On Friday, May 16, God-willing, four men will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in the Diocese of Madison.
The Ordination Mass will take place at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona, at
7 p.m., where Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison is scheduled to ordain Casey Cooney, Barry Meinholz, Luis Reyes, and Mark Wagner as deacons.
Cooney is the son of Doreen and Michael Cooney and entered seminary after being a member of Saint Paul’s Catholic Student Center in Madison.
“In anticipation of my ordination I can only give thanks to God, who has called me in the first place to be His adopted son through Baptism, and has given me the gift of a vocation to ordained ministry,” said Cooney.
“It is through the mercy of God and the intercession of Our Lady that I have come to this point . . . pray for me, that in my service as a deacon in the Diocese of Madison, I would imitate the Lord Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve, and preached the love of the Father in all of His words and actions,” he added.
Meinholz is the son of Nancy and Marvin Meinholz and comes from St. Francis Xavier Church in Cross Plains, now part of Holy Cross Parish.
“I am looking forward to being ordained as a deacon,” he said.
“I have experienced many difficulties but also many more blessings over these last seven years. The opportunities I’ve had like the Rome Experience or traveling around the diocese [as part of] Totus Tuus have let me meet so many people who have helped me deepen my faith.”
He added, “This summer I will be able to implement in a more real way all the things I have been learning. I will be able to celebrate some of the sacraments for people and hopefully help them as we all strive for Holiness. I am thankful to God for this calling and am thankful for all of my family and friends who have helped support me on this journey.”
Reyes is the son of Claudia and Daniel Reyes and comes from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Madison.
Reflecting on his ordination, Reyes said, “I have been praying for remaining in Christ’s peace. I have experienced Christ’s peace in this journey of formation. The Lord has provided so many blessings like the support of the Diocese of Madison, fraternity with my fellow brother seminarians and priests, and the countless friendships with different families around the diocese.
“These blessings confirm and encourage my vocation to the priesthood . . . the diaconate ordination is going to bestow incredible graces that will allow me to love, know, pray, and serve the people of God in a very particular and profound way through the sacraments and as a faithful servant of the Church.”
Wagner is the son of Karen and Jeffrey Wagner and comes from St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Watertown.
“I recognize that everything He has done throughout these past eight years of formation has led to this moment — when I will willingly lay down my life and, for the rest of my life, be conformed in a particular way to serve Him and His Church,” Wagner said.
“The ‘yes’ that I will soon make on the day of my ordination and the many days to follow, is a product of many years of prayer, discernment, and formation ultimately done before the Lord Himself. I look forward with great joy to serving the Church as a deacon.”