June 4, 2025 By Darcy Fargo “This has been seven years I the making,” said Deacon Tyler Fitzgerald, as he approached his ordination to the diaconate on May 24. “I just finished my seventh full year (of formation). Holy cow! I’ve spent almost a decade of my life doing this. As of next year, a third of my life will have been in seminary.” Deacon Fitzgerald said the time leading up to the ordination included mixed emotions. “I’m very nervous,” he said. “I’m realizing more and more the weight of what’s happening, the fact that in a couple days, my relationship with the Church, the bishop, my family – when acting in an official capacity within my family – and my fellow parishioners will change. I’ll be acting and blessing and preaching in the name of the Church. I’m also excited. My life will radically change after that Mass. I’ve always wanted this. There’s nothing I want to do more with my life than be a priest and be of service to the Church, especially the Church of the North Country.” Deacon Fitzgerald said he’s spent a lot of time “daydreaming about this day,” but the reality has proved to be better than his dreams. “When we daydream – we think of things as perfect, happy and fluffy and pristine,” he said. “In reality, I don’t have everything figured out. There are bumps and mountains to get over, but the Lord chose me in this point in my history and the Church’s history. He raised up a farm boy from Madrid to do just this. Instead of that perfect daydream, it’s finally happening, and it’s real. It’s humbling that the Lord chose me with all my struggles and imperfections and past hurts, to be a source of His healing here in the North Country.” He noted that he keeps returning to a portion of the ordination prayer that notes “the Lord makes provisions for every age in the Church.” “The Lord new I’d be raised up to be a deacon at this point,” he said. Deacon Fitzgerald said the part of his new ministry that he looks most forward to is also the part that scared him the most initially: preaching. “Years and years before seminary, I was scared to death of preaching,” he said. “I always thought it was a scary thing – a big, scary animal. I’ve heard so many wonderful preachers. (Bishop) Fulton Sheen has been a huge influence. I love Bishop Barron. There are wonderful preachers here in this diocese. I thought I could never be like them. But after some wonderful summer experiences and courses, and homiletics, I think I’ve come to bring a unique flavor and zeal to preaching, and I’ve come to love it.” The new deacon said he looks forward to drawing on his education and experiences to “help bring people to a point of understanding theology and issues of faith.” He also noted that he’s grateful for the support he’s received as he’s followed God’s call to ordination. “My family is honored, proud and grateful,” Deacon Fitzgerald said. “My mom and dad, sister and grandparents are experiencing and living through tis just as I am; it’s new for me, and it’s new for them. I’m grateful for the support of my family. I have classmates being ordained the same weekend who have families that aren’t supportive. It makes me that much more grateful for my supportive and understanding family.” Deacon Fitzgerald also received support from unexpected sources. “I was the only practicing Catholic in my school growing up, at least the only one who took it seriously,” he said. “A couple of my classmates from high school, people I didn’t keep in close contact with, are going to the ordination and party after. These are people I never thought would be supportive. They don’t understand it to some extent, and they may not even believe in God, but they’re coming to support, and they understand this is special.” He said he also received great support from the priests of the diocese. “For our diocese, I’ll be the first clergyman born in the 21st Century,” he said. “I’ll be vested by Father (John L.) Jack Downs. He’s celebrating 70 years as a priest – seven decades of selfless, giving and loving ministry. He’s a wonderful role model. I want to be like that. I pray the Lord gives me a fraction of those decades of beautiful, humble service.” Deacon Fitzgerald said he also received support from the priests who have served as his pastor and who have hosted him for summer assignments. The new deacon will begin his ministry in Champlain and Rouses Point. “I plan to ease into ministry,” he said. “I pray that the Lord will bless me with many decades of ministry, but I’m not called to fix the Church, just cooperate, do the best I can and preach, and remind others that they’re loved. The reality of our diocese is we’re getting to where we have fewer and fewer priests, parishes are closing. There are many challenges, and it’s easy to get discouraged. If you look at the roots of our diocese, it was Bishop Wadhams traveling around by horseback from parish to parish. We’re no longer on horseback, but the traveling from place to place is again part of our history. The Church started with only 12 apostles. Look what happened. The Lord makes provisions for every age.” |