The following was Bishop Caggiano’s homily given while celebrating the Diaconal Ordination of Juan Jose Colón, Jr.
Saturday, May 17, 2025 • 11:00 AM St. Augustine Cathedral
And so, my dear sisters and brothers, this morning, with tremendous joy in all of our hearts, we gather in prayer and to surround our brother, Juan Jose, who now is at the cusp of entering into a great mystery, to enter to the sacramental mystery of the diaconate, to become a living sign for all of us that we as disciples and he as a deacon have come not to be served in this world, but to serve others. And you want to give your life so that others may have greater life.
I think it’s fair to say that everyone in this church, most especially Mom and Dad and your two sisters, had a great role to play in bringing you to this moment. One, we are all very proud of you today. All of us pray for you that this good work that God has been calling you from the very first moment you were conceived in your mother’s womb, that this good work will continue to grow and bear fruit, not only for the people you will serve, but for your own salvation in Jesus Christ. What is it that our brother is being called to do, or more importantly, to be?
Well, to answer that question, my friends, we must recognize that our brother has walked a journey to this day, a journey that had many twists and turns that perhaps when you began formation, you and I and all of us could never have imagined. And as we shared last night together at dinner, at every moment of every turn, the Lord was accompanying you by the hand to forge you into the man you have become. For through your courage and your perseverance, you have grown in maturity and wisdom and faith. You have become man ready to really offer your life to him.
Therefore, it is that courage and perseverance that will mark, I believe, the rest of your mortal life. It’s through that prism that we could understand what the Lord is asking of you today. For all of us, we know what the deaconry is meant to be in our midst as a sacrament. For all who share it are called to be the preachers of the word, to bring the living word of God into your heart and mind and into the world, to be the joyful, gladful preachers of the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
For it is only in Jesus Christ that we have hope and salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. For you, my brother Juan, being a man of courage and perseverance, I pray that you’ll always persevere to preach that word in season and out of season. With those with whom you live and work will either hear it joyfully or perhaps not. To persevere, to be the man who is not afraid to tell the truth as you have become. To continue to preach that truth even when the world does not want to hear it. For that will demand the same courage that has brought you to this day and will carry you to eternal life.
There’s no different, my friends, that the deacons are also called to be the ministers of the altar. They do that not simply to make sure we have right and reverent worship, but also because in their person, they are the bridge to the hearts and minds and hopes and dreams and sufferings and tears of all the people they serve as they pour out their life in service. And so, one, you have distinguished yourself as a man who has persevered in that work even before ordination.
For you have gone where other people were afraid to go, to stand with people that perhaps very few would stand with. And so I ask you, as you enter into this mystery, continue to persevere. Persevere to bring the hearts, the prayers, and the sufferings of everyone you meet to this altar of salvation. And have the courage to be voice, for the world often wants them to be voiceless. And you, like me, will bring their voice to the throne of God.
And then, of course, charity. The deacons who serve us so generously in our midst. They are the sacrament of Christ’s charity, literally love, literally to pour out their lives. In this journey that you have taken from when you were a little boy, you have done that. You continue to do that among the sick, among the young, among the elderly, among those who are lost, those who are questioning. I commend you, my brother, for all that you do and ask you to persevere in doing it. For with the grace of the Holy spirit, you will yield a fruit far greater than you could ever imagine and have the courage to love wherever it takes you.
We are all proud of you here. But more importantly, each in our own way love you very much. And as you enter into this mystery, know that you bring into it all of our prayers and our hopes and our joys and our dreams for you. For God has great things in store for you. My heart tells me that. And therefore, as you take this one step, there will be other steps in your life to come. Please God, a year from now, to enter into the mystery of the ministerial priesthood. That all the way, it is the Lord who has carried you, caressed you, encouraged you, inspired you, corrected you, challenged you. And He will continue to do that until He welcomes you into the Kingdom of Everlasting Life.
Juan, congratulations. And may God bless you on this moment of profound grace. And may we, all of us, myself included, never be afraid, never lack the courage to follow your example.
