Deacon Ordination of Br. Hannes Saurugg
26. Juni 2009
On Friday, June 26th, 2009 DI Mag. Stephan Turnovszky, bishop of the archdiocese of Vienna, ordained Br. Hannes Saurugg to deacon by application of his hands and prayers.
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Many people, especially from the homeparish of Br. Hannes in Styria, came to the parish and pilgrimage church of Maria Lanzendorf to celebrate the ordination.
The liturgy began with the procession ceremony of the many priests and deacons, who came from near and far, into the church. P. Michele welcomed bishop Stephan Turnovszky. P. Ignaz introduced the candidate. With "Here I am" Br. Hannes confirmed to be ready to serve God and the church.
In his speech, bishop Stephan Turnovszky encouraged the candidate to a life full of gladness. And he told him three rules for such a life:
1. Have always in mind, that you are the man who brings Christ to all men!
A deacon should preach God´s word. St. Paul wrote (2 Cor 4,7): „But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.“ A deacon is a human being, too, and he can break sometimes. But he carries Christ, and therefor, it´s necessary to spend time for prayers. From there, gladness and satisfaction will come.
2. Be open, be ready to serve!
The original meaning of the duty of a deacon is "to serve at the tables". That means to take care of social aspects, to have a look on people and their needs.
3. Be open to unity! Let the people come up to you!
Nothing is more repellent than christs being at variance. Even during the last supper, Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples (John 17,21). Unity is the basis of authenticity.
Unity is strongly correlated with forgivness and beging for pardon - beging to men and to God. The outcome of this process is the unity of the community of christs. But it has its price. If you are ready to forgive and for beging for forgiveness, ready to pay the price, Jesus offers you a life in abundance as it is promissed by St. John: "Amen, amen, I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds " (John 12, 24). That means, without forgiveness you will stay alone. Forgiveness is the basis of community and brings up many seeds.
Thats the way for being happy and glad as a deacon, and gladness is something which shines forth and forth.
The speech of the bishop ended with the wish, Jesus Christ may help Br. Hannes to find his way, and St. Mary may be his intercessor on this way.
Then, the main act of ordination began with the appeal of the Holy Spirit. After the promise of the candidate to live a life in God and the appeal of all saints, bishop Stephan Turnovszky held his hands upon Br. Hannes and spoke the ordination prayer. the priests of the community "St. Mary, Queen of Peace" helped to apply Br. Hannes the stola and the dalmatica.
During the following eucharist service, Br. Hannes served at the altar for his first time. Together with bread and wine, gladness, satisfaction and the hope for a good life for Br. Hannes were put on the altar.
After the final prayer, Br. Hannes thanked God for his vocation, everybody, who has accompanied him on his way till now, and everybody, who was involved in the ceremony and the Agape, to which he invited all the guests. Especially, he thanked for all the prayers which helped him to find his destination.
The liturgy ended with the "Te Deum".