ROME, March 2, 2008 – On Sunday, March 2, 2008, forty-four seminarians of the Pontifical North American College in Rome were instituted as acolytes during a celebration of the Eucharist. The Most Reverend Frank Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice, was the principal celebrant of the Liturgy and instituted the seminarians. Philip A. Smith of the Diocese of Toledo, who is in his second year of theological studies, was among those instituted.

These seminarians have now received both the ministry of Lector and Acolyte in anticipation of their diaconal, and then priestly, ordination. Acolytes assist the deacon and priest during the Sacred Liturgy and are also given the responsibility of bringing Holy Communion to the sick.

The installation coincided with the Fourth Sunday of Lent. During his homily, Bishop Dewane reminded the seminarians that their formation for the Priesthood must be rooted in a deep love for the Eucharist. “You must mold yourselves more and more perfectly in the likeness of the Eucharist.” He exhorted all those present to seek a deeper relationship with and understanding of who Jesus Christ is in their lives. In doing so, Christians fulfill their call to be the light in a world often found in darkness.

The ritual for the installation of acolytes includes the prayer: “Take this vessel of bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your lives worthy of your service at the table of the Lord of his Church.”

 
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Founded in 1859, the Pontifical North American College is the American house of studies
located in Rome, where hundreds of priests have been formed 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 allows its students to study
Christianity’s rich religious and cultural heritage at close range.