Almost-priest

Meet my young friend Jason K. Dy. He is an artist with several exhibits and illustrated books in his name. He also happens to be a Jesuit and was ordained into the diaconate last Saturday. The Society of Jesus has one of the longest formation and education programs among Catholic priests. Depending on one's intellectual, psychological, emotional and spiritual maturity, a young man's formation can take from eight to thirteen years. And this is usually after getting their Bachelor's degrees. Which means that by the time they are ordained into the priesthood, Jesuits are usually in their 30s. I had to do a little research to find out the difference between a deacon and a priest. The word deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos which means messenger, servant, minister. They can preach, proclaim the gospel during masses, preside over funeral rites, and administer the sacraments of baptism and matrimony. But they cannot hear confession, anoint the sick or say mass. At the risk of getting a scolding from my Jesuit friends, I say that it sounds like being a part-time priest. Anyway, getting back to Jason… This ordination into the diaconate is the last step of his preparation. In half a year, hopefully, he will be ordained into the priesthood. Please join me in wishing him the best of luck and the blessings of God's grace, that whatever ministry he is assigned and wherever it may take him, he will always remain strong, good, and true to his vocation, his faith and the people that he will serve. Oh, and one last note: Being the youngest in his batch, Jason was assigned to give the thanksgiving speech at the end of the ceremony. That is so typically Filipino: pass the most hated task to the youngest in the family because he has no choice but to obey his elders. Poor kid.