PHOTOS: Archbishop Samuel Aquila Ordains New Deacon at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine
- Rocio Madera
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
In a moving Eucharistic celebration surrounded by family, friends and parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Denver, Brother Juan Diego de María Gómez Jiménez, a Cleric Regular Theatine, was ordained a deacon on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Although Brother Juan had felt a special connection to the Church and to the idea of a religious vocation since childhood, it wasn’t until the age of 32 that he entered the seminary of the Order of Clerics Regular. There, over the past 10 years, he has received formation and grown deeply in faith.
When he professed his perpetual vows, he added “Diego de María” to his name in honor of his profound devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe. He never imagined that, years later, he would be ordained as a deacon just days before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe—at the very shrine that bears her name in Denver.
During the homily, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila urged those present to set aside political ideologies and worldly distractions and to listen above all to the voice of Jesus, “our one and only Savior.”
“How well do you know Jesus? Is he your best friend? Do you truly listen to him?” the archbishop asked, inviting the faithful to reflect deeply in their hearts. “Not to all the different political parties out there, not to all the rhetoric out in the world, not to all the other ideologies— But do you listen to Jesus first before anyone else? For that is what it menas for him to be our Lord, our Savior, our guide.”
When we follow Jesus and listen to his voice above all else, the archbishop continued, we receive from his hands and his heart the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and the strength to overcome every temptation. He emphasized that it is in the Gospel that we truly hear the living voice of Christ.
“When you’re listening to the Gospel, don’t listen to it as some story about Jesus, but listen to it as Jesus is speaking to you,” he said.
(Photos by Juan Andrés Coriat)
Archbishop Aquila highlighted the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary today, particularly in the lives of St. Juan Diego and the newly ordained Deacon Juan Diego de María, both examples of humility and openness to Mary’s maternal love.
"Today, as we celebrate the ordination of a deacon, Juan Diego, a beautiful name, of one who was humble. Of one who listened to the voice of Mary,” the archbishop said. “When one reads the words of Mary to Juan Diego, the words are not about her. What does she do? She leads him to Jesus.”
He also encouraged the faithful to come to know and listen to the Virgin, to allow themselves to be guided by her, so that she may lead them closer to her Son.
“It's essential that we also know her,” he said, “so that she can lead us to herself, to Jesus, and be in relationship with him."
Nearly 500 years ago, Mary revealed God’s love to the people of Mexico through her apparitions during a time of spiritual darkness. In today’s darkness, the archbishop said, she remains a living sign of God’s love, continuing to guide believers along that same path.
Archbishop Aquila’s message to the new deacon was clear: to be a true servant who leads others to Christ through faithful preaching of the Gospel, following the example of St. John the Baptist and saintly deacons such as St. Lawrence.
“Today, Juan Diego, as you receive the Sacrament of Orders and through the laying on of my hands, you will be conformed to Christ the servant, to serve the people of God as a deacon,” Archbishop Aquila said. “You will be able to baptize and invite people to encounter Jesus. And remember, when you preach, do not preach your opinion or you thought, but preach Jesus. Preach the Gospel and be faithful to it.”
He also encouraged Deacon Juan Diego de María to place his full trust in the Holy Spirit and to root his ministry in prayer.
“Trust in the Holy Spirit. Pray to the Holy Spirit that he will guide you in your ministry. And before you preach, always pray to the Holy Spirit,” the archbishop said. “Because Jesus promised us, ‘I will give you the words to say.’ and trust in him, that he fulfills those promises.”
For Deacon Juan Diego de María, the celebration was filled with profound emotion and a deep sense of encounter with Christ the Servant.
“The most beautiful moment was when the archbishop laid his hands on me and called down the Holy Spirit,” he said, moved. “It was such a powerful experience. I felt my heart burst, and I wanted to cry. It was like seeing my whole life pass before my eyes in a single second. It was a deeply spiritual experience.”
