Ordination update: 18 new deacons for Galveston-Houston

Happy new year, happy new deacons!

The image here was posted on Twitter, following yesterday’s ordination. Anybody have more information? Details in the local Catholic media are scarce.

Meantime: Congratulations, brothers! Ad multos annos! 

UPDATE: I got a nice email from Deacon John Placette. He writes:

Regarding the new deacons ordained for the Archdiocese of Galveston/Houston:

18 men were ordained by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Houston, TX on Saturday, January 14th.

The following were ordained:

Tomas Cano

Benny Chang

Dwight Coles

Michael Cruz

Andy Dao

Vincent Eklund

Felipe Garza

Dennis Henderson

Thomas Jeffers

Ly Nguyen

Francisco Nunez

Matthew Rust

Derick Soares

Gregory Stokes

Robert Trahan, Jr.

Gilberto Vela, Jr.

Henry Vinklarek, Jr. and

Gary Yepsen

Also serving at the Mass of Ordination were Bishop George Sheltz, Auxillary Bishop for the Archdiocese and Bishop Brendan Cahill, Bishop of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas.

In his homily, Cardinal DiNardo thanked the Archdiocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate staff for their work in the formation of the deacons.  The team is headed by Deacon Phillip Jackson, the Director of the Diaconate, Deacon Dominic Romanguera, the Director of Admissions, and Deacon Rob Ward, the Director of Formation.  Cardinal DiNardo also thank the staff of the University of St. Thomas School of Theology and the staff of St. Mary’s Seminary who all worked on the academic and spiritual formation of the deacons.

He also thanked Deacon Gerald DuPont who was the Director of the Permanent Diaconate when the deacons began their formation, noting that Deacon DuPont now serves in national and international areas for promotion of the Permanent Diaconate.

Cardinal DiNardo gave a special thanks to the wives and families of the newly ordained deacons.   He noted in jest that he hoped the academic papers submitted by the deacons during the formation classes were not written too often by the wives.   He reinforced the idea that most permanent deacons receive both the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and that of Holy Orders, but Holy Orders was secondary to that of marriage.   He stated that he met with each man personally and then met with the wives of those men asking permission from the wives to ordain the men.

After the ordination, ministerial faculties were formally presented to the men and a reception followed.

The event was very well attended by the Permanent Deacons and Priests of the archdiocese.

Welcome, brothers!