Beloved Family:
What an exceptional weekend is upon us. Holy Mother Church once again invites us into the observance of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Simultaneously, the Church of Cleveland has called six men to the sacred order of deacon: among them, son of the parish Charles Renwyck Cairnie. Blessings and congratulations to Deacon Charles, along with his parents. There are many beautiful elements to the Rite of Ordination. Among them, here is the
Prayer of Ordination:
Draw near, we pray, almighty God, giver of every grace,
who apportion every order and assign every office.
While remaining unchanged, you make all things new
and, setting all things in order with everlasting providence,
you make due provision for every age,
through your Word, your Power, and your Wisdom,
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
You grant that your Church, his Body,
adorned with manifold heavenly graces,
drawn together in the diversity of her members,
and united by a wondrous bond through the Holy Spirit,
should grow and spread forth to build up a new temple.
As once you chose the sons of Levi
to minister in the former tabernacle,
so now you establish three ranks of ministers
in their sacred offices to serve your name.
Thus, in the first days of your Church, your Son’s Apostles, led by the Holy Spirit,
appointed seven men of good repute to help them in the daily ministry,
so that they might devote themselves
more fully to prayer and the preaching of the word.
By prayer and the laying on of hands
they entrusted to those chosen men the ministry of serving at table.
Look favorably also on these your servants, we pray, O Lord,
whom we humbly dedicate to serve at your holy altars
in the office of the Diaconate.
SEND FORTH THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THEM,
O LORD, WE PRAY,
THAT THEY MAY BE STRENGTHENED
BY THE GIFT OF YOUR SEVENFOLD GRACE
TO CARRY OUT FAITHFULLY THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY.
May every evangelical virtue abound in them: unfeigned love,
concern for the sick and the poor, unassuming authority,
the purity of innocence, and the observance of spiritual discipline.
May your precepts shine forth in their conduct,
that by the example of their manner of life
they may inspire the imitation of your holy people.
In offering the witness of a good conscience,
may they remain firm and steadfast in Christ,
so that, imitating your Son on earth,
who came not to be served but to serve,
they may be found worthy to reign with him in heaven.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
Let His Peace be with you,
Fr. Stephen
