After receiving his final vows, last night December 6th at Holy Name of Mary Church in San Dimas, Juan Carlos Martínez was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Brian Nunes, regional bishop of the San Gabriel region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, on Saturday, December 7th.
Present were his parents, Carmelo and Julia Martinez, his siblings and other family members, his religious brothers, members to the SSCC Secular Branch, numerous parishioners, some members of the local Tongan community, and many others.
Bishop Brian started his homily by saying that he found the opening exchange between bishop and superior regarding worthiness very moving: “the candidate is found worthy/ el candidato es digno”. Bishop Brian said none of is worthy, and yet Christ calls us. Bishop echoes the words from the gospel reading: You are no longer slaves. I call you friends. Jesus gives us no specific criteria for his friendship. It is all about what Jesus wants. Bishop would agilely shift from English to Spanish: Jesús quiere ser su amigo/ Jesus wants to be your friend.
Bishop Brian explained word deacon comes from the Greek word δι?κονος/diakoneo which means service. He exhorted Juan Carlos to be exemplary in his works of charity and service to the poor, reaching out to the aislados (isolated) and the dolientes (the suffering). He is to help others to know the love of God that he has experienced.
Deacon Juan Carlos gave words of thanks to family, friends, and parishioners, including young adults he ministered to when they were teens. He was already asked to celebrate a baptism.
Link to the video: https://goo.su/QfuVzg
Link to the photogallery: https://acortar.link/X6RXZC
12/10/2024