By Brian D. Wallace
BRIDGEPORT— On Saturday, June 17, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will ordain David Klein of Trumbull to the transitional diaconate for the Diocese of Bridgeport. The Ordination Mass will be celebrated at 11 am at St. Augustine Cathedral.
Ordination as a transitional deacon is the last step before ordination to the priesthood, which typically occurs a year later after additional pastoral, liturgical and educational preparation.
A native of Trumbull and a Fairfield University graduate, David Klein began his studies and formation for the priesthood in September 2015, when he entered Redemptoris Mater Seminary, the missionary seminary of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Redemptoris Mater missionary seminaries are under the auspices of the Neocatechumenal Way, a charism in the Church dedicated to Christian formation and the New Evangelization inspired by St. John Paul II. Their purpose is to prepare priests for missionary work anywhere in the world.
“My Neocatechumenal community is extremely important to me because they are the backbone of my journey to faith. I am most grateful first for my community and for the gift of the Neocatechumenal Way in my life, which has brought me to the presence of the Lord. I am grateful for the Seminary, which is forming me into a Christian man and has helped me to recognize who I truly am, and to see the immensity of the love the Lord has for me in my weaknesses,” Klein said.
David Klein was born on September 22, 1993. He grew up in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his parents and four siblings, and attended Trumbull High School. His father is a native of Bridgeport, and his mother is a native of Italy.
Since 2015, he has studied philosophy and theology as a seminarian for the Diocese of Bridgeport. At present, he is in his first year of Theology, working toward a Master’s of Divinity at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, N.Y.
In 2017, he finished studies in Pre-Theology at Sacred Heart University. He also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Fairfield University.
His missionary experience as a seminarian of Redemptoris Mater includes service in Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Louis, Mo.; and Paterson, N.J. In July 2018, he was sent in mission to the Pacific Islands- Kiribati, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and Tahiti. From July 2020, he served in missions in Kansas and Missouri. Most recently he has served at St. Margaret Shrine in Bridgeport.
The Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) Diocesan Missionary Seminary of Bridgeport was established by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano and opened in Stamford in 2015 on the Feast of Immaculate Conception. It is one of the eight diocesan missionary seminaries in United States sponsored by the Neocatechumenal Way. Recently, Father Ricardo Baptista Comim became the first Redemptoris Mater seminarian ordained for the Diocese of Bridgeport, when he was ordained by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, along with five other diocesan seminarians, at St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull.
Redemptoris Mater Seminary was first located at Sacred Heart Parish in Stamford. In May 2020, the seminary moved into the former St. John Fisher Seminary at 894 Newfield Ave. For information call, 203-588-1785 or visit www.rmbridgeport.org
