diocese’s Quo Vadis Days discernment retreat, at the invitation of a friend.
Though initially reluctant to follow God’s call to a religious vocation, Deacon Heidelbaugh said in an interview, “There’s been a real peace that’s come over me” since following God’s plan.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it’s a purposeful life and I believe I am doing what I was meant to do. How many people can say that? I feel like I’m really living for something meaningful,” he said.
Deacon Heidelbaugh has been assigned to St. Leo the Great Parish in Rohrerstown before his final year of seminary formation toward eventual ordination to the priesthood.
“Andrew’s ordination today is a great blessing for our Diocese and for the Church,” Bishop Senior said in his homily during the Mass, which was livestreamed on the Diocese’s YouTube Channel. “It also serves as a reminder to all of us to pray fervently for our seminarians and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life in our Diocese, and to encourage young men and women whom you believe might be called by God to serve Him in this way, to be open to that possibility.”
The Rite of Ordination commenced after the Gospel reading, as Father Joshua Weaver, Diocesan Vocations Director, called Heidelbaugh – then still considered as a candidate – forward to be presented to the bishop, who spoke in his homily about the ministry of the diaconate.
Heidelbaugh then affirmed his intentions and resolutions through a series of questions from the bishop during the Promise of the Elect before prostrating himself in front of the altar as the congregation chanted the Litany of the Saints.
Rising from the floor, Heidelbaugh then knelt before Bishop Senior for the Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination; it is through these two elements that he was ordained a deacon.
Deacon Heidelbaugh was vested in a stole and dalmatic – attire proper to the Order of Deacon – and was vested by his grandfather, Deacon Ronald Nowak of the Diocese of Trenton. Deacon Heidelbaugh’s father, Michael Heidelbaugh, who is a candidate in the Diocese of Harrisburg’s permanent diaconate formation and program, served as a lector for the Mass.
At the conclusion of the Rite, Deacon Heidelbaugh received the Book of the Gospels from Bishop Senior – symbolic of his service in the Ministry of the Word – before exchanging the Sign of Peace with the bishop and all deacons present in a sign of unity and support.
In his homily, Bishop Senior spoke of the role of the deacon as a Minister of the Word, of the Altar and of Charity, including the duties of proclaiming the Gospel, distributing Holy Communion, instructing people in the holy doctrine, administering Baptisms, blessing Marriages, bringing Viaticum to the dying, conducting funeral rites and carrying out a ministry of charity.
Addressing the candidate, the bishop instructed Heidelbaugh to “do the will of God in charity from the heart; serve others with joy as you would serve the Lord.”
“Recalling the repeated message of our late, beloved Pope Francis, we need to do all that we can to reach to the margins, to seek out and find the lost; those who do not feel welcome or are ignored – for any reason,” Bishop Senior said. “We need to tell them that they are welcome in the Church and that they are loved by God; that Jesus suffered, died on the cross and rose again – for them, as for all of us, and that His love is everlasting.”
“The deacon especially has the charism of charity. He is to be ‘on the ground’ – on the front lines of what Pope Francis called the ‘field hospital’ which is the Church, to seek out and find the lost,” the bishop said, adding, “Being a deacon is supposed to be messy. To be in the mix, among the sheep and care for them in whatever condition they are found.”
In an interview, Deacon Heidelbaugh offered words of encouragement for those discerning God’s call in their lives, saying, “Don’t be afraid of anything God might ask you to do. The best position to be in is having the freedom to do God’s will. If you can say to God, ‘Whatever you want, that’s what I want to do,’ He won’t steer you wrong.”
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
