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bishop braxton ordains four transitional and one permanent deacon

He urges them “to Protect the Eucharist”
In an historic ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Bishop Edward K. Braxton ordained four Transitional Deacons and one Permanent Deacon at 10 o’clock Saturday morning, May 30, 2009, the Vigil of Pentecost. The Transitional Deacons are Rev. Mr. Abraham O. Adejoh, Rev. Mr. Dale A. Maxfield, Rev. Mr. Joseph O. Oganda, and Rev. Mr. Sean M. Palas. The Permanent Deacon is Deacon Gerald G. Bach, Sr. Many of their relatives and friends and representatives of their parishes were in attendance. Priests of the Belleville Diocese and visiting priests concelebrated with Bishop Braxton. Many deacons, including the new deacons’ seminary classmates, participated in the liturgy celebrated the day before the great feast commemorating the day that the risen Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, giving birth to the Church. The Bishop confirmed the vocations of these men when he formally called them individually to the diaconate in the Sancta Trinitas Unus Deus Chapel at his residence, after careful consultation and private prayer.

The Ordination to the Diaconate contains many important elements. By this rite the new deacons were formally incardinated into the Diocese and became a member of the local clergy. They committed themselves to pray each day for the Church and for the whole world by faithfully celebrating the Liturgy of the Hours. The four candidates for the Priesthood made their solemn commitment to live chaste lives of celibacy as a sign of their dedication to Jesus Christ and for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. They each placed their hands in the hands of the ordaining prelate, Bishop Braxton, promising obedience and respect to him and his successors. They then prostrated themselves on the floor of the Cathedral sanctuary as the entire congregation called upon the aid of the Church Triumphant, praying the Litany of the Saints.

The central moment in the ordination took place when the Bishop silently imposed his hands on the heads of each of the ordinandi. He then invoked the Holy Spirit in the Prayer of Ordination. “We beseech You, Lord: look with favor on this servant of Yours who will minister at Your holy altar and whom we now humbly dedicate to the Office of Deacon.” Unlike the ordinations of priests, in which the gathered priests also impose hands after the Bishop, only the ordaining Bishop imposes hands on a Deacon.

After the newly ordained were vested as Deacons for the first time in dalmatics and stoles, the Bishop formally presented them with the Book of the Gospel, as a sign of their ministry as proclaimers of the Word of God.
In his homily, Bishop Braxton spoke directly to the five men, calling them by name. He told them that it was good that Transitional Deacons and a Permanent Deacon were being ordained together. This should remind the Transitional Deacons that their ministry should always be marked by the diaconate’s spirit of service. It should remind the Permanent Deacon that his ministry is always linked to the ministry of priests. He then reflected on the Sacred Scripture texts chosen for the Ordination and on the injunction to deacons in Lumen gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church). “We read that deacons are ordained ‘to protect the Eucharist’. This strange mandate is illuminated by the Word of God.

In the reading from Numbers (Nm 3, 5-9) the Lord tells Moses that the tribe of Levi will have the responsibility of “serving at The Dwelling.” They will discharge the duties of the Israelites in the service of The Dwelling. The Dwelling is the symbol of Yahweh’s presence. The wrath of God would be visited upon anyone who violated the sanctity of the divine presence by an act of irreverence. A deacon must bring the same reverence to the sanctuary and to all of his liturgical ministries. In doing so, you protect the Eucharist. You protect the Eucharist when you do all you can to help the People of God to be truly conscious of the Real Presence of Christ within them, not only for an hour on Sunday, but every moment of their lives.

St. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6, 1-7), specifies key qualities of good deacons (“men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom”). They are to assist the Twelve in service. Seven men were selected and presented to the Apostles, who first prayed over them and then imposed hands on them.” Stephen and Philip protected the Eucharist by their powerful preaching, which nourished the Eucharistic community. Stephen spoke so forcefully of Jesus of Nazareth that he was seized for blasphemy and finally stoned to death becoming the first Christian martyr. As his body was crushed like the wheat and grapes of the Eucharist, he cried out, “Father, hold not this sin against them”. You may cry out in the same way as you protect the Eucharist by your witness”.
Turning to the Gospel (Mt. 20, 25-28) Bishop Braxton said, “I am indeed sending you out in pairs into our Diocese where ‘the harvest is rich and the workers are few’. You must protect the Eucharist by making sure that the workers increase. You must work for vocations to the priesthood. ‘Ask the harvest-master to send workers to this harvest’. Ignore the naysayers. Do nothing to demean your ministry. Remember always, there can be no Church without the Eucharist and no Eucharist without priests!

