BOSTON -- Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley ordained nine men to the permanent diaconate during a Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Oct. 15, the feast of St. Teresa of Avila.

The word "deacon" comes from the Greek word "diakonos," meaning servant. The first of three ranks of ordained ministry in the Church, deacons may aid the priest at Mass, proclaim the Gospel, deliver homilies, and preside at baptisms, weddings, and rites of Christian burial. Each permanent deacon is assigned to a parish as well as a ministry of the archdiocese.

The new deacons are Pacceli Braga for St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Somerville; Paul Bukow for the Brockton Catholic Tri-Parish Collaborative; David Cosgrove for Holy Family Parish in Duxbury; Thomas Hines, Jr. for the Plainville-Wrentham Catholic Collaborative; Luc Lambert for Blessed Trinity Parish, serving Westford and Littleton; Colm McGarry for Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland; Frederick O'Brien for the Parish of the Transfiguration in Wilmington; Thong Phamduy for the River of Divine Mercy Collaborative Communities, serving Tyngsborough, Lowell, and Dracut; and Gilbert J. Sullivan for Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford.

Deacon Braga's wife Daniela Braga read the first reading in Portuguese, and Deacon Lambert's wife Annette Lambert read the second reading in English. In his homily, Cardinal O'Malley began by greeting the Portuguese Catholics in their language, and also acknowledged the presence of many members of the Vietnamese Catholic community.

"We know that the diaconate came about as a need to respond to the beauty of the Church's diversity. And certainly, our ordination class today reflects that," Cardinal O'Malley said.

He spoke about the twofold priorities of charity and prayer, which he said are "essential in the life of a deacon."

"A deacon must have time for prayer and for the Word. Only with prayer and by the power of the Word can our ministry become fruitful," the cardinal said.

He also spoke about the emphasis that Christ and St. Paul put on "dying to self."

"Dying to self is never easy. It requires the strength and the light born of a life of prayer. Our American culture is very activist. We are doers. But we need the contemplative basis for our ministry so that, like those first deacons, the seven, we can be Spirit-led," he said.

He urged the new deacons to be ministers of mercy and peacemakers.

"Remember that you are a messenger, and the world is hungry for good news," he said.

The deacons were presented for election after the Liturgy of the Word. Then, after the homily, Cardinal O'Malley laid his hands on the head of each candidate, conferring the Holy Spirit upon them and ordaining them to the diaconate. The newly ordained were then vested with a stole and dalmatic, signs of the office of the deacon, and each received the Book of the Gospels.

The new deacons then joined the cardinal on the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Newly ordained Deacon Colm McGarry had just come out of isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. Having spent the required time in quarantine, he was able to be ordained "with medical advice and the Grace of God." His family and friends in Ireland and across the U.S. watched the ordination Mass via CatholicTV.

He told The Pilot that he and his wife, Julie, found it "a privilege to study, pray, and grow" with the other eight couples.

"I have met so many great people who shared our journey and my heart is just full of gratitude. Sometimes ministry involves a lot of meetings and emails but at the heart of this new life is the love of Jesus Christ, so clearly present as I think of our peers, our formation directors, and all who have prayed with and for us," Deacon McGarry said.