Bishop Mark Seitz ordained five men to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate on Friday, April 16 at at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. The Diocese of El Paso livestreamed the Ordination Mass on the diocesan Facebook page. Because of a reduced capacity in the church, invitations were required for the Mass.

José William Arévelo Narváez, Astry Déraly, César García-Ortega, Edroud Jean, and Sergio Legarreta Carrasco, moved one step closer to their 2022 priestly ordination when they were ordained transitional deacons. Following their ordinations, new deacons can be assigned to a parish to serve for the final year of their formation and in preparation for their anticipated ordination to the priesthood. Some will complete their final year of studies at seminary.

Deacon José William Arevalo has been assigned to St. Jude, Deacon Astry Deraly to St. Matthew, Deacon César García to Most Holy Trinity for the summer, Deacon Edroud Jean to St. Mark, and Deacon Sergio Legarreta to Blessed Sacrament for the summer.

The Catholic Foundation extends its gratitude to the many donors who have made the higher education of these men possible. One of our greatest areas of focus is the Seminarian Education Endowment Fund, a permanent fund created to ensure continual resources for the recruitment and training of seminarians to serve as the future leadership of our Diocese. Funding for seminarian education comes from a variety of sources including the Seminarian Education Endowment Fund, Progress: Catholic Ministry Appeal, Serra Club, Filipino-American community, Knights of Columbus, second collections, and generous individuals and organizations.

Deacons serve in many important ways, including helping the bishop and priests in the ministry of the Word, assisting at the altar at Mass and distributing the Eucharist. They can baptize, bring Communion to the dying, preach, bless marriages, and officiate at funerals and burials. They cannot hear confessions, anoint the sick, or confirm.

Please continue to pray for José William, Astry, César, Edroud, and Sergio, and join us in the celebration of their ordination to the diaconate.

For more information, please contact Major Gifts Officer Sofía Larkin at (915) 872-8412 or slarkin@elpasodiocese.org.