Jesuits Ordain Five New Deacons at St. Ignatius

On September 23rd, 2023, the Society of Jesus ordained five new deacons in an ordination Mass in St. Ignatius Church as the next stage of their vocation. The principal celebrant was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston Mark O’Connell, aided by a vast staff.

The names of the candidates, the proper term for young men yet to be ordained as deacons, were Jaeseok Choi, Yoonho Do, Thomas Elitz, Brendan Gottschall, and Minh-Hoang Le. All have been in the Jesuit Order for at least six years, and have already gone through the novitiate and regency, and are currently pursuing their studies in theology at Boston College.

The Society of Jesus ordains deacons exclusively as transitional ones. This means that these same young men can be expected to be ordained as priests in 2024. The ordination to the diaconate, while important, is yet another milestone toward the full clerical status that the Jesuit Order seeks for all of its members, unlike other orders which also have lay brothers and sisters. It is important to note, however, that ordination does not mark the full entry of these men into the Order. All of the candidates were considered full members of the Jesuit Order after they took their vows following their novitiate some years ago.

The candidates were from various countries and belonged to different provinces, having their education at Boston College as their common ground. The diaconate ceremony is peculiar in the Jesuit Order for occurring in the place of formation rather than the Jesuit’s own province. In contrast, priests are generally ordained on their home territory.

Although the Jesuit diaconate is only transitional and deliberately pointed toward priesthood, the diaconate ceremonies are customarily executed with breathtaking aesthetic grandeur and reverence, echoing more the high solemnity of the Easter season than a Saturday in Ordinary Time. The Mass on September 23rd was no exception.

Friends and family of the candidates filled the front pews, and the rest of the church abounded with observing students, visiting priests and religious in robes and Roman collars, sisters from various orders, and other university faculty.

The resounding organ of St. Ignatius was accompanied by a full choir and contrasted with the high sounds of strings and woodwinds, performing pieces in English, Spanish, Latin, and Vietnamese. A cloud of incense enveloped a procession 70 strong, composed of priests, deacons, and servers. This army escorted the five candidates and took several minutes to fully process and be seated. The congregation could not but feel dwarfed by the scale of the sights and sounds.

The aesthetic standards aptly fit the gravity and intricacy of the diaconate ceremony, with its various stages of approval, acclamation, laying on of hands, and the vesting of the new deacons.

Between the Gospel and the homily, the candidates were declared worthy of their new office by a representative of the Jesuit community. With the community having spoken its part and guaranteed the candidates’ rectitude, the remainder of the ceremony was placed in the hands of Bishop O’Connell, who assented to their election and arose to preach to the whole congregation.

Bishop O’Connell emphasized the connection between service and preaching inherent in the diaconate from its biblical roots in the Acts of the Apostles. Holding up as models two of the first deacons, Saint Stephen the Protomartyr and Saint Philip the Evangelist, he urged the candidates not only to ardor but to a certain “recklessness and boldness” in their service and preaching, and to strive to nurture the same ardor and patience as these first two deacons.

The bishop reminded the candidates that neither of their saintly models lived to see the full fruition of their preaching; Saint Stephen never witnessed the conversion of Paul and a multitude of others, nor did Saint Philip see the spread of Christianity into Ethiopia with which he is credited.

This message of complete self-giving without an expectation of immediate result is a core part of the Society of Jesus and well befit the occasion of the Mass and the soon-to-be deacons.

Moreover, O’Connell pointed the congregation to understand the necessity of grace in the vocation of the diaconate. Citing the prophet Jeremiah’s lament of unworthiness, he declared that it would only be through the “prism of God’s grace” that the candidates’ own “puny words” would effectively grant a vision of the glory of Christ to their listeners.

At last, following this brief homily, the candidates went through one last battery of promises: the five vows to humility and love, to apostolic proclamation, to celibacy, to constant prayer, and to life according to the example of Christ. They further vowed obedience to the Bishop and their superiors.

As the candidates prostrated themselves before the altar according to ancient tradition, the congregation called upon God’s mercy and the intercession of the saints, especially Jesuit missionaries and martyrs. After this, a great hush fell upon the church as the candidates arose and, one by one, went up to the bishop for the laying on of hands, the gesture of conferral of the Holy Spirit for Holy Orders. Now officially deacons, they walked to the side to be vested by Jesuit priests.

Following this, the Mass proceeded according to the normal forms, still overlaid with the outstanding beauty prepared for the occasion. The newly ordained Deacon Brendan Gottschall assisted at the altar for the first time, and all five deacons acted as Eucharistic ministers.

Before the bishop’s final blessing, a representative of the Jesuits expressed his congratulations and his gratitude to the families of the candidates, the parish of St. Ignatius, and the faculty, staff, and students of the School of Theology and Ministry.

He further remarked on the nature of each vocation as a gift “nurtured by many people,” especially the parents, and the preciousness of the new deacons as good ministers “which the Church so needs.” 

The Mass concluded with the Salve Regina, a centuries-old Latin hymn calling for the Virgin Mary’s intercession, and a recession as solemn as the entrance.

This great ceremony of diaconate ordination regularly occurs in September at Boston College and celebrates anywhere between five and ten new deacons every year. Though not publicly advertised, if they manage to hear word of it, students are welcome to be present at the Mass, which has been described as the Jesuit Order at BC at its best and grandest.