Diaconal Ordinations in Bratislava, Barcelona, and Hermosillo

Bratislava

The 6th of May, Mons. Jozef Haľko, auxiliary bishop of the Bratislava archdiocese, ordained deacon Father Štefan Kavecký, L.C., at the Christ the Savior parish in the Slovak capital. Family members of Father Štefan, friends, and members of the Movement and ECYD attended the Eucharistic celebration. Among the concelebrants were diocesan priests, Father Andreas Schöggl, L.C., territorial director of Western and Central Europe, and several legionaries from communities in Austria, Poland, Hungary, and the Germany Novitiate Center.

Mons. Hal’ko began his homily recalling the importance of stepping out of oneself to serve, and thus, encounter God and oneself. “This is what a deacon does. Saints also did it, each in their own particular way. I encourage you to invoke them in the litanies with great attention and devotion to ask for this grace for Štefan,” he said. “All our life is a relationship, a turning towards the other. We want to see everything from God’s perspective,” he added.

Father Štefan commented: “It is difficult for me to put into words what I experienced during the ordination day. In the morning, I had a moment of Eucharistic adoration, and I couldn’t find words to express to Jesus what I was living. It was not a moment to understand; it was a moment to trust. I felt very grateful to my fellow legionaries who were with me in Bratislava: the companions from Rome, Father Andreas Schöggl, Father Konstantin Ballestrem with the novices, the priests from Germany, Krakow, and Vienna, and Father Michael Duffy from Budapest, the first legionary I met in my life.” An interview with Father Štefan, in German, is available at this link.

Father Štefan Kavecký, L.C. Born in Bratislava, Slovakia. He is the youngest of four brothers. Since 2002, he participated in ECYD activities in Bratislava, joined Regnum Christi in 2004 in Rome, and actively helped with the apostolates of the Movement in Slovakia. He entered the novitiate in Bad Münstereifel in 2006. Later, he completed a year of humanities in Cheshire. From 2009 to 2011, he studied a bachelor’s in philosophy at the Center for Higher Studies in Thornwood. During his apostolic practices, he was a vocations promoter in Bavaria and an assistant to management at the Bad Münstereifel Vocations Center. In 2014, he returned to Rome to begin theology studies. He is currently in his third year of a bachelor’s in theology.

Barcelona

On May 20th, Cardinal Martínez Sistach, Archbishop of Barcelona, ordained deacon Father Miguel Subirachs, L.C. The celebration, attended by about 200 people including family, friends, the Legionaries of Christ community in Spain, consecrated men and women, and members of Regnum Christi, took place at the Virgen de la Paz parish in Barcelona.

Cardinal Martínez Sistach, addressing the new deacon and those present, spoke of the three vocations of the baptized Christian: marriage, priesthood, and religious life, and invited young people to listen to God to discover what He has planned for them. Martínez Sistach thanked Brother Miguel for listening to the Holy Spirit, who, through his parents, the parish, and the spiritual director, helped him see his vocation to religious priesthood.

Father Miguel Subirachs, L.C. Born in Barcelona on April 13, 1986. He is the youngest of three brothers. He was a member of ECYD and Regnum Christi in his city. In 2004, he entered the novitiate in Salamanca, where he took his first vows in 2006. He studied classical humanities and then began philosophy studies in Rome. During his apostolic practices, he collaborated in youth ministry at educational centers in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Barcelona. There, he made his perpetual profession on July 30, 2012. Returning to Rome, he earned a degree in philosophy and began theology studies.