Meet Dcn. Daniel Ramos, CC, a transitional deacon for the Companions of the Cross (Home parish: St. Patrick's Parish, Vancouver B.C.), who will be ordained a priest later this year.
What was the highlight of your time at Sacred Heart Major Seminary?
One of the things I have always been grateful for during my years at Sacred Heart is being able to study and journey with brothers from all over the US. In our current deacon class alone, there are 16 of us from a handful of various dioceses and religious communities. Especially being from Canada, I very much look forward to my future ministry where I can collaborate with these future brother priests of mine — a possibility that our time at Sacred Heart Seminary has made possible. The fact that so many dioceses and religious communities send their men to study at Sacred Heart is a testament to the quality of education and formation that is taking place here.
What has been one or two highlights of your time serving as a transitional deacon?
My diaconate ministry has been amazing so far! One thing that I especially love is connecting and ministering to people after Masses. Often people will come up to me and start a conversation, and we often end with me praying with them and giving them a blessing. It has been such a powerful experience for me to directly minister to God's people in this way.
How are you preparing for your priestly ordination?
A word I received in prayer at the beginning of my diaconate ministry is that the Lord wanted to use this time of ministry as a deacon in significant ways, beyond just being a "stepping stone" to the priesthood. In other words, I sensed the Lord calling me to dive fully into the "deacon life" and to not look too far ahead into "priest life."
Over these last several months, I have experienced God using my deacon ministry in powerful ways as he said he would. So as odd as it sounds, apart from the planning of ordination logistics, I am most preparing for the priesthood by living in the duty of the moment of being a deacon. It's in fully living my life and ministry as a deacon that I am most growing in excitement and anticipation for my life as a priest.
What kind of priest do you want to be?
As I have been praying all year about my life as a priest, two words come to mind: humble and faithful. I want to be a humble priest, one that is fully aware of my own weaknesses and shortcomings that leads me to rely on the Holy Spirit alone to live my life as a priest. I also want to be a faithful priest, that no matter what God calls me to do or where to go, I will always say yes out of a radical and committed desire to His will and building His kingdom; I want to be steadfast and faithful to every aspect of priestly life.
What are you looking forward to after being ordained?
I am very much looking forward to celebrating the Holy Mass. Even just to practice it now as a deacon moves me profoundly; to know that in my unworthiness, the Lord Jesus makes himself present in the Eucharist through my priesthood is consoling and awe-inspiring in a way I can't fully put into words.
Please join us in praying for Deacon Daniel Ramos, CC, during his final months of preparation leading up to his ordination.