(Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)
MADISON — On Friday, May 23, Deacons Chahm Gahng, Christopher Gernetzke, and Tafadzwa Kushamba took their next steps to the priesthood, as they were ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison in the chapel of the Bishop O’Connor Center.
Deacon Gahng, son of Tae-Joong Gahng and Wonshim Chung, is a member of St. Peter Parish in Madison. He is studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich.
Deacon Gernetzke is the son of Mary Ann and John Gernetzke of St. Paul Parish in Evansville. He is completing his third year of theology studies at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.
Deacon Kushamba, son of Leonora and Amuri Kushamba, is a member of St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee. He is currently attending Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where he is completing his third year of theology studies.
The Church is ‘enriched’
At the start of the Mass, Bishop Morlino welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming “to participate in faith” and “to pray hard for these great young men.”
“The Church in Madison is enriched tonight,” the bishop added. “It’s a night of great joy and gratitude. The best contribution we can make now is to pray hard for these men and their families that the Holy Spirit will do what the Holy Spirit guarantees will be done this evening.”
After the readings, which told of the history and importance of the diaconate, the candidates were presented to Bishop Morlino by Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, rector of St. Paul Seminary. The candidates stood to present themselves to the bishop.
Prior to the ordination rites, Bishop Morlino delivered his homily. He focused on the importance of celibacy, obedience, and charity for the diaconate, with an emphasis on celibacy for doing God’s heavenly work.
“The celibate deacon or priest lives as though in heaven,” he said. “The celibate priest is a living witness of the truth and the reality of heaven.”
“Chahm, Chris, Tafadzwa,” Bishop Morlino said to the candidates, “you’ve got to witness to the realities that last forever and are eternal . . . so that heaven is no longer quite abstract, or some kind of fantasy. Heaven is as concrete and real as you are.”
Promises of the diaconate
After the homily, the candidates participated in the Promise of the Elect. They each stood before Bishop Morlino where they stated their intentions to “be consecrated for the Church’s ministry and promise to discharge this office with humility, live in the celibate state for the sake of the heavenly kingdom,” and to conform their lives to the example of Christ.
They responded, “I do” to each of the promises the bishop said before them.
They each approached the bishop and promised to respect and obey the bishop and his successors.
Following the Promise of the Elect, the candidates lay prostrate while the congregation sang the Litany of Supplication. This is done by the candidates as a sign of humility and total giving of self to God.
Next, the men each took their turn to kneel before the bishop for the Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Consecration. The bishop laid his hands on the head of each new deacon to invoke the gift of the Holy Sprit and to enable the newly ordained deacon to exercise his sacred ministry.
The new deacons were then vested in their stoles and dalmatics — signifying the ordination of a deacon by Msgr. Charles Schulter for Deacon Gahng, Fr. Robert Pish for Deacon Gernetzke, and Msgr. James Gunn for Deacon Kushamba.
Following vesting, they each knelt before Bishop Morlino again, to place their hands on the Book of the Gospels, as the bishop implored them to “believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach.”
After this promise, the bishop and other permanent deacons present greeted them with an embrace, or other sign of peace, welcoming them to the Order of Deacons.
Family involvement
Following the ordination rituals, family members of the new deacons brought up the gifts prior to the preparation of the altar for the consecration.
After the Mass ended, members of Deacon Kushamba’s family, some of who traveled to Madison from Zimbabwe, broke out in song and dance to celebrate his ordination — which was met with applause from those who remained in the chapel.
The three new deacons — along with two other men studying in Rome — are expected to be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Madison in 2015.
The other men — Scott Emerson and Gabriel Lopez-Betazos — will be ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Diocese of Madison on October 2 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where they are studying.