The Face Of A Jesuit

Korean Jesuits Shin-jae Youh, Jin-hyon Lee, and Jin-hyuk Park, were joined by East Timorese Jesuit Plínio Gusmão Martins at the ordination, with Bishop Greg O'Kelly, S.J. presiding. In his homily, Bishop O'Kelly spoke of the journeys of the four young men into their vocation.

Bishop O'Kelly said he was intrigued to learn that both Shin-jae and Plínio, in their younger days, had been told by different people that they had the ‘face of a Jesuit'.

‘This is intriguing me', he said.

‘I have fears about what some people might think a Jesuit face might look like.

That's clearly an avenue that might be explored by the Jesuit vocations committee. Ordination to the diaconate is a special sacrament within the Catholic Church, said Bishop O'Kelly. ‘Holy orders has three levels of practice as is reflected in the apostolic church where we find deacons, priests and bishops. Something does happen to the inner person with these sacraments.

The sacrament imposes an inner configuration - to use a term favoured by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict - an orientation of the person that can never be revoked.'

As deacons, the four young men have the tasks of proclaiming the Gospel, preparing the Eucharist, giving communion, bringing God's word, presiding over public prayer, as well as saying baptisms, marriages, providing last rites, and leading the rites of burial.

Link (here) to the full article in the Province Express