By Rose Brennan
DANBURY—Despite the icy, rainy weather outside St. Peter Parish on December 6, 2025, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano classified the morning as “radiant,” as he would soon ordain Herley Mendez and Brother Riccardo Varagnolo to the transitional diaconate.
Ordination to the transitional diaconate is considered the final step on the long path to the Catholic priesthood. Deacon Mendez is scheduled to be ordained a priest in June 2026, while Deacon Varagnolo’s priesthood ordination is scheduled for August 2026.
That morning in his homily, the bishop reflected on the proverb, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.” But the journey to the priesthood—and to heaven—began long before either of them took their first steps, he said.
“The moment you were conceived in your mother’s womb, you began a journey to heaven,” Bishop Caggiano told the two men. “And you have been accompanied all along the way. The day of your baptism infused into your soul … the grace of faith, hope and charity, the forgiveness of sin and the enlightenment that comes from one who walks in the footsteps of Jesus.”
The bishop also said that Mendez and Varagnolo certainly weren’t alone in that 1,000 mile journey. First and foremost, God was with them every step of the way. And in addition, they were accompanied by their parents, families, loved ones and other role models and teachers in the faith—all of whom had a part in bringing them to that moment, sitting before the bishop, about to undertake the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
“God writes in crooked lines—to think that the two of you, in Colombia and Italy, would find yourselves here in this small little corner of Connecticut!” the bishop said with a laugh. “Only God’s providence knew your journey would take you here. And you’re being welcomed into a diocesan family as diverse as all of us here—one that’s rich in faith and generosity, one that’s committed to renewal, one that sees the future with hope. You have walked in that family, and now you’ll be called to lead that family in very different ways.”
Their formation for the priesthood already taught Mendez and Varagnolo about the responsibilities and duties of a transitional deacon, the bishop said. But, as a spiritual father, he offered them further advice on their new responsibility to proclaim the Gospel at Mass.
“When you preach, don’t mind your words as much as mind your actions, for in a world that’s filled with words, you’ll preach by the witness of your life in a far more elegant way than ever you will in a pulpit made of marble or wood,” Bishop Caggiano said. “I will ask you to ‘believe what you read, preach what you believe and practice what you preach’ in just a few minutes. I know you men (are) dedicated to doing that. I ask you, now more than ever, to do it.”
Following his homily, the bishop asked the candidates to declare their resolve to become transitional deacons. He then had them kneel individually to promise respect and obedience to him and to his successors.
The two men then lay prostrate on the altar while the faithful gathered chanted the Litany of Supplication, asking for the intercession of the saints in heaven for the two men soon to be named transitional deacons.
Following the Litany of Supplication, the bishop laid his hands on each of the two men, invoking the Holy Spirit upon them. With that, he prayed the Prayer of Ordination, completing the Sacrament of Holy Orders and officially making both of them transitional deacons.
The newly-ordained deacons were then vested with a stole and dalmatic, signifying their new order. Deacon Mendez was vested by Deacon Jorge Montealegre of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Elmsford, N.Y. and Father Thomas Doyle, the pastor of Good Shepherd-Resurrection Parish in Brooklyn, N.Y., while Deacon Varagnolo was vested by Father Adriano Biccheri, parish administrator of Our Lady of Good Counsel Quasi-Parish in Bridgeport and fellow member of the Koinonia John the Baptist.
At the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Caggiano announced where Deacon Mendez and Deacon Varagnolo had been assigned to work during their transitional diaconate. Deacon Mendez was assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Fairfield, while Deacon Varagnolo would serve at the Koinonia John the Baptist’s house of prayer at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
As Deacon Mendez and Deacon Varagnolo move forward in their transitional diaconate—and soon in the Catholic priesthood—Bishop Caggiano offered one last piece of advice.
“As the Lord and the Spirit are doing their work, there is one other who is always there behind you—one other who loves you more than your natural mothers could love you … who will always be there to wrap you in the mantle of her love,” he said. “Make her a part of your spiritual life, and she will never, ever fail you.”
To see photos from the ordination, click here.
