Media Release

Mangaluru, Jun 11: As many as 13 young men responded to the call of God and were ordained as deacons at St Joseph's Interdiocesan Seminary in Jeppu, Mangaluru.

Out of the 13 deacons, 3 belong to the Mangaluru Diocese, 2 to the Calicut Diocese, 2 to the Udupi Diocese, 1 to the Jashpur Diocese, and 5 to the Congregation of OCD (Carmelites).

The Holy Eucharist was presided over by Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of the Mangaluru Diocese, who ordained the ordinandi as deacons. Fr Ronald Serrao, the rector of the Seminary, called out the names of the ordinandi to be ordained. In his homily, Bishop Saldanha instructed the candidates with the Word of God and explained the role of a deacon in the Church. He urged the newly ordained deacons to generously fulfill the will of God and to serve God and humanity with love and joy.

Addressing the deacons, Bishop Saldanha expressed, "You are the ministers of the Word of God, and you must put into action what you proclaim with your words." He quoted, "Go into the entire world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15). Later, the ordinandi pledged to lead a life of celibacy and obedience. Following the litany of saints, the ceremony proceeded with the laying on of hands on the ordinandi by the Bishop, which is the most important sign of ordination. The rite continued with the investiture of stole and dalmatic on the deacons. Afterwards, the Bishop presented them with the Book of Gospels, saying, "Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach." The ritual concluded with the sign of peace between the newly ordained deacons and the Bishop.

Following the Holy Eucharist, a felicitation was held to honor the newly ordained deacons. Priests, religious sisters, seminarians, parents, friends, and relatives of the deacons graced the occasion with their presence. The prayerful Liturgy and the Cecilian Choir added to the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration.

The participants experienced the presence of Divine love and grace throughout the celebration.

The names of the newly ordained deacons are as follows:

Deacon Anthony Stephen, OCD
Deacon John Clifford Rodrigues, OCD
Deacon Lanson Maxim Pinto, Mangaluru
Deacon Norman John Mathias, Mangaluru
Deacon Pradeep Clarence Rodrigues, Mangaluru
Deacon Pranam Jovin Fernandes, OCD
Deacon Rikson Monteiro, Udupi
Deacon Santhosh Menezes, OCD
Deacon Shanto Anthony, Calicut
Deacon Shijoy Francis, Calicut
Deacon Siltan Philip Noronha, OCD
Deacon Stephan Rodrigues, Udupi
Deacon Vipin Kumar Tigga, Jashpur.