Among the first official acts Archbishop-designate Bernard Hebda will perform following his installation as archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 13 will be ordaining nine transitional deacons 10 a.m. May 14 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.
Alphabetically, the first in line will be third-year seminarian Paul Baker, who looks forward taking this major step toward the priesthood.
“I think it will be exciting, especially because just the day before, myself and some of my other classmates will actually be serving at his installation,” he said. “So, I think it will take on a heightened meaning.”
Brandon Theisen, too, is looking forward to his transitional diaconate ordination. He likes what he sees in the new shepherd of the archdiocese.
“He’s just very personable and very down to earth, someone you could just shoot the breeze with,” Theisen said. “I’m very excited to be ordained by him, especially the day after he gets installed as archbishop of the archdiocese.”
Baker had similar praise for Archbishop Hebda, who came to the archdiocese in June 2015 as apostolic administrator before Pope Francis named him permanently to the see in March.
“I think he’s great in the sense that he has a very unassuming manner,” Baker said. “He’s very easy to talk to and very easy to relate to. And I think for that reason he’s going to do a lot of good in this diocese and draw a lot of people in and a lot of people closer to this Church.”
The other seven men being ordained transitional deacons are Bryce Evans, Nicholas Froehle, Matthew Quail, Timothy Sandquist, Matthew Shireman, Chad VanHoose and Ben Wittnebel.