Archbishop Shaw Ordains Br. Raheel as Deacon of the Archdiocese
Lahore: On Saturday, October 08, Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw ordained Br. Raheel to the order of the Diaconate at St. Mary’s Minor Seminary, Lahore.
The beautiful Ordination Mass began with a long procession, as seminarians gathered to honor and welcome their new deacon.
ORDINATION RITES
After the reading of the Gospel, Br. Raheel was presented by Fr. Asif Sardar, Vicar General of Archdiocese of Lahore for the diaconate. It is also the same place where he received his education and formation.
After the recommendation was approved the Archbishop proceeded to give his homily. He expressed his gratitude and encouraged Br. Raheel saying, “God can do great things from the humblest of His servants.”
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He said, “Today God has blessed us with Dn. Raheel Shafqat who will serve His people. This service is not as easy as it may look. There are many impasses but if we believe in Jesus Christ then every obstacle will be removed.”
“There are so many people in this world who are much capable, talented, educated and even many others who pray more than us but we are blessed that God has handed over this missionary work to us. This work needs selfless servers without greed”, he continued.
“We need to experience the love of God and then we should take this love to others. But this would only be possible if we remain in Jesus Christ. It allows us to live a spiritual life of forgiveness, humbleness and a life without any fear”, he added.
Referring to the Gospel of St. Mark he said, “When Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law criticized him. They said it is unlawful to do good on the Sabbath. Even though he was criticized, Jesus did not give up doing good things for His people. We need to imitate Jesus and must try to follow His path to serve His people. Our dedication towards the church should be maximized. Although as a seminarian there are few responsibilities but gradually when you become a deacon or a priest or reach a higher rank the scope of responsibilities becomes wider. I wish Dn. Raheel a committed life within the church, his parents and community,” he concluded.
At the end of the ceremony, Br. Raheel paid gratitude to his parents, teachers and all those who remained involved throughout his formation.
