TOWNSVILLE Bishop Tim Harris ordained Will Brennan to the transitional diaconate at a packed Sacred Heart Cathedral last Thursday.
He was surrounded by family, friends, classmates, and clergy at the Mass.
In his homily, Bishop Harris said to Deacon Brennan that his time as a deacon was to be a servant of Christ. “Now the key here, Will, my dear brother is service”.
“When Pope Paul VI in 1967 re-established the order of the diaconate, he did so precisely because there was this indelible character that is a mark of service that the Church herself founded on Christ and by Christ in the servant in all that she does,” he said.
“Every bishop, every priest, every deacon in this sense is marked for service – not for himself but always as the servant of Christ and his Church.
“The Church is founded on Christ to serve – to go out – to serve the people of God.”
Deacon Brennan agreed and said he hoped he could “bring an openness to learn and an enthusiasm to be involved in anything I can be involved in during this time of transition and preparation for priesthood”.
“I am looking forward to getting involved in the communities that I will be ministering in and getting to know the different people who make up the Church in this part of the world,” he said.
Bishop Harris shared his thoughts on ordained ministry to those gathered in person and online.
“No ordained minister – deacon, priest or bishop makes any sense outside the context of service,” he said.
“As time goes on you will need to remind yourself of this.
“The ministry of service in Christ’s name is messy at times – it is not always easy, it is confronting, it is exhausting, it is relentless, yet it is also very satisfying and consoling, and life-giving.
“The ordained ministry is an honour – it’s not about being put on a pedestal but it’s about immersing oneself into the lives of others.
“We are baptised first, let us not forget, before anything else.
“The ordained ministers’ vocation is first and foremost rooted in the identity of Christ as a missionary disciple of Christ, as we experience those baptismal charisms in the service of the Church.”
Deacon Brennan also spoke about his journey so far and the journey ahead.
“Over the years I have reflected on the fact that my life as an ordained minister will take a varied path so in hearing the bishop speak about the joys and challenges that I will inevitably face, I felt the same sense of God’s call in my life that I have when I’ve previously reflected on it,” he said.
“I know that there will be ups and downs, and although I don’t know what they will look like, I know that God is with me and that I am doing what God is calling me to do.”
