Meet the new transitional deacons to be ordained on May 19 (Ordination 2024)
Three new transitional deacons will be ordained on Sunday, May 19, in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will ordain Michael Bollinger, Giovanni Cuzziol, and Raymond Walsh. All three attend the seminary of Redemptoris Mater of Newark in Kearny. This year’s Diaconate ordinandi come from Ridgewood, Italy, and Philadelphia.
In the Catholic Church, the diaconate is the first of three ranks in ordained ministry — deacons, priests, and bishops. Deacons preparing for the priesthood are transitional deacons. Those not planning to be ordained priests are called permanent deacons. Married men may be ordained permanent deacons. To learn more about the call to the priesthood, visit the Office of Priestly Vocations of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Jersey Catholic sat down with the men to discuss what inspired them to answer their calling to priesthood.
Michael Bollinger, R.M., (28)
Home Parish: St. Charles Borromeo Philadelphia, Pa.
What inspired you to discern the priesthood?
I have always been inspired by the lives of the faithful and holy priests. From an early age, I had very good experiences with priests who were happy serving the Church. All along the way, in my discernment, I have been accompanied by wise and caring priests which has also inspired me.
What saints have influenced your discernment the most and why?
The life of Saint Augustine has accompanied me during my whole discernment. Saint Augustine underwent a huge change of life when he met Christ and the Church and this is something that I could always relate to and draw strength from. Saint Augustine’s teaching has also helped me in my discernment because it emphasizes the role of God’s grace. Without grace, I would not be in the Church let alone be following this vocation. Grace is the starting point and carrying force that has been with me throughout all of these years of discernment. Lastly, Saint Augustine, in serving as a bishop, humbly accepted the will of God for him which has always been a model for my own vocation journey.
Giovanni Cuzziol R.M., (37)
Home Parish: In Italy: Santa Maria Goretti, Rome, Italy. In U.S.; St. John the Evangelist, Bergenfield, N.J.
What inspired you to discern the priesthood?
My experience in the Neocatechumenal Way was fundamental for my discernment to the priesthood. Through the Way, I experience the love of God for me, a God that loves me the way I am, with my defects and shortcomings. This experience was also instrumental to see the beauty of the mission and the importance of the vocation, of every vocation. To be exposed to many priests working as missionaries in many parts of the world, make me reflect on my vocation as well. God, through the Way, showed me the Church as a mother and the beauty of the ministry.
What saints have influenced your discernment the most and why?
St. Francis Xavier helped me to see the beauty of the mission and the priesthood at the service of the evangelization. Saint Francis Cabrini because of her zeal and passion for the Lord’s call and work. Saint Charles de Foucauld because of his love for Christ, so deep and so intense that he never felt alone even in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Raymond Walsh, R.M., (34)
Home Parish: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Ridgewood, N.J.
What inspired you to discern the priesthood?
The Lord took the initiative. I listened to the catechesis of the Neocatechumenal Way, at St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in Franklin Square, N.Y., while I was ministering at a nearby parish, and my life began to take a direction toward a fullness that I had never dared to seek from any of the sources of fulfillment offered in the world. God was taking action to save me from fear, resentment, sin, and giving me everything, gratuitously. In the course of discovering the beauty that is Christianity, the path to the priesthood opened up through several conversations with priests and my catechists. I took a small step by entering the seminary, and day by day the Lord has reconfirmed that this is the path he desires for me.
What saints have influenced your discernment the most and why?
I have been mostly influenced by Saints John the Baptist, Jean-Marie Vianney Therese of Liseux, and Charles de Foucauld. Much could be said about each of these, but what has struck me about them and sustained me throughout the course of the seminary has been their humility–how they sought to be small and how, from that smallness, they drew close to Christ, who opened and magnified their hearts to shine forth the love of God.
Featured image: Michael Bollinger, Raymond Walsh, and Giovanni Cuzziol.
