Farewell and God Bless to Deacon David

For almost three years, we’ve been privileged to have Deacon Wei Wang – whom we have come to know as Deacon David – with us as he pursued a graduate degree in theology at Villanova University.  Deacon David received his master’s degree in theology there last May.  He was eager to be ordained a priest and serve here in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia before possibly returning to his home Diocese of Zhaoxian in China.  Due to the challenging situation in the Church in China, however, this has not yet occurred.  Recently, however, the Diocese of Orange in California invited Deacon David to consider joining that diocese where there is a sizable Chinese Catholic population.  After meeting with some of the diocesan administration there and consulting with the Philadelphia Archdiocesan administration in January, he was encouraged to move there as soon as possible in preparation for priestly ordination with the rest of the transitional deacons of that diocese in June.  So, he will be leaving us on 2 February to fly out to California.  He asks for your prayers and assures you of his as he continues to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in his life and prepares to serve God’s people as a priest wherever he is called.  God bless, Deacon David!

 

PRESENT!

“Present!”  This is the simple response a man makes when his name is called at his ordination.  With this response, he humbly acknowledges God’s call to serve His people in the ministerial priesthood.  At his baptism, he has already been called to the priesthood shared by all of God’s people.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains so clearly, “through faith and Baptism, one receives a share in this people’s unique, priestly vocation: ‘Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men, has made this new people a kingdom of priests to God, his Father’ (§ 784).

The CCC goes on to explain:

  • 1546 The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are “consecrated to be…a holy priesthood.”
  • 1547 The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, “each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ.” While being “ordered one to another,” they differ essentially. In what sense?  While the common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace – a life of faith, hope and charity, a life according to the Spirit – the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood.  It is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians.  The ministerial priesthood is the means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his Church.  For this reason, it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders.

The CCC clarifies the distinction between the priesthood of all the faithful and the ministerial priesthood:

  • 1120 The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood. The ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church. The saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in his name and in his person.

Those called to the ministerial priesthood, while sharing the same call to the priesthood of all the baptized, are set apart to dedicate themselves to leading all of the baptized into closer union with God through his son, Jesus Christ.  It is for this reason that the candidate makes himself present when called to ordination.

We have been blessed in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to have men who uttered their “present” and then responded by generously and joyfully ministering to the needs of parishes, schools, hospitals and various other ministries.  They have preached the Word of God, celebrated the sacraments and offered the faithful the guidance and support they needed on their journey back to God.

For some of these men, however, their “present,” which called them to give up everything to follow Christ, now finds them depending on you for your generous care and support.  Villa Saint Joseph in Darby, Regina Coeli in Warminster, and a variety of other health care facilities throughout the Archdiocese provide a home and health care for our priests who are retired or in ill health and no longer able to serve in active ministry.  They now depend on you for your prayers and financial support.

Our annual Collection for the Care of Aging and Infirm Priests of the Archdiocese will be taken up this weekend throughout the Archdiocese.  As you have been in the past, I encourage you to be generous in grateful recognition of the service these priests have offered you and your families.  Please know that your kindness and generosity is remembered daily in their Masses, intentions and prayers.  And, I ask that you continue to remember them in your prayers as well!