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Newly Ordained Deacons in Mozambique Reminded of Early Christians’ Diaconate Ministry: “dedication to service of others”

João Vissesse

By João Vissesse

Maputo, 17 December, 2024 / 9:52 pm (ACI Africa).

Bishop Osório Citora Afonso has urged the two newly ordained Deacons to draw inspiration from the original Diaconate ministry of the early Christians, which he said entailed availability and a life of dedicated service to community members. 

In his homily during the Diaconate Ordination of Seminarians Hector Massingue and Ananias Mata, the Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo Archdiocese in Mozambique also emphasized the need for the Deacons-elect to embrace obedience. 

“For the first Christian community, the Diaconate was born as a service of the Word and the altar. This role calls for availability and dedication to the service of others,” Bishop Osório said during the December 14 ordination celebration at St. Augustine Magoanine Parish of Maputo Archdiocese.

Going forward, he told the Deacons-elect, “your mission will be guided by these two pillars: the Altar and the Word of God.”

“It is up to us to keep our hearts open and attentive to God’s Word, to relate with others, and to love as the Lord loves us,” the Mozambican-born member of the Institute of Consolata Missionaries (IMC) said.  

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He underscored the need for altruism in discipleship to Jesus Christ in general and Diaconate ministry in particular, and told the two Deacons-elect, “Wherever you are sent, serving the poor and those in need is not simply humanitarian work; it is an immediate and natural consequence of knowing Christ.”

Service is not “mere philanthropy” but a natural response to intimacy with Jesus Christ, the eternal and supreme Deacon of the Church, the Catholic Church leader, who was Consecrated Bishop of Maputo Archdiocese on January 28 said. 

He explained, “While philanthropy and charity may appear similar – building houses, providing services, and helping the poor – the spirit and purpose behind diaconal service make it fundamentally different.”

In his homily, Bishop Osório called upon the Deacons-elect to comply with invitations from those in leadership to be available to the service of the people of God, saying, “Embrace your mission with obedience; obedience to the Church and her ministers and service to the community especially the poor.” 

He went on to underscore the importance of unity and fraternity in the ministry of the Clergy, and added, “Through the Diaconate, you enter into a family – a family of friends. If you do not belong to this family, you lose your identity.”

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“Belonging to the Clergy, united with the Bishop and others, gives your mission true meaning,” the Mozambican Catholic Bishop emphasized.

He continued, “Deciding for Christ means recognizing oneself as part of the Church. It is within the Church and with the Church that this Diaconate takes shape. It is in the Church that the bread is broken.”

Losing the identity of Catholic Clergy, the 52-year-old Catholic Bishop said, “you will be nothing. You belong to this family and must identify with it. You may achieve small things, but if it is not done together, nothing truly happens.”

He encouraged the Deacons-elect to commit themselves to a life of love, friendship, and service rooted in the Word of God and the Eucharist, in communion with other members of the Clergy and the people of God.

João Vissesse

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. 

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