October 1st, 2026 was a day that has changed my life forever. 

I made a pilgrimage that morning to the Chapel of the Holy Stairs. These stairs, which St. Helen brought to Rome from the Holy Land, are the very same stairs which Jesus ascended before he was condemned to his sorrowful passion. These steps are painful to ascend and visually striking as they are surrounded by the horrors of the passion in the paintings lining the stairwell. But they also contained for me great hope and consolation, for as I neared the top of the stairs, I saw that on the left and right of the crucifixion scene, were images of the transfiguration and the resurrection, both invisible until was at the foot of the cross. 

I went to that place on the morning before my ordination to the diaconate to pray with my family and to pray for my Lord’s help as I was about to enter into a new state of life as a deacon. Many thoughts and questions about the future ran through my head that morning, but on those stairs I was deeply consoled and affirmed by the Lord to take the next step. 

That evening, there were many moments graced by the Lord’s presence and power; being called by name to enter into sacred orders, hearing the resounding voice of the eighteen of us to be ordained declare our promises in unison, kneeling down before the Bishop to receive the laying on of hands, and hearing the voice of the Bishop call down the Holy Spirit upon us – ordaining us deacons.

However, there were two connected moments of the ordination that struck my heart powerfully and are so emblazoned in my mind. The first was the response to the last promise we made in unison; “I do with the help of God.” This line was not only a declaration of my dependency on God to live this life, but it also struck me as his promise to me. That he is guaranteeing me his help; I can only say “I do” to any of this because he has promised to help me. The second moment was shortly after, when all of us to be ordained laid prostrate on the floor as the Bishop and the more than one thousand people present interceded on our behalf with all the Saints in heaven, that we might be blessed, sanctified, and consecrated. It was during this prayer that I was overwhelmed with a sense of readiness, peace, and joy – and that peace and joy have abided. 

To be ordained a deacon, in St. Peter’s Basilica, on the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, is perhaps the greatest gift I have ever received. The Lord has taken such good care of me, and he is so faithful. I am also so grateful to have had so many family members, dear friends,  priests from our diocese, and Bishop Felton present for both the Ordination Mass and the Mass where I preached and ministered as a deacon at Mass for the first time. To be a deacon, this is the next step for me, and as the response that struck my heart on that remarkable night says, I do (take this step) with the help of God.