In the majestic setting of St. Peter’s Basilica, sixteen seminarians from the Pontifical North American College received diaconal ordination, taking a decisive step on their journey toward the priesthood. A moment of grace, vocation, and profound communion with the universal Church.

Every year, a group of young men from the Pontifical North American College (NAC) are ordained to the transitional diaconate in St. Peter’s Basilica. It is a unique and deeply moving moment where they dedicate their lives to Christ, embrace the Church’s mission, and respond wholeheartedly to His call to serve.

Reflecting on this profound moment, Deacon Reed Robinson from the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, shared:

“The only way I can look at it is that it is a gift given freely from God. I could never have earned this. There’s nothing that I could have done, no task I could have accomplished that would have merited such a gift like this. So really, it’s just the gift of being able to receive and know that Christ loves me in that way and has chosen this for me, to be able to lay down my life in that Church.”

This year, sixteen men from dioceses across the United States were ordained as deacons — each committing his life to serve Christ and His Church. Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of Grand Island, Nebraska, presided over the ordination Mass, reminding the candidates that they had been chosen and called by God from all eternity.

“Before he formed you in the womb, the Lord knew you,” Bishop Hanefeldt said. “He dedicated you, and he appointed you, and He will always be with you in every circumstance. Now, open your heart to the grace of your diaconal ordination, so that your life and ministry will be one of generous service to the Lord who has called you to labor for the harvest of souls.”

With around 1,500 guests from across the United States, St. Peter’s Basilica was filled with family and friends who had come to witness the men’s “yes” to God’s call. Taking place near the tomb of St. Peter, the ordination highlighted the deep connection between the new deacons and the Church’s apostolic foundations.

Reflecting on that connection, Deacon Lucas Folan from the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, said:

“Just this morning I was in the Basilica of St. Peter’s with my parents that are here in town for the ordination. And we did the Scavi tour to St. Peter’s tomb, his bones. And just… a beautiful moment to reflect on Jesus’ call to Peter. Knowing how much Jesus loved Peter and how much Jesus loves me in this vocation. And not only the vocation to be a deacon, to be a priest, but that vocation of love that he gives all of us in baptism: faith, hope, love.”

Throughout his homily, Bishop Hanefeldt reminded the new deacons of their mission to serve with humility and love. He emphasized that, like Christ, they must strive to serve rather than to be served.

“Cultivate each day a true love for the people of God,” he said. “Desire their highest good, strive to love them with the mind and heart of Jesus, be patient with them, lovingly encourage them to discover the more that Jesus wants to share with them. And remember St. John Vianney always said, ‘the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.’”

After the homily, the candidates made their promise of obedience to their bishops. Then, lying prostrate before the altar, they joined the faithful in the Litany of the Saints — a powerful reminder that both the Church on earth and the Church in heaven were praying for them. It was a moment of profound unity and blessing, one they now hope to share with the people they will serve.

Reflecting on the significance of this call, Deacon Reed Robinson added:

“To really allow that to seep into my person in a new way and to really kind of form the Catholic man that God made me to be, and then, you know, the Catholic clergyman, the deacon, the priest — how much of a gift that is, just that calling in itself. But then to be trained here, where the Pope is, to see the Pope, to meet the Pope, and to carry that back with me in my own heart and share that with the people of Nashville, Tennessee, who gave me so much.”

Following the Litany, each man approached the bishop, who laid hands upon their heads, conferring the grace of the Holy Spirit and the sacred authority of the ordained ministry. The deacons then received the stole and dalmatic, and the bishop placed the Book of the Gospels in their hands, signifying their new mission to proclaim, teach, and live the Word of God.

For Deacon Thomas Johnson from the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings, Montana, the moment carried both challenge and hope.

“The faith is very strong in the pockets where it is, but the challenge is that you can be a little isolated sometimes because you’ll be the only priest for 70 miles in any direction… I know one priest who covered a parish that was the size of the state of Connecticut. So, it can be a lot sometimes.”

While some of the new deacons will remain in Rome to continue their studies, others will soon return to their home dioceses to begin ministry. Their time in the Eternal City, however, has shaped them profoundly — a formation that has deepened their faith and broadened their vision of the universal Church.

As Deacon Johnson reflected:

“You get a sense of the universal Church here that you don’t get… I mean, I’m from rural Montana. We don’t have a huge sense of that. We don’t even really have a great sense of the American Church. So being able to be here — I mean, I can see St. Peter’s from my bedroom window. I’m right here. So I think being trained here will give me a much richer experience to bring back to the diocese when I actually can go back as a priest and enter ministry.”

God willing, these sixteen new deacons will be ordained priests next year, continuing their journey of service — a journey that began beneath the great dome of St. Peter’s and the gaze of the Apostle himself.

Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Video Edited by Ilaria Chimenti