I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves. I am sending you as deacons to protect the Church, which is the household of the Eucharist. I am sending you into a world which more and more wishes to drown out the Good News of the Catholic Church, Good News which is counter-cultural. The beliefs and values of the Church are ignored and belittled in many quarters. Sadly, this is sometimes done by individuals in the Church. The Gospel of Christ is diametrically opposed to the materialism, secularism, and relativism that are invading American culture. Protect the Eucharist from a culture which rejects God, worships money and worldly success, undermines the very nature of the family, casts off unwanted human life from the womb, moves to embrace euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, a culture which does not beat its swords into plowshares and its swords into pruning hooks, but trains for war again and again. Protect the Eucharist in the tabernacle. Yes! Protect the Eucharist in the hearts of believers. Yes! Protect the right of the Church to proclaim the peace and justice message of the Eucharist in the public square. Yes! Protect the Eucharist always! Yes! Be strong in this resolve!”

At the end of the festive Ordination Liturgy Bishop Braxton noted that, unfortunately, no priests were being ordained for the Diocese this year. He then introduced The Reverend Martin Edward Ohjunwa, a priest from the Archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria, who would soon be serving in the Diocese of Belleville as a Fidei Donum priest on loan from the Most Reverend Anthony J. Obinna, Archbishop of Owerri. Father Ohjunwa is the eighteenth international missionary priest that the Bishop has brought to the Diocese in the past four years.

The May 30, 2009 ordination was historic for two reasons. On the one hand, it was the first time in eighteen years that four Transitional Deacons have been ordained together for the Diocese of Belleville. This is an occasion for rejoicing. The Bishop asks everyone in the Diocese to pray for them in the hope that they will be called to the priesthood and ordained one year from now on the Vigil of Pentecost, May 22, 2010. On the other hand, after these men are ordained deacons, we will have only three remaining seminarians studying for the Diocese: Rev. Mr. Sean Palas, Rev. Mr. Ronald Weber, and Mr. Anthony Onyango. In his Pastoral Letter, “We Are His Witnesses,” Bishop Braxton stressed that every Catholic in the Diocese is a Vocation Director. Commenting on this the Bishop said, “I pray that all of you will take your work as vocation directors seriously. You, too, must protect the Eucharist. Please join me and your sisters and brothers in praying and working for an increase in vocations to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ.”

Transitional Deacons

Rev. Mr. Abraham O. Adejoh, the son of the late Mr. Stanislous Adejoh and Mrs. Victoria Adejoh was born on August 27, 1979 at Okpo, Olamaboro, LGA, Kogi State, Nigeria. He is from a large Catholic family. He has three brothers and four sisters. As a young Mass server, he felt an initial call to serve Jesus Christ and His Church in the priesthood. The Most Reverend Ephraim Obot, the Bishop of Idah, Nigeria, sent him to St. Peter the Apostle Seminary in Eruku, Kwara State in 1998. After a one-year spiritual program he was sent to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, an affiliate of Urbanian University, Rome. He developed a particular interest in the study of Canon Law. This was followed by a “Pastoral Year,” during which he served at the Diocesan Chancery as secretary and receptionist. He also served as assistant liturgist and master of ceremonies for St. Boniface Cathedral in Idah. During this time he developed his prayer life, focusing in a special way on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

As he pursued his goal of the priesthood, Abraham discerned a strong call to be a missionary in a country that urgently needed priests. Bishop Braxton met with him and his superiors several times during his visits to Nigeria. He eventually invited Abraham to the Diocese to further discern his missionary vocation. He has recently completed a special program of orientation to the Church in the United States at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

