Bishop encourages new deacon to be ‘best of God’s servants’

METUCHEN — Smiling as he called the congregation “a small but valiant crew,” Bishop James F. Checchio and those assembled at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi March 25 eagerly awaited the “yes” to be uttered by David Edward Keyes, the newest candidate for the transitional diaconate of the diocese. The ordination, slated for the Feast of the Annunciation, took place during a private liturgy because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Deacon Keyes will serve at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Parish until he is ordained to the priesthood next spring.

After the Gospel reading (Luke 1:26-38), which told of how Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and asked to become the mother of Christ, Bishop Checchio, said, “God chose to wait for the freely-spoken ‘yes’ of Mary. God does not act against our freedom. We, too, await your ‘yes,’ David, as you climb your own Calvary hill to lay down your life as a celibate, prayerful and obedient deacon following God’s plan.”

Bishop Checchio noted that Mary was more than the mother of Christ — she offered man the perfect example of an ideal disciple and the first missionary. “All of us brothers and sisters in Christ are supposed to do this as disciples, as missionaries,” he said. “We are to be people of prayer and bring the presence of Christ into the world by what we say and how we act. Mary is pronounced ‘blessed’ because she believed and acted upon it.”

Bishop Checchio encouraged the deacon candidate to encounter Christ in brothers and sisters in need — the homeless, the immigrant, the ill, the lonely, a stranger, even a family member or friend. Be a man of prayer, he continued, serving in Christ’s name and sharing the presence of Jesus through your life. “These are extraordinary times,” Bishop Checchio said. “Although we are so few here today, they join us in prayer to celebrate your ‘yes.’ May you always be the best of God’s servants.”

Deacon Keyes knelt before the bishop, pledging his respect and obedience to him and his successors. He then lay prostrate before the altar as those in attendance chanted the litany of the saints. “May God, who has begun the good work in you, bring it to fulfillment,” the bishop prayed. Handing the new deacon the Book of the Gospels, Bishop Checchio continued, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach. Thanks for being a sign of hope in these times.”

After the ordination, Deacon Keyes said, “I didn’t want to be a priest until I was in my early twenties. It was finding a supportive group of friends that once I felt the initial tug of a priestly vocation. My friends were there to support me. A positive community towards a religious vocations is paramount.”

When asked what he anticipates or looks forward to in his priestly ministry, he replied, “Celebrating the sacraments for the edification of the faithful and to help people develop and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.”

Deacon Keyes, 36, was born in Dodgeville, Wisc., one of two children of Edward and Marsha Keyes. He graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee. In 2001 with a degree in marketing communications. Deacon Keyes has worked with The Corporate Executive Board Company (CEB, Inc.) as a brand and consumer manager; the City of Chicago as a marketing associate during its 2016 Olympic Bid, and BP Oil and Gas Corp. as a B2B marketing associate.

Deacon Keyes graduated from Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., in 2019 with master’s degrees in divinity and moral theology.