SOUTH END -- Cardinal Seán O'Malley will celebrate the Rite of Ordination to the Order of Deacon for 10 candidates at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Sept. 22.

Louis J. Piazza, a deacon candidate of the class of 2012, explained the significance of the rite and gave a bit of insight into the group of candidates for ordination.

"We are welcomed in service to the bishop to work alongside the priests in our archdiocese and to make the Church be bigger than just the four walls of our individual parishes," Piazza said.

After they are invested and have joined the diaconate, these men who came from various backgrounds will work within a single calling. All the men in this class have secular vocations, marriages and families to look after in addition to the duties they undertake after receiving the stole.

"Love of God and love of Church is central to all of the candidates, but of course the manifestation of that is in very different ways," he said.

He said motivations in the group range from the inclination toward serving the poor to a desire to work on marriage preparation as deacons.

Piazza said each candidate will have a parish assignment and an assignment within the ministry offices in the Archdiocese of Boston following their ordination.

"These are men who come from the pew themselves and take a step now which is to be a bridge to provide support, assistance and service to the congregation in support of the ministry of the priests and the bishop," he said.

Following are the candidates for ordination:

Robert Balzarini is an electrical engineer employed by NStar. He and his wife, Louise, have five adult children (Mark, age 35; Adam, age 33; Matthew, age 31; Robert, age 27; and Jeffrey, age 24), and live in Whitman. Deacon Balzarini will be serving his parish assignment at Holy Ghost Parish in Whitman, and serving his diocesan assignment assisting Kari Collela in the Office of Marriage Ministries.

Vincent Gatto is a licensed physical therapist practicing at the Winchester Hospital/Orthopaedic Plus Reading. He and his wife, Nancy, have two adult children (Peter, age 27 and Andrea, age 23), and live in North Andover. Deacon Gatto will be serving his parish assignment at St. Michael Parish in North Andover and will be serving his diocesan assignment assisting Deacon Patrick Guerrini in the Office of Diaconal Life and Ministry.

James Hinkle is a manufacturing engineer employed at Hansen Engineering. He and his wife, Pam, have two daughters (Lauren, age 21 and Sarah, age 19), and live in Lynn. Deacon Hinkle will be serving his parish assignment at St. Pius V Parish in Lynn and will be serving his diocesan assignment assisting Kari Colella in the Office of Marriage Ministries.

Michael Joens is a senior systems engineer employed at EMD Milipore Corporation. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters (Anna, age 18; Mary, age 15; and Theresa, age 9), and live in Beverly. Deacon Joens will be serving his parish assignment at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Beverly and will be serving his diocesan assignment assisting Father Daniel Hennessey in the Office of Vocations.

Jonathan Jones is a Quality Service Analyst employed at National Quality Review. He and his wife Peg live in Peabody. Deacon Jones will be serving his parish assignment at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Beverly, and will be serving his diocesan assignment assisting Mrs. Susan Abbott in the Office of Religious Education.

Brian Kean is employed at Winn Companies. He and his wife, Marcia, have three adult children (Caitlin, age 26; Brian, age 23; and Mairead, age 20), and live in West Roxbury. Deacon Kean will be serving his parish assignment at St. John Chrysostom Parish in West Roxbury and will be serving his diocesan assignment assisting Deacon James Greer in the Office of Health Care Ministry.

Thomas O'Shea is an investment product manager employed by Fidelity Investments. He and his wife, Carol, have two teenage children (Molly, age 19 and Tommy, age 17) and live in Lynnfield. Deacon O'Shea will be serving his parish assignment at St. Maria Goretti Parish and Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Lynnfield, and serving his diocesan assignment assisting Deacon Daniel Burns in the Office of Diaconate Formation.

Louis Piazza is the Director of the BATEC grant at the University of Massachusetts. He and his wife, Debbie, have three adult children (Ryan, age 29; Michele, age 27; and Chris, age 25) and live in Andover. Deacon Piazza will be serving his parish assignment at St. Augustine Parish in Andover and serving his diocesan assignment assisting Deacon Patrick Guerrini in the Office Diaconal Life and ministry.

William Reidy is a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He and his wife, Elaine, have two daughters (Lauren, age 20 and Kathryn, age 18), and live in Reading. Deacon Reidy will be serving his parish assignment at St. Agnes Parish in Reading and serving his diocesan assignment assisting Father Mark O'Connell in the Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal.

Paulo Torrens is a psychotherapist employed at Northeast Arc. He and his wife, Terla, live in Charlestown. Deacon Torrens will be serving his parish assignment with the Brazilian Community at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Allston and serving his diocesan assignment assisting Father Michael Harrington in the Office of Cultural Diversity.