Cardinal Tobin welcomes “abundance” of deacons at ordination (Photos)
The Archdiocese of Newark celebrated the Jubilee for Deacons and Ordination of Deacons on Sunday, May 18, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. During the Mass, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, ordained 27 men to the diaconate. Eight of the ordinandi were made transitional deacons and will become priests after a year of further formation and parish service. Another 19 men were ordained permanent deacons.
During his homily, Cardinal Tobin pointed out how the Holy Spirit, who is “present throughout the whole year,” had blessed the Archdiocese in a special way during the holy season of Easter.
“On the first night of Easter this year, nearly 1,300 adults and young people entered the Church through the waters of Baptism or fully through the profession of faith in the Church,” the cardinal said. “And now, the abundance of deacons!”
A God who provides
Cardinal Tobin then spoke about the first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounts “the end of the first missionary tour in the history of the Church” as Paul and Barnabas report back to the community of Antioch “what God had done with them” (Acts 14:27).
In returning to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas had passed through many cities “where they were first expelled, where they were threatened and where they nearly died,” Cardinal Tobin said. “Yet they go back. They go back to confirm the faith of the sisters and brothers in those small communities, and to ensure these small communities would have the leadership that they needed.”
Cardinal Tobin said that he saw a parallel with the present moment:
“Those communities in strange places – Lystra, Iconium – they received their religious leaders provided by these traveling missionaries. And in the same way, brothers and sisters, during this Easter season our merciful God has provided a new servant-leader for the whole Church, as well as a servant of the world.
In Pope Leo XIV, He showed his generosity; and God shows the same generosity in calling these brothers to serve the Word, to serve at the altar, and, above all, to serve charity.”
You can read profiles of the eight transitional deacons who were ordained here.
Click here to view a set of photos from the Jubilee for Deacons and Ordination of Deacons.
Featured image: Diaconate ordinandi prostrate themselves before the altar as a sign of total self-giving to God during Ordination Mass on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Photos by Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)
