Photos - Bio

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

ATLANTA-The native son has come home. Amid a sea of friends, family and supporters at his home parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ricardo Bailey took an essential step on his path toward the priesthood. With the soulful sounds of the Our Lady of Lourdes Choir providing the soundtrack, Archbishop John F. Donoghue ordained Bailey to the transitional diaconate Dec. 22 in the presence of a standing room only crowd. In his homily, the archbishop said that deacons are responsible for assisting at the altar, spreading God's word, and living a life of good works. "To administer, to guide and to preserve all these treasures flowing from the Body and Blood of our Lord, it was inevitable that the Holy Spirit would raise among us, ranks of servants, to do His will, and to work mutually in the holy work of the Church, which is the work of God," he said. "Early in the life of the Church, as we read in the Acts, certain men were chosen to assist the Apostles and the men they had chosen to carry on the priestly work, when the demands grew larger than the Twelve could handle. These men, who in time came to be called deacons, enjoyed the weight of three principal works for the sake of the Church." The archbishop explained that a deacon is entrusted with the task of serving the people. "Today, this man Ricardo, comes before us, and in keeping with the call he has received from God, and respectful of his choice to obey that call, I now prepare, for your sake, the sake of the Church, to ordain him a deacon," he said. "This year he will spend as a deacon, awaiting the final ordination to the priesthood, will not be spent in theory, but in fulfilling the roles, the duties that I have mentioned. For he is now to be entrusted with the great responsibility announced in our first reading, when the wise sage Sirach said to this own people, 'You who fear the Lord, trust him, and your reward will not be lost.'" The archbishop then addressed the candidate. "Today you are being raised to the order of deacons. Before you now, and for the days leading up to your priestly ordination, remember that our Lord Himself has set the example for you to follow," he said. "Always attentive to the sacred rites of His people, always searching for the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, always ready to share the bountiful love of His Father, the Lord Jesus Christ lived perfectly the life which you are now called to imitate." "By serving others, to the best of your ability in these three holy works, you will also be serving that same Lord, who has called you, and who now will accompany you in this final year of formation," he continued. "Remember every day that Christ walks by your side-guard your reputation, for your name now is to be linked with His; live with His faith in mind, for it brought Him, and will bring you, through death into resurrection; preach hope to those who come before you for instruction, for hope was ever the Lord's message; and express in actions of charity, the truth you proclaim by word of mouth." During the Rite of Ordination, Father Serge Ward, vocations director, presented Bailey to the archbishop and to the congregation, who accepted him with thunderous applause. After the homily, Bailey made a commitment to celibacy and a promise of obedience to the archbishop and his successors. As the congregation knelt and sang the Litany of Saints, the candidate prostrated himself in front of the altar in a gesture of humility. Archbishop Donoghue laid his hands upon the candidate, and prayed a prayer of consecration. He then presented the new deacon with the Book of the Gospels. The new deacon was then greeted by his brother deacons in the sign of peace. A reception held in the parish hall gathered priests, fellow deacons, family and other well-wishers. Rev. Mr. Bailey's mother, Elizabeth, said she was "very pleased that so many of his friends came to be with him today." She said that her son, who attended Our Lady of Lourdes School, was embraced by the community. "He has been nurtured by the heritage of faith he has found here, so it is partly this community of faith that has made this possible," she said. Sadly, Mrs. Bailey died a week after her son was ordained to the diaconate, but on the day of his ordination, her heart was full with the peace that her son would make an exceptional priest. "He is going to be a good priest because he's always wanted to be a priest," she said. "He preaches the truth and he brings it to the people." Arlice Sconyers, Rev. Mr. Bailey's sister, was also filled with pride for her little brother. "My brother is just awesome," she said. "He is going to be such a good priest, because he is dynamic and straight and down to earth. I think he is going to be able to embrace and keep the younger generation involved in the church." Rev. Mr. Bailey's other sister, Cleaster Sewell, said that the day was "exciting." "I never thought he would have been called (to the priesthood)," she said. "But I know this is where he was meant to be." Charles Prejean, the director of the Office for Black Catholic Ministry where Rev. Mr. Bailey served last summer, is confident in the path the new deacon has chosen. "He is just in love with the priesthood," he said. "He is a wonderful spiritual leader and will continue to be that way." Rev. Mr. Bailey is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood in June 2003.