Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. Jn. 12:26

On Saturday, May 18, Bishop Barry C. Knestout ordained Anthony Ferguson, 30, of Richmond to the Order of Diaconate. The ordination took place at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart where dozens of family, friends, priests, permanent deacons and fellow seminarians participated in the Rite of Ordination.

During his homily, Bishop Knestout spoke to Anthony about the important step he is taking in his role as a transitional deacon for the Catholic Church in Richmond.

“Anthony, as you approach the altar and prostrate yourself before God in humility, I know that you are also vividly aware of your own personal limits and human frailty, especially when confronted with the great task before us as ministers of the Gospel, the task of the New Evangelization, the task of calling all God’s children to the awareness and experience of his love by our own proclamation.

“The deacon’s ministry is that of the Word, of the altar and most significantly, of Charity. You today are configured to Christ the Servant and, with the grace of ordination, you are to become in a very real sense, in your ongoing efforts to live out this diaconal call, to become an icon of Charity, of God’s sacrificial love for each of us in the Paschal Mystery of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Knestout continued, “By turning your heart and attention from the self to the “Other” – to God and neighbor – God’s love casts out all fear and leads to authentic joy in service.”

Deacon Ferguson is a graduate of the University of Richmond and is currently studying at the Theological College, the National Seminary of the Catholic University of America in Washington. Please continue to pray for Anthony and all the seminarians of our diocese who are pursuing the call to priesthood.

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