Rev. Mr. Dale A. Maxfield was born on August 4, 1952, (the Feast of St. Jean Baptiste Vianney, the Curé d’Ars). His father, the late Mr. Calvin Maxfield, and mother, Mrs. Alice Maxfield, were members of St. George Parish, New Baden. Dale’s path to the diaconate has been long and prayer-filled. He grew up in a devout home in which he knelt down with his parents for morning and night prayers. His interest in the priesthood emerged early. At fourteen, he entered St. Henry Seminary and continued his studies at Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in Quincy, Illinois, where he made his profession as a Brother. He has had broad experience in various forms of ministry in the Diocese including teaching high school religion, Director of Adult Education, Director of Religious Education, Pastoral Associate, and Parish Life Coordinator. He has pursued his theological studies and seminary formation at Kenrick-Glennon Theological Seminary in St. Louis and at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
Reflecting on the path that has led him to ordination as a Deacon, Dale has written, “I would like to be like my birthday patron, St. Jean Vianney, who was a kind, humble and holy shepherd of souls. My relationship with God is very important. I would like to devote my life to helping others. I hope to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ, by proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel to all, as ‘another Christ’ for others. I hope to be able to offer others love, compassion, and healing.”

Rev. Mr. Joseph O. Oganda, a native of Migori, Kenya was born November 5, 1972 to the late Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Philister Oganda. He grew up in a family that was very close to the Catholic Church. He began a life of prayer when he was very young. When he was seventeen Joseph went through an experience that changed his life. He felt a deep interior call to dedicate his life to the service of others. “This desire has continued to grow in my heart in spite of obstacles. The thirst of this invitation has never dried up; instead, it is watered and kept alive in my heart each day.” Joseph later joined a religious community, the Yarumal Missionaries. He studied philosophy at the Consolata Institute of Philosophy and he later studied theology at Hekima College Jesuits Institute of Theology. Meanwhile, he pursued the study of psychology, focusing on counseling. He completed his theological studies at Tangaza College: The Catholic University of Eastern Africa. During these formative years Joseph developed a special interest in caring for individuals infected with HIV/AIDS. He was involved in counseling, home-based care, education and caring for orphans. He was very active in the Hands of Love Society in Kenya and the Kenya Catholic HIV/AIDS Task Force, providing spiritual support and practical assistance.

As he learned more and more about the critical need for priests in the United States, he began to consider the vocation of a missionary priest. He met Bishop Braxton, who urged him to think about serving in Belleville. He was eager to be considered as a seminarian for Belleville because he saw the acute need for priests. Once in the Diocese of Belleville he completed his theological studies at Kenrick-Glennon Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Rev. Mr. Sean M. Palas, the son of Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Diane Palas, of St. Mary Parish in Trenton, Illinois, was born November 27, 1980 into a military family in Austin, Texas. His family, including his older brother, Christopher, lived in England and South Dakota before settling in Trenton when he was in second grade. In fifth grade he began to discern a call to the priesthood as an altar boy reflecting unique ministry of a priest at the altar. He began to develop a real and personal relationship with Christ. He eventually decided to explore the priesthood to discover whether or not God was calling him to this life. His studies and formation have taken him to Loyola University in Chicago, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

A part of his vocational discernment included a period of time in Kalamazoo, Michigan with a small group of priests who were forming a religious community based on the “oratory” started by followers of St. Philip Neri. He felt attracted to this community because of the natural fraternity that exists in a group of priests who live, work, and pray together. Sean eventually discerned that he was, in fact, being called to the diocesan priesthood where his vocation first took root. He met with Bishop Braxton and told him, “It has finally become clear to me that my true vocation is to be a Parish priest in my home Diocese and serve the people of the Diocese who have been praying for me and for my vocation since I was in fifth grade”.

Permanent Deacon
Deacon Gerald G. Bach, Sr., was born on April 28, 1948. He and his wife, Ann, are members of St. Mary Parish in Belleville. They have three children: Gerald Bach, Jr., Wendy Bradley, and Brian Bach. He has been active in the Parish as a cantor, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, and Parish Council member. Deacon Bach has also had a long involvement in Marriage Encounter. He studied for the diaconate in a four-year part-time academic and formation program provided by St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana. “In the course of my deacon formation, I have learned the importance of humility. Ordination cannot be primarily for me but for the service of others. I look forward to serving the people of St. Mary Parish or wherever the Bishop wishes me to serve. The parishioners have been a source of strength for my vocation through their prayers, support, and example. I have learned a great deal from my pastors, Father John Myler and Monsignor William McGhee. I hope to continue my marriage preparation ministry with my wife. I am also interested in hospital ministry.”