Three third-year theology students from Atlanta, studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary were ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Leonard J. Olivier, auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., during Mass on May 14 in the Basilica of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md.

The newly ordained deacons, who are entering their final year in seminary, are the Rev. Mr. Serge E. Ward, Rev. Mr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., and Rev. Mr. Richard K. Young, all from the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Seminarians become transitional (as opposed to permanent) deacons as one of the final steps in their progression toward ordination for the priesthood. As a deacon, each will “help the bishop and his body of priests as ministers of the word, of the altar, and of charity,” according to “The Roman Pontifical.”

“He will make himself a servant to all,” it continues. “As a minister of the altar he will proclaim the Gospel, prepare the sacrifice, and give the Lord’s body and blood to the community of believers.

Deacons have a number of other specific responsibilities, but the ordination also represents a renewed consecration to Christ on the part of each man: “By his life he will give witness that God must be loved above all else, and that it is He whom he serves in others.”

Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary is the second oldest and one of the largest Catholic seminaries in the United States. Its current enrollment includes approximately 140 men in graduate-level studies for the priesthood and a small number of part-time students. Nearly three dozen dioceses across the country send candidates for the priesthood to the Mount.