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BY PRISCILLA GREEAR
Staff Writer
ATLANTA--Rev. Mr. Robert Frederick, Jr. took a significant step on the
narrow road to priesthood when he was ordained a transitional deacon June 26 at
Sacred Heart Church, the parish where he began his pastoral service.
“I feel it’s a confirmation of my calling to serve in the church
and to serve the people,” said Rev. Mr. Frederick, appearing calm and
joyful beforehand.
Archbishop John F. Donoghue celebrated the Mass and about 10 priests
concelebrated, including Father Pat Williams from Notre Dame Seminary, New
Orleans, where the candidate has studied. Deacon Whitney Robichaux served as
the master of ceremonies. About 50 friends and family members gathered at the
historic, French Romanesque-style church in support of the 32-year-old
seminarian.
His father, Dr. Robert Frederick, Sr., of Columbia, S.C., and his sister,
Elyse, of Winston-Salem, N.C., read the Scriptures chosen for the Mass. The
group “Hearts on Fire,” directed by John Prevost, with flute and
guitar accompaniment, led the congregation in song.
In his homily, Archbishop Donoghue said the Mass was a time to encourage
Rev. Mr. Frederick in his call and to pray that God brings him fully to a life
of service in the priesthood. He spoke of Christ’s challenge to those in
authority to be humble and serve others, without becoming tyrants or bullies,
smug or arrogant.
“Humility and service, so perfectly realized in the life of Jesus
Christ, remain great challenges for us, in our struggle towards heavenly
perfection,” he said. “Jesus’ words explain why these virtues
are challenging -- the tendency of human nature when given authority is to lord
it over those who are under our authority.”
“Today we rejoice that our brother has heard the call of God, and that
God has brought him to this point, where he will now take up, in anticipation
of the priesthood, the duties of deacons in our Holy Church,” the
archbishop continued. “And we are confident he has chosen this path, not
to rule over anyone, but rather, to be ruled over by Christ’s command to
serve His Faithful. In doing so, our brother helps to remind us all of that
same duty -- to love one another, to tend to one another’s needs, and to
do it all, remembering the generosity of Jesus Christ, who gave His life as a
ransom for each and every one of us.”
As all Catholics must find their talents and ways through which to glorify
God, the archbishop said deacons’ responsibilities are to serve as
ordained ministers of Scripture by preaching, of the altar by assisting the
priest in leading people to the Eucharist, and of charity by caring for
God’s people like a father.
Rev. Mr. Frederick confirmed his commitment to celibacy and made a promise
of obedience to the archbishop and then humbly prostrated himself while the
congregation sang the litany of the saints. The archbishop laid his hands on
the candidate, said a prayer of consecration and presented Rev. Mr. Frederick
with the Book of the Gospels.
A friend, Troy Carpenter from Columbia, S.C., and Father Stephen Churchwell,
pastor of Sacred Heart where the candidate spent a pastoral year, vested the
new deacon. The archbishop then gave him a welcoming hug, after which he joined
the priests at the altar for the Eucharist.
Following ordination, he will continue serving a pastoral internship at Good
Shepherd Church and St. Brendan Mission in Cumming. He said he’s
“just really looking forward to getting back in the parish and serving the
people.”
At Good Shepherd, he works with the RCIA program, as an altar server, with
baptisms, weddings and funerals and with the youth, whom he loves to serve.
“I kind of have a passion to work with them because I didn’t get
good training when I was a youth,” he said. “Some of my religious
education was very ineffective. It almost turned me off from the church.
Anything that had to do with the church was considered boring when I was
little. I would like kids to realize that it’s not boring. It’s
exciting.”
He said he never thought about becoming a priest until he moved to Atlanta
in 1994, when he became more involved in the church community. He worked for
five years in computer consulting and management information systems.
Growing up in South Carolina, where Catholics are a tiny minority, Rev. Mr.
Frederick said he received a lot of practice defending his faith and answering
questions about Catholicism. He enjoys working with those in the RCIA process
who are considering joining the church.
He served as a chaplain last year at a hospital in Columbia, S.C., and found
that his most difficult pastoral work has been counseling the grieving.
“The most difficult thing for me has been grief ministry ... walking
through somebody’s pain and suffering with them,” he said, noting
that faith begins to seem a lot more relevant to many people when they’re
hospitalized.
His dad, who helps people as a physician, expressed joy over his son’s
vocation to the priesthood.
“It’s just very satisfying for us to see him pursue this career
knowing he will be able to help a lot of people,” he said. “He always
has really been very good in relating to people. He’s just very outgoing.
He’s got a good, positive outlook on life.”
He believes his son’s work experience will also help him as a priest.
“He just has a good feeling for the life of a layman as opposed to the
priest. I think that’s going to help him -- that he has been in the
business world.”
One of his sisters, Dawn Hooker, from Charlotte, N.C., admires her
brother’s love of life.
“He’s somebody I can go to, open up to and I know he’ll be
there for me. He’s really taught me to be patient and to love
unconditionally. He’s just very inwardly happy -- just being around him
gives you a sense of calm. He’s very understanding, “ she said.
“He just gets everything out of life ... You can tell he really loves to
live. He’s really involved with all of his family, with all of his
friends.”
She said he reads a lot, is a marathon runner and is working on competing in
a triathlon.
Carpenter said his friend since childhood was also his best man at his
wedding.
“We’re just here to support him. Whatever he does he’s good
at, so I’m sure he’ll be a good priest. He’s one of the hardest
workers I’ve seen,” Carpenter said. “He’s really caring.
He’s the type of person that will do anything for you. You can trust him
with anything ... He is the best of friends. We trust each other with anything.
It’s not just him -- it’s his whole family. He’s just as nice to
people as you’ll ever meet.”
Father Churchwell said Frederick was a hard worker during his pastoral
service at Sacred Heart which occurred during the 1996 Olympics.
“We had a very big year and there were a lot of things happening here
and Bob was always willing to do anything I asked because of the
Olympics.”
Father Churchwell said the entire parish community “liked him a lot
because it was clear for them that he was here to learn from the people here.
He came with an openness to find out how things were without making any
assumptions already. He was willing to speak to the older members of the
community as well as the younger members, which is a real talent.”
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