My dear friends, the last time I wrote for this blog, I shared the story of my vocation, the process of being admitted to the seminary and my life as a seminarian. Today, I want to share with you my happiness and joy at having been called to the diaconate. Last April 21, I was ordained a transitional deacon along with 15 other men from the state of Florida. Of the 16 who were ordained, three of us were from the Archdiocese of Miami: Daniel Martin, Fredy Yara and myself. This was a day of joy for the Church of Florida, since for almost 20 years there had not been an ordination to the diaconate as numerous as ours.
       
I remember as if it was yesterday my first day at the seminary. The seminarians who had been there ahead of me used to tell me that time would go fast and that one day I would be where they were then. Truly, time has gone fast, but I have lived each minute intently. What is interesting is that I spent eight years planning and waiting for this moment, but when the moment arrived, nervousness invaded my body. This nervousness was not synonymous with fear or insecurity; rather, it reflected the seriousness of my discernment before assuming the responsibilities of this ministry. When I was lying on the marble floor the day of my ordination, the words that nurtured me in the middle of my nervousness were: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” (Jn 15:16) At that moment, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would remind me that my life depended on him. Therefore, all I posses and all I am depend on Christ.

Now, as I continue with this adventure of the Gospel as a transitional deacon, what is my function within the Church? The answer is found in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church: “It is the proper office of the deacon, as it is assigned to him by the competent authority, to administer baptism only, reserve and distribute the Eucharist, attend the sacrament of matrimony and bless it in the name of the Church, take the viaticus to the dying, read the Scriptures to the faithful, instruct and exhort the people, preside in the worship and prayer of the faithful, administer the sacramentals, preside over the rite of funerals and burial.” (Lumen Gentium, 29).

All these functions I will be exercising at the parish of Immaculate Conception in Hialeah for the next year. My peer Daniel will serve as deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Coral Springs, and Fredy will serve in Our Lady of the Lakes, Miami Lakes.
   
So, my friends, I ask you to pray for us to be able to accomplish what we have begun in this new ministry. You can also rely on our prayers. Many blessings!