By TARA CONNOLLY Staff writer
Bishop of Allentown Alfred Schlert will administer the Sacrament of Ordination for the first time by ordaining three men deacons Saturday, May 19 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown.
Giuseppe Esposito, John Maria and Zachary Wehr, Diocesan seminarians studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, will be ordained transitional deacons during the Rite of Ordination to the Diaconate.
As transitional deacons the men will share God’s word, bring Viaticum to the dying, celebrate funerals, assist with and bless marriages, baptize, instruct people in the faith and perform works of charity.
Giuseppe Esposito
Giuseppe Esposito, 36, parishioner of Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, attended the former McAdoo Catholic Elementary School and graduated from Marian High School, Tamaqua in the year 2000.
He is the son of Joseph and Debra Esposito and has a younger brother, Justin.
Esposito earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from St. Charles in 2007 and obtained an associate degree in nursing from Lehigh County Community College in 2011.
While working as a registered nurse, he completed a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2015 from DeSales University, Center Valley. He received a master of divinity degree from St. Charles in 2018.
Esposito first heard the call to the priesthood as a junior in high school after listening to a vocational talk by a priest about his radical service to the poor and disadvantaged. The call resurfaced during his junior year in college.
“This was more of a reconversion. I stopped taking my faith for granted and actually developed a relationship with Christ. Finally, I felt the call working as a registered nurse while ministering to patients and their families,” he said.
As ordination approaches, Esposito said he is experiencing excitement and feelings of unworthiness.
“I’m excited to commit my life in serving Christ and therefore all the people who make up the Church. I’m eager to proclaim God’s word, preach and baptize,” he said.
“There is also a mixture of unworthiness as I am human and make mistakes. However, I know there will be amazing examples of the priesthood, honest parishioners, my friends and family, and God’s grace to support and form me as a deacon and one day priest of Jesus Christ.”
John Maria
John Maria, 50, parishioner of St. Ignatius Loyola, Sinking Spring, attended Garfield Elementary School, Pittston and graduated from Pittston Area Senior High School. He earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from Pennsylvania State University in 1989.
He is the son of Theresa Maria, Pittston and the late Cataldo Maria. Maria is also the father of James Maria and father-in-law of Abby Maria. He has a brother, Carl Maria and sister, Annette Gromelski.
Maria earned a master of arts degree in theology from Augustine Institute, Colorado in 2014. He will complete work for a master of divinity degree from St. Charles in 2019.
Maria’s call to the religious life occurred at different stages after he drifted away from Jesus and his Church.
“In the midst of family crisis, I came back to him. Having experienced the ‘bad news’ of life apart from him, I came to appreciate the Good News of Christ in a new way, and the joy that comes with it. This was a pivotal time of conversion and rededication. It was the call to holiness, and dying to myself,” he said.
After attending regular daily Mass and regular confession, Maria began to teach religious education and became an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.
“Teaching and sharing my Catholic faith in Christ brought happiness. I began to feel the call to do something full time in the Church,” he said.
Maria contemplated teaching or studying for the diaconate. Over the years, encouragement from friends, laypersons and clergy caused him to consider the priesthood.
“I was very active at my parish, but I had a hunger to do more. At times the idea of priesthood seemed far-fetched, but the Lord’s gentle, persistent call never went away,” he said.
“The Lord did not speak audibly or knock knick-knacks off my shelf at any point along the way. Instead, there was an increasing peace in his truth, zeal to share it, and growing trust that his grace could overcome my shortcomings.”
As ordination draws near, he said he is encountering feelings of humility and nervousness, as well as peace about the promises of celibacy and obedience.
“I’m excited to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and humbled that the Lord would call me and equip me for the task ahead, in his service. But since I’ve never actually been a deacon before, I think it’s natural to be nervous about all the new things ahead. The Lord will provide,” said Maria.
After ordination, he is anxious to help parishioners become closer to Jesus.
“I hope this will happen by proclaiming the Gospel and preaching, as well as the less visible tasks of being able to serve and help folks along the way. I’m really excited at the thought of baptizing new children of God, and bringing them into the life of God’s grace,” he said.
“My relationship with the Lord is the center of my life. Even when I am distracted and focused on particular matters at hand, that relationship must form the way I respond to others.”
Zachary Wehr
Zachary Wehr, 27, parishioner of Holy Trinity, Whitehall, attended schools in the Whitehall-Coplay School District and graduated from Whitehall High School in 2009.
He is the son of Dennis and Kathleen Wehr and has a younger sister, Emily. Wehr is also the grandson of Linda Wehr and Paul Mikulcik.
He studied history and secondary education at East Stroudsburg University before entering St. Charles Seminary in 2011.
Wehr earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2014 and a master of divinity degree in 2018. He will complete a master of arts degree in theology in 2019 from St. Charles Seminary.
Wehr believes that God was always calling him to be a priest, and the call became “very real” after his freshman year in college.
“I felt it was something that I needed to take seriously. I began searching for truth and the meaning of life, and God ultimately responded with a pretty clear answer: ‘I want you to be my priest,’” he said.
With ordination less than a month away, Wehr said he and his classmates are excited to be approaching one of the most important events in their lives.
“It is also very humbling to think that God has chosen me to serve the Church of Allentown in this way. I thank God every day for the many blessings that he has given to me, and I know and trust that he will continue to guide and strengthen me as I move forward on my journey to the priesthood,” he said.
Wehr is mostly eager to serve as a deacon at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
“Assisting the priest or bishop at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is one of the primary roles that a deacon has in the Church. The deacon is called to devote himself more fully to prayer and the preaching of the word, and so it is a great honor to have the opportunity to preach at Mass as well,” said Wehr.
“Ultimately the deacon is called to be a man of service, both to God and to his people, and I am very excited to share in this great privilege and responsibility.
“Our faith teaches us that God’s grace is sufficient, and this reality is important not just for me but for everyone who is striving to serve as a faithful disciple and witness of Jesus Christ.
“God has blessed me with an amazing family, great friends and an abundance of experiences and encounters that have helped to mold me into the man I am today. I know that God is walking beside me with me wherever I go, and that allowing him to take the lead is always the best bet.”
