Two Seminarians will be Ordained Transitional Deacons this Friday

stephen blaxtonadam maher
                Stephen Blaxton                                             Adam Maher

 

WHAT:        Seminarians Stephen Blaxton and Adam Maher will be Ordained Transitional Deacons  

WHEN:        2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19

WHERE:     Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, 615 Hoyt Ave., Saginaw

SAGINAW- Diocese of Saginaw seminarians Stephen Blaxton and Adam Maher, who currently attend Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, have many things in common. They both come from small towns, worked as restaurant servers, served professionally as teachers and credit their parents with being examples of strong faith. On May 19, they will share another experience in common- both will be ordained to the transitional diaconate by the Most. Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption.

"When I was 24 years old, I started reading the bible and fell in love with Jesus," said Adam Maher, who hails from Port Sanilac. "I saw the beauty of God in His son Jesus. If He's willing to give His life to me, I'm willing to give my life to Him. The diaconate is a call to serve, which I love to do. It's also a step towards the priesthood, which makes me very excited."

In the Catholic Church, the transitional diaconate precedes ordination to the priesthood. 

Before Stephen Blaxton became a seminarian for the Diocese of Saginaw, he played the drums semi-professionally, which led him far from his hometown of Shepherd and across the country from Washington, D.C. to El Paso, Texas and beyond. He even considered a career as a musician.

"The call to the priesthood came early for me- in high school," said Stephen Blaxton. "I ran away from that call. Ultimately, I realized that because God loves me, He's worth trusting. Trusting in God's love for me helped me realize that following His will leads to the most fulfillment and happiness I could ever hope for in life. Now, I look forward to giving myself completely out of love of Christ to the members of the Catholic community."

Bishop Cistone will celebrate the Ordination to the Order of the Diaconate of Stephen Blaxton and Adam Maher this Friday, May 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the recently dedicated Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, 615 Hoyt Ave., in Saginaw. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this Mass. A live stream of the Mass also will be available via the diocesan website, www.saginaw.org, and on the diocesan Facebook page.

Those interested in learning more about priestly vocations may also contact Father Andrew Booms, director of vocations to the priesthood for the Diocese of Saginaw at 989-752-8119 and frandyb@gmail.com.

A print friendly version of this information is available here. 

The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw was established by Pope Pius XI on Feb. 26, 1938. Today, it includes 6,955 square miles across Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Sanilac, Saginaw and Tuscola counties. In 1938, The Most Rev. William Murphy, the first Bishop of Saginaw, dedicated the entire diocese under the patroness of Mary of the Assumption.