Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul Priest and Deacon Ordination Ceremony
26 new priests and 18 deacons ordained, the era of 1,000 priests in the diocese begins!
January 21, 2025
The Seoul Catholic Archdiocese ( Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek ) will hold a priestly ordination ceremony at the Myeongdong Cathedral, the diocesan cathedral, on the 7th of next month at 2:00 PM, presided over by Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek .
26 deacons (including 1 Redemptorist) ( the first level of the order of the sacrament of ordination ) will receive the sacrament of ordination from Archbishop Jeong Sun- taek and be born as new priests .
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church , and consists of three orders: episcopal, priestly , and diaconal . The rite of Holy Orders is performed with the laying on of hands by a bishop and a solemn prayer of consecration . Those chosen as clergy are consecrated to serve the people of God by teaching, sanctifying , and governing them in the person of Christ . Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, priests are given the task of proclaiming the Word of God, administering the sacraments , and especially celebrating Mass, as co-workers with their bishops .
With this ordination, the number of priests belonging to the Archdiocese of Seoul will increase from 974 (including 1 cardinal, 1 archbishop, 3 bishops, and 4 monsignors, as of January 2025) to 1,000 . With this , the Archdiocese of Seoul has reached the era of 1,000 priests . According to the statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea ( as of December 2023 ) announced by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in April 2024 , the total number of priests in Korea is 5,721 .
At 2 p.m. on the 6th , the day before the priestly ordination , 17 deacons from the Archdiocese of Seoul and 1 Capuchin Friar Minor will receive the deaconate at the deaconate held at Myeongdong Cathedral . Deacons assist priests in performing various duties, such as preaching , administering the Eucharist , and sacramentals . Deacons can administer the sacrament of baptism and officiate at the sacrament of marriage , but cannot administer other sacraments or celebrate Mass .
The theme of the 2025 Seoul Archdiocese Priest and Deacon Ordination Ceremony is “ Have in yourselves the same mind that was in Christ Jesus ” ( Philippians 2:5) . Deacon Kim Yong-woo ( baptismal name: John the Baptist ) , a representative of those to be ordained as priests, said, “ I believe that living as a priest who resembles Christ is a life of keeping the obedient heart of Jesus, ” and added , “ I chose this verse with the hope that as we walk this path, we may always live with a humble and obedient attitude like the heart of Christ Jesus . ”
Among those ordained as priests in 2025 is Deacon Kim Dong-jun (baptismal name Callistus), who is hearing impaired . He is the first deaf priest in Asia to be ordained in 2007, 18 years after Father Park Min-seo . Among those ordained , Deacons Ryu Ho-jun ( baptismal name Andrea ) and Kim Yong-woo ( baptismal name John the Baptist ) are the younger brothers of Fathers Ryu Ho-young and Kim Yong-ju, respectively, and will have two new pairs of brother priests in the diocese .
The 2025 Priest and Deacon Ordination Ceremony will be broadcast live on CPBC Catholic Peace Broadcasting .
Source: https://aos.catholic.or.kr/pro81/view?id=201526
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