Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

BRIDGEPORT—In a joyful Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano ordained David Klein of Trumbull to the order of Transitional Deacon at St. Augustine Cathedral.

“Become a living sacrament of service. Lay down your life in love,” Bishop Caggiano said to David Klein during his homily to begin the Rite of Ordination. “To love as Christ loves costs dearly, but rewards us infinitely.”

Almost 400 turned out for the Mass including David’s parents Matthew and Sabrina Klein of Trumbull, who served as Gift Bearers, bringing the bread and win to the altar, where David received them.

Bishop Caggiano concelebrated the Mass with diocesan priests and guest celebrants including the Most Rev. James Massa, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn and Rector of St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y, and Father Zbigniew Kukielka, Rector of Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Stamford.

Many friends and families from the Neocatechumenal community in the diocese turned out to support the newly ordained and to show their appreciation by breaking into warm applause three times during the ceremony.

David Klein was vested by Father Richardo Batista Comim, Parochia Vicar of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport and the first to be ordained a priest from Redemptoris Mater Seminary.

At the end of Mass the Bishop announced that the David Klein has been assigned to St. Peter’s Parish in Danbury to complete his final year of formation and studies before being ordained to the priesthood.

David Klein began his studies in September 2015, when he entered Redemptoris Mater Seminary, the missionary seminary of the Diocese of Bridgeport. He is now completing his work in Theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

The Bishop noted that David’s missionary experience as a seminarian in the Neocatechumenal Way has taken him to every corner of the world.

“You have seen poverty and dignity going hand in hand, and you have seen God’s great mercy,” the Bishop said, noting that Klein has walked with others in many different cultures.

“As your spiritual father I am grateful for all that you have walked and will do so in the years to come,” the Bishop said, thanking David for accompanying others through his missionary service that took him to locations throughout the U.S. as we as the Pacific Islands of Kiribati, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Wallis, Futuna, and Tahiti.

“No one is ordained to be the housekeeper of the altar, but to bring the bread of life to the elderly, the sick, and the abandoned, and to remind them that they are loved by God,” the Bishop said.

“Am I ready? The answer is, No! No one is. Am I worthy? No one is,” the bishop said to David Klein, “but in the great mystery of ordination and of God’s love,” we all can find the courage to overcome our weakness and limitation and serve others.

Also: click to read / watch Bishop Caggiano’s Homily

The Rite of Ordination begins when the elect stands before the bishop who asks him to declare his resolve to accept the duties and responsibilities of the Diaconate. The candidate promises respect and obedience. The promise is followed by the Litany of Supplication, the Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination. The newly ordained is then vested with a diaconal stole and dalmatic and the bishop presents him with The Book of the Gospels.

Transitional deacons administer Baptism, dispense the Eucharist, assist at and bless marriages, bring Viaticum to the dying, read scriptures to the faithful, and preside at funeral and burial rites.

Before giving the final blessing, the Bishop once again thanked the Klein family and members of the Neocatechumenal way for the role they played in bringing David to his moment of diaconal ordination, and he urged all present to pray for the diocesan seminarians who “are good faithful, talented young men who are a blessing to our Church.”

The Bishop also thanked Dr. Wililam H. Atwood, diocesan director of Music Ministry, the Ordination schola and The Redemptoris Mater Seminary Choir for providing the beautiful music.

Following the recessional, the bishop and the Rev. Mr. David Klein re-entered the Church to more applause and to have their pictures taken by the many faithful who gathered around them in front of the altar.

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 Bridgeport. At present, he is in his First Year of Theology, working toward a Masters of Divinity at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY. In 2017, he finished studies in Pre-Theology at Sacred Heart University. He also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Fairfield University.

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.

Redemptoris Mater Seminary was first located at Sacred Heart Church in Stamford. In May 2020, the seminary moved into the former St. John Fisher Seminary at 894 Newfield Avenue. For information call, 203.588.1785. Visit: https://www.rmbridgeport.org

Photos by Amy Mortensen