On the afternoon of Sunday, April 17th, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Nikolaus Klemeyer, LC and Leonhard Maier, LC were ordained deacons by Bishop Emeritus Wilhelm Schraml (Passau Diocese) at the Basilica of Santa Ana in Altötting. At the beginning of the Holy Mass, Fr. Andreas Schöggl, LC, territorial director of Central Europe, presented the candidates for the diaconate. Both entered the novitiate in 2003 and made their perpetual profession in 2011.

More than 500 people attended the Eucharistic celebration, including around 100 adolescents from ECYD Germany and a group of young people from Poland. Several Legionaries from Germany, from the northern communities, concelebrated, along with some priests from Austria. Also concelebrating were ten diocesan priests, including the godfather of Fr. Leonhard Maier and the parish priest who connected him with the Legionaries of Christ, as well as other friends and close priests.

Mons. Schraml commented during the homily that Jesus needs priests and deacons to work in the world. “By the laying on of hands and prayer, they will be ordained deacons. Diaconal ordination means mediation of the Spirit of God. God Himself places His Spirit, the Fire of His Love, in them,” he said.

He also mentioned that God chooses men, grants them His Spirit, and that this is an undeserved gift from God to everyone, to the Congregation, and to all those who will benefit directly from the ministry of the deacons where they work. He further stated that it is the mission of the Church for her priests and deacons to be those men who lead others to the foot of the Cross, to the pierced Heart of Jesus, so that they may come to know God’s love. “Deacons must authentically carry to men the most important and valuable thing they have: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,” he emphasized.

Fr. Leonhard reflected on one of the most meaningful moments of the ordination for him: “The litany of the saints was a very beautiful moment because the bishop told us that we could propose some saints that meant something special to us, and after invoking those saints, you approach the bishop and he ordains you. That moment is very powerful and beautiful. The prayer of ordination was a very intense moment; I tried to follow it very consciously. Afterwards, when giving communion, you see that God has given you so much, and now you have to give it to others.”

After the celebration of the Mass, those present accompanied the new deacons in procession to the Grace Chapel, or Our Lady of Altötting Chapel, where the bishop imparted his blessing. A few kilometers away, at the Legionaries of Christ novitiate in Neuötting-Alzgern, a snack and a meeting with the new deacons were offered. Bishop Schraml also took the opportunity to meet and greet the people.

“Being ordained on the 75th anniversary of the Legion makes me think that I am now a ‘father’ to serve my community, to serve the Church in the Legion, to continue spreading the good smell of Christ in my community. In the prayer of consecration to the Virgin, we ask Mary to help us live the commandment of love in our communities because where there is charity, there is God. I also reflected that it is a gift from God to be ordained deacon during the Year of Mercy. I thought that as priests, every encounter we have with people should leave a spark of mercy in them,” said Fr. Leonhard.

Fr. Nikolaus Klemeyer commented that being a priest is “a deeply rooted desire in me, which fascinated me from a young age. Without having to do much for it, this path has been unfolding step by step, simply. The more I have experienced that the priest is truly another Christ, the more I have rejoiced in this priestly vocation that God wanted to give me.”

Fr. Leonhard also commented: “After ordination, humanly, nothing changes. The way you live today, you will live tomorrow. How you carry out your responsibilities today, you will carry out a section tomorrow; how you live the Holy Mass today, you will live it tomorrow. For me, it is not a big change in that sense because today I seek to live what God wants, and one should not wait for ordination to start seeking the path of holiness.”