On Saturday, 11 July 2020, at 11:00 a.m., on the Feast of Saint Benedict, Abbot, Michel Quenneville was ordained a Transitional Deacon.
During the months of July and August, Michel will be sharing his time in pastoral ministry at St. Paul the Apostle and the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate. In September, he will return to St. Augustine Seminary in Toronto to complete his final year before his ordination to the Priesthood.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Saturday's ordination was a private celebration for priests associated with his ministry and Michel's family.
Please keep Michel and his family in your prayers.
What is a transitional deacon?
Transitional deacons are seminarians, students in the last phase of training for the Catholic priesthood. After being a deacon for a year, they’re ordained a priest.
In addition to their primary service to the disadvantaged both Permanent Deacons and Transitional Deacons liturgically are able to baptize, witness marriages, perform funeral and burial services outside of Mass, distribute Holy Communion, preach the homily/sermon and are obligated to pray the Divine Office (Breviary) each day.