June 17, 2026 The following is Bishop Terry R. LaValley’s homily from the Ordination Mass celebrated June 6 at Church of the Holy Family in Watertown. Deacon Kevin McCullouch, a Watertown native, was ordained. My sisters and brothers, we know that being a Catholic Christian does not mean merely being subject to a whole lot of dos and don’ts. No, by the virtue of our baptism, we enter into a unique relationship where we immerse ourselves into the center of the love that comes to us from God, through Jesus, to live our way into a relationship – an intimate relationship – with him through whom many demands and joys in everyday life are encountered. The dynamic of this relationship is such that God’s true faithful son became visible in Jesus Christ, who devotes himself to us all. He, the very son of God, became our deacon. And this is a central aspect of the mystery of Jesus Christ. The fact that the Lord of us all is deacon – a servant who goes around and serves us and reveals to us the mystery of God’s love. The greatness of the diaconal ministry that you now receive, Kevin, consists in the fact that you are commissioned to make the Deacon Jesus Christ present in these challenging times of our world and of our Church. Making the Deacon Jesus Christ present means becoming a coworker in his mission of love in the Church. That’s why the first and foremost duty imposed on you is simply to give witness to the love of Jesus Christ. Care for the sick and suffering. Visit them and the lonely, the abandoned. Give them what no artificial intelligence, no medicine is capable of giving them, the presence of Jesus’ compassion and tender care. Help the hurting to believe in God’s love even in their suffering. Precisely because you will embody the Deacon Jesus Christ, the service of the word is entrusted to you. As you embrace Jesus and radiate the joy of the Gospel, the love of Jesus Christ will shine through your servant ministry wherever you find yourself. All service of the word must ultimately be anchored in these words: God loves all people; God wants everyone to be saved. Being a deacon means having the privilege of making the deacon Jesus Christ present in the life of the Church. And in this graced hour, we’re all praying for you, Kevin. You have persevered. No, you’ve joyfully embraced the sometimes difficult path of preparation for holy orders. And I tell you, the Church is richly blessed. And I’m grateful. The foremost ministry of the deacon servant is to pray for others. Pray without ceasing means that the depths of our soul are perpetually immersed in God, that, at the bottom of our hearts, we always come into contact with him and are always in an intimate exchange with him and that, in this way, we are truly praying with all our being. Only when we come into contact with God at this depth can it also give strength and fruitfulness to the words of our prayer. The distinctive character of the activity of the ordained must proceed from the fact that we are men who pray for others. You are to be a master of prayer. That can only happen if you personally are unceasingly tending to your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Kevin, you are being called to holy celibacy. Be firmly rooted and grounded in faith and show yourself chaste and beyond reproach before God and neighbor. Never, never allow yourself to be turned away from the hope offered by the Gospel. Now you are not only a hearer of this Gospel but also its minister. Hold the mystery of faith with a clear conscience. Express by your actions the word of God which your lips proclaim so that God’s people brought to life by the spirit may be a pure offering accepted by God. Then on the last day, when you go out to meet your Lord, you will be able to hear Christ say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” That’s our prayer for you this day of your ordination to the diaconate. We want to thank the Lord for the faith witness of your parents, their strong support and deep love of Christ and of his body, the Church. For what’s happening here today, may God be praised forever. May God be praised.
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