PALM BEACH GARDENS | Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito prayed Sept. 6, 2025, at the start of the ordination Mass for six permanent deacons for the Diocese of Palm Beach that God, who “taught the ministers of your church to seek not to be served but to serve their brothers and sisters,” would support the men, “whom you graciously choose today for the office of deacon,” so they “may be effective in action, gentle in ministry and constant in prayer.”
The bishop ordained Dony E. Antony, Fred H. Bradley III, José R. Capó, Timothy Dube, Mario R. Neyra and Victor Oscar Rodriguez to the diaconate surrounded by priests, deacons, family members and friends at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens. Also attending was Bishop Gregg M. Caggianelli, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, who previously taught the men in diaconal formation at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.
Prior to the liturgy, Deacon Pete Del Valle, director of permanent deacon formation for the diocese, extolled the virtues of the men chosen to carry on the duties of word, sacrament and charity.
“These are some of the holiest men I’ve ever met in my life, and they will do wonderful things for God’s people here in this diocese,” he said. “They are faithful, they’re obedient, they’re extremely prayerful, and they love serving God’s people. So, I expect wonderful, wonderful things from them. I really do.”
As part of the ordination rite, Deacon Del Valle presented the six men to the bishop as diaconate candidates, and Father Alfredo Hernández, president/rector of the Boynton Beach seminary, affirmed that the men were properly prepared for ordination. Announcing his acceptance, Bishop Barbarito said, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these men, our brothers, for the Order of the Diaconate.”
In his homily, the bishop recounted that a special jubilee Year of Hope celebration for permanent deacons occurred in Rome in February. Though Pope Francis was unable to attend the jubilee Mass because of illness, his message was read by the presiding archbishop. In the homily, the pope stressed that the ministry of deacons “reflects and embraces three aspects of the Christian life. Those three aspects are forgiveness, service and communion,” Bishop Barbarito said.
“You take up these Christian qualities in a particular way, which will be the hallmarks of your lives,” he told the deacon candidates. “Indeed, forgiveness is an absolute quality of Christian living. Christ humbled himself and became one of us in order to forgive our sins. As we look around the world today, we see so much that needs to be faced and needs to be forgiven.”
As shown to the prophet Jeremiah in the first reading (Jer 1:4-9), God understands us and is merciful, the bishop said. “The Lord will be with you. The Lord will strengthen you. Always keep your hearts and your ears open to the Lord and he will be with you to carry you through.”
The liturgy’s second reading from the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-7) shows how seven men were set apart for service in carrying out ministry in the early church, he said. “Service goes hand in hand with humility, as expressed in the Gospel of St. Matthew today. The Lord reminds us that we do not hold on to authority as does the world, but we empty ourselves, as did Jesus, in order to give ourselves in service to others,” the bishop said.
Communion, the final quality emphasized by Pope Francis, relates to the relationships formed in our lives, he said. “One of things that Pope Leo has stressed so continually in his papacy to date is the Augustinian virtue of communion, in terms of the unity which is present in the church. Indeed, as ministers of the Gospel, we do not act on our own, but we act in communion with each other and with the church, and especially here in the Diocese of Palm Beach, we are one family.”
Continuing the ordination rite, Bishop Barbarito asked the six men to express their desire to be ordained as deacons and their willingness to serve. After promising obedience to the bishop and his successors, the men lay prostrate on the cathedral floor while the congregation sang the Litany of the Saints.
The bishop invoked the Holy Spirit while laying hands on the men’s heads, praying the prayer of consecration and having the new deacons don the stole and dalmatic, which are the liturgical vestments of deacons.
Presented the Book of the Gospels by the bishop, the men were instructed to be heralds of the Gospel of Christ. Concluding the rite was the kiss of peace from the bishop, priests and deacons in attendance.
Near the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Barbarito prayed: “Grant, O Lord, in your servants, whom you have replenished with heavenly food and drink, that for the sake of your glory and the salvation of believers they may be found faithful as ministers of the Gospel, of the sacraments and of charity.”
He congratulated the six new deacons, who will serve their respective parishes: Deacon Antony at St. Matthew in Lake Worth; Deacon Bradley at Holy Family in Port St. Lucie; Deacon Capó at St. Jude in Boca Raton; Deacon Dube at St. Bernadette in Port St. Lucie; Deacon Neyra at St. Juliana in West Palm Beach; and Deacon Rodriguez at St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton. The bishop also thanked Father Gavin Badway, cathedral rector, the diocesan music ministry and Father Brian King, episcopal secretary and master of ceremonies.
While those who attended the ordination were afterward forced to wait out heavy rain that swept through the area, the Florida Catholic spoke with Ellen Bradley, wife of new Deacon Fred Bradley and director of the Ryan Center for Young Children at Holy Family in Port St. Lucie.
Asked how she felt about her husband becoming a deacon, she said, “Elated. Absolutely elated. It’s been a long process, a long journey for both of us. But we have been led every step of the way. We’ve had excellent leadership from the bishop, excellent leadership from Father Hernández at the seminary, excellent leadership from Deacon Pete. Could not ask for more.”
Reflecting on the “heavy concept” of being a servant of all, Deacon Bradley said he knows it won’t always be easy, “but what a beautiful responsibility.” Expressing a desire to assist his pastor, Father Tri Pham, at Holy Family, he said, “I am anxious to serve. I am so grateful that my wife is such a stalwart supporter. She’s got her own beautiful ministry. It’s nice to see how these two ministries can support each other.”
For information about the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program in the Diocese of Palm Beach, visit www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/ministries/diaconate-ministry/. To contact the office, call Deacon Del Valle, formation director, at 561-775-9540. The deacon ordination Mass can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1wUcUHkAYs.
