On August 31, Mons. Carlos Enrique Samaniego, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mexico, ordained five Legionaries of Christ as deacons at the Expiatory Temple of Christ the King, known as the Old Basilica of Guadalupe.
The new deacons are Frs. José Enrique Anaya Degollado from Michoacán; Rodolfo Jiménez González from Tlaxcala; Emmanuel Ortiz Hernández and Joaquín Sáinz Serdio from Mexico City; and Pablo Vivanco de Esesarte from Puebla. Their families, friends, Legionary priests and diocesan clergy, consecrated women, consecrated laity, and lay members of Regnum Christi attended the temple.
After reading the readings and the Gospel, the diaconal ordination took place, during which the candidates prostrated themselves on the ground, and the Bishop, concelebrants, and all present knelt to pray the Litany of All Saints. Fr. Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, General Director of the Legion of Christ, helped vest the young men with the dalmatic (the garment worn by deacons).
In his homily, Mons. Samaniego told the new deacons to remember the biblical passage of the washing of the feet, where Jesus Christ, bent over, washed the feet of each of his friends in an attitude of total service: “That is the attitude you should have. Currently, society seems to want to erase the culture of service, which is what should characterize the Church, but even within it, sometimes an image of a vertical, unserving structure is portrayed.” He added that their work will be to administer the sacraments, especially to the poorest, to give witness to Christ with their own lives.
Fr. Ricardo Sada, L.C., Territorial Director of the Legion of Christ for Mexico and Central America, thanked the families of the new deacons for their generosity, as it is not easy to part with a son. He emphasized that God is never outdone in generosity, and if any of the young attendees are deciding their mission in life, they should consider the happiness these young men have achieved and the gifts that God will always give them throughout their lives.
At the end of the Mass, the new deacon, Fr. Rodolfo Jiménez, L.C. from Tlaxcala, expressed his gratitude to everyone who accompanied him in person and on social media. He announced that he has now been assigned to work in Rome, Italy, and from there he will pray for Mexico.
Some of these young men discovered their vocation to the priesthood after completing a university degree, some already when they had a job. Others discovered it as children, entering a vocations center.
Brief profile of the deacons:
Fr. Rodolfo Jiménez González, LC
Born in January 1987 in Tlaxco, Tlaxcala, Mexico. Entered the Legion of Christ novitiate in September 2003, making his perpetual profession in September 2012. He has carried out his apostolic work in Monterrey, Nuevo León, as an assistant in vocations promotion; at the seminary of the Prelature of Cancún-Chetumal as a formation instructor; in Rome, he collaborated in the General Directorate’s administration department; and at the Vocational Center in Curitiba, Brazil, he was part of the formation team.
Fr. José Enrique Anaya Degollado, LC
José Enrique Anaya Degollado was born on March 18, 1989, in Sahuayo, Michoacán, Mexico. He entered the novitiate on September 15, 2007, and made his perpetual profession on August 26, 2018. He has been a member of the ECYD male auxiliary team in San Pedro, Monterrey; a primary formation instructor at Irish International School in Monterrey; and an assistant at the territorial secretariat in Rome, Italy.
Emmanuel Jacob Ortiz Hernández, L.C.
Born on October 16, 1987, in Mexico City. Entered the novitiate on September 15, 2003, and made his perpetual profession on August 15, 2014. He has been a formation instructor at Colegio Cumbres Medellín; a secondary formation instructor in Venezuela; a vocational tour assistant in Colombia; and a member of the ECYD auxiliary team in Caracas.
Pablo Vivanco de Esesarte, L.C.
Pablo Vivanco de Esesarte was born on June 2 in Mexico City. Entered the novitiate on September 15, 2007, and made his perpetual profession on August 15, 2015. He has been a high school formation instructor at Cumbres International School Lomas; a member of the auxiliary team of the youth section in western Mexico City; and a collaborator in the youth section of Guadalajara.
Joaquín Sáinz Serdio, L.C.
Born on January 14, 1984, in Puebla. Entered the novitiate on September 15, 2008, and made his perpetual profession on August 20, 2018. He was a formation instructor at Highlands School in Dallas and a member of the ECYD auxiliary team in Dallas. He is a formation instructor at the Irish Institute for Men and a member of the auxiliary team of the youth section in western Mexico City.
