Diaconate Ordination in Belleville IL

We left Saint Meinrad at seven in the morning for the three hour drive to Belleville IL. There were three of us in the car: Deacon Tom, Patrick, and I. We had planned this day trip to attend the Diaconate Ordination of our friend and classmate, Ben Stern of the Diocese of Belleville. Another classmate, Joe, had driven from his home in southern Missouri to the Ordination. We arrived an hour or so before the 11 AM Ordination at the Cathedral of St. Peter in downtown Belleville.

Ben was ordained there by his bishop, the Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, DD, PhD, STD, along with his diocesan brother, Steven L. Beatty, who is studying at Mundelein Seminary. There were twelve of Steven’s classmates from Mundelein, transitional deacons all, who also had driven down for the Ordination. One of them, Deacon Ryan Larson of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois (who knows my good friend, Fr. Sunny, from his diocese), vested Deacon Steven with the stole and dalmatic. I, on the other hand, vested Deacon Ben with the stole and dalmatic.

Above is a photo of Deacon Tom and I with our newly ordained brother-deacon.