On 28 January last, Archbishop Dermot Farrell ordained Brother Antony Kurian to the Diaconate. Archbishop Farrell, “It is a great joy for me to be with you today to ordain Brother Antony Kurian (pictured) to the Diaconate. Today is a day of hope. Any day when we make a profound commitment is a day born of hope, a day rooted in hope: be that a solemn profession, or a marriage, or an ordination: it is a day of witness to hope, a day when hope is embodied.
“Antony, is it into this prophetic service and witness that you are ordained today. Sometimes, for those of us who are not Franciscans, it is all too easy to forget that Saint Francis was a deacon. It was in Francis the deacon that the seed of God’s word bore fruit, in his response to God’s call transforming him into what a deacon most authentically is: an icon of Christ – ‘an effective visible sign of Christ who came to serve rather than to be served. But neither you, nor any of us, can fruitfully endure in that service, without – like Francis – a constant seeking of the one who calls us. In today’s responsorial psalm we sang, ‘O that today you would listen to his voice…’ That is the heart of all vocation.”
Archbishop Farrell concluded by saying, “Antony, may the Lord bless you this day. May he who has called you to this prophetic life keep you close to himself, may he keep you and your Capuchin confrères, and the broader Franciscan family close to the poor. May your parents, your family, and all who have been involved in your formation, see the fruits of the ways in which they have contributed to making you the person that you are, ready to go forward.”
See Archibishop Farrell’s full homily here
ENDS
