Four men from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and five seminarians from the Diocese of Orange were ordained transitional deacons Nov. 20 at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, in preparation for their ordination to the priesthood next spring.

As sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of St. James Chapel, Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto of Orange presided at the trilingual liturgy (Spanish, English and Vietnamese). Bishop Soto prayed that these men would be "effective in their work, persevering in their prayer, performing their ministry with gentleness and concern for others."

The nine men included Deacons Vincent Khoa Luong Mai, Joseph Quan Nguyen, John Quy Tran, and Joseph C. Wah, Jr. of Los Angeles. A fifth transitional deacon, Robert Garon, was ordained for Los Angeles on Nov. 21 by his uncle, Bishop Faber MacDonald, in New Brunswick, Canada.

Ordained for Orange were Deacons Edward Becker, Michael St. Paul, Danh Trinh, Paul Trinh and Martin Nguyen. All will continue their studies and pastoral duties at St. John's prior to their priesthood ordination.

The liturgy's Scripture readings reflected the history of the diaconate and describe the characteristics and tasks of those called to the Order of Deacon. In Acts 6, "seven reputable men" were appointed to serve the widows who were "neglected in the daily distribution" of food. In 1 Timothy, deacons are described as "dignified, not deceitful, not greedy, holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience." In Matthew 28, Jesus commands his followers to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

In prayers and in his homily, Bishop Soto repeatedly referred to the place of service in the lives of deacons, notably that they are ordained to "serve, not to be served." In the handing on of the Book of Gospels, the bishop urged them to "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read; teach what you believe; practice what you teach."

In December, five additional St. John's seminarians will be ordained as transitional deacons in their respective dioceses of Tucson and San Diego.