Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for the Ordination of Transitional Deacon, Ian Wintering

May 31, 2020

By God’s providence, you are being ordained a deacon on the day when the Church celebrates the great Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is not a history lesson; not an event stuck in the past. It is living history, a mystery of God’s love continuing to create and recreate, even in the present COVID-19 pandemic.  Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses …to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The power God gives is the opposite of the world’s power.

My son, you will receive power through the Holy Spirit, the power of mercy and forgiveness, power from on high that casts down the proud but lifts up the lowly; a sacred power that fills the hungry with good things but sends the rich away empty.

In a few minutes, you will prostrate yourself on the floor of this Cathedral, as a sign of total surrender, imitating Jesus who, as St. Paul writes (Phil 2:8), “…humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” This humble prostration speaks louder than words of your readiness to be a servant of Jesus and His Body the Church. Through the Spirit, Jesus is equipping you for sacred ministry, exercised at the altar and among the poor, proclaiming the Gospel and serving the needy.

Before His Ascension, Jesus told the Apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit before beginning their ministry. You, my son, have been waiting for several years, actively waiting as you prepared your mind and soul through the discipline of study, the practice of prayer and the many rigors of priestly formation. Now the waiting is over; from this day forward, you will be a public witness to Jesus in the Order of Deacons, serving His Kingdom in communion with me and my successors.

What lies before you is both a privilege and a duty, a mission so great that only by the power of the Spirit will you be able to succeed. Remember that the first martyr of the Church was a deacon, St. Stephen. By the Spirit’s power, he found the courage to suffer and die for the love of Christ. With this in mind, listen to the words of Cardinal Wyszynski, spoken during times of persecution in Poland, “The greatest weakness in an apostle is fear. What gives rise to fear is lack of confidence in the power of the Lord; this is what oppresses the heart and tightens the throat…“ Always keep in mind, my son, “Perfect love casts out fear.” The Holy Spirit is perfect love. Have confidence in Him. With St. Faustina, say, “Jesus, I trust in you.”