Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will ordain two diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate on Saturday, May 20, during a Mass at 10:30 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. It’s an important step before these men are called to be ordained as priests of the diocese in 2024.
During the Celebration of Ordination to the Order of Deacon, steeped in the rich traditions of the early Church, Bishop Sweeney will ordain to the diaconate Sebastián Muñoz Chavarría of Colombia and Joseph Samuel DeMarzo III of Madison.
In the Roman Catholic Church, a transitional deacon is a celibate man who has been ordained a deacon and who intends to become a priest. Transitional deacons are usually ordained to the diaconate after they complete their third year at the theological seminary.
The ministry of a deacon is to proclaim the Gospel, dispense the Eucharist, give instruction in Holy Doctrine, prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preside over baptisms, marriages, funerals, and public prayer. A deacon also carries out acts of charity in the name of the bishop or pastor.
Sebastián Muñoz Chavarría
Born to Jesús María Muñoz and Miryan Elena Chavarría in San Pedro de los Milagros, Antioquia, Colombia.
Parishes: Minor Basilica Señor de los Milagros in San Pedro, Colombia, and St. Vincent de Paul Parish in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township.
Education: Graduated high school at Normal Superior Señor de los Milagros in San Pedro, Colombia. Studied philosophy and religious education at Seminario Diocesano Santo Tomás de Aquino, Universidad Católica del Norte in Santa Rosa de Osos, Colombia. Studied English as a Second Language at Rutgers University in Newark and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Studied pre-theology II and first theology at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, N.Y., until it closed in 2019. Transferred to Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange to study for Masters of Divinity in pastoral ministry.
Apostolic experiences: St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, and St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Stirling.
Joseph Samuel DeMarzo III
Born to Joseph S. DeMarzo Jr. and Deborah A. DeMarzo on July 23, 1993, at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
Parish: Corpus Christi, Chatham Township.
Education: Graduated from Chatham High School in 2012. Earned bachelor’s degree from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., in 2019. Entering fourth-year theology studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.