ROME — On March 3, The Most Rev. Joseph Augustine Di Noia, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith conferred the Ministry of Acolyte in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City State, on 25 students, including three from the Diocese of Providence: Stephen Coutcher, Nathan Ledoux, and Mateusz Puzanowski.
In his homily the on the Third Sunday of Lent, Archbishop Di Noia preached on the Gospel passage of John 2:13-25, the cleansing of the Temple. The archbishop directly addressed those who would be instituted acolytes and encouraged them to, “serve the Church as Acolytes with the same zeal that Jesus himself exhibited in the cleansing of the Temple.”
In the rite of the Institution of Acolyte, Archbishop Di Noia placed the paten, which contains the hosts for the celebration of Mass, in the hands of each candidate. He then said, “take this vessel with bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his Church.”
The seminarians, currently in their second year of formation at the college, have two additional years of theological studies.
The Pontifical North American College serves as the American seminary in Rome. Founded in 1859 by Blessed Pius IX, the College has formed more than 5,000 priests near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses around the United States and Australia. The College strengthens the bonds between Rome and local Churches worldwide, and it provides students a first-hand encounter of the Church’s rich religious and cultural heritage.
