The call to ordained ministry is a lifelong journey of formation, prayer and service, and there are encouraging signs of this journey taking place across the Palmerston North Diocese.
On 11 August the diocese welcomed a group of newly ordained priests from around New Zealand for their annual programme of ongoing formation. Held each year in a different diocese, the gathering gives priests in their first five years of ministry an opportunity to step back from parish life, pray together, reflect on their experiences and learn from one another.
The programme included prayer and fellowship at Southern Star Abbey, Kopua, along with conversations with senior priests and diocesan leaders. Such opportunities recognise that formation does not end at ordination, but continues as priests grow in their ministry and respond to the needs of the people they serve.
Formation is also at the heart of the journey towards ordination. On Sunday 30 August Zung Manh Phan took another significant step towards priesthood when he celebrated the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders.
The brief rite is a formal public moment in which Zung was admitted as a candidate for Holy Orders. Having discerned his vocation and undertaken his formation, he publicly expressed his desire to offer himself to God and the Church, while the Church formally accepted him as a candidate for ordination. The rite marks an important milestone as he continues towards ordination as a transitional deacon.
Zung, originally from Vietnam, has been a seminarian in the Palmerston North Diocese for several years. He will serve as a transitional deacon before being ordained to the priesthood.
Also preparing for ordination is Charles Ropitini, a catechist from Pakipaki who has spent around four years in formation and is preparing to be ordained as a permanent deacon.
As an ordained minister, a permanent deacon serves the Church through the ministry of the Word, the liturgy and charity. Deacons proclaim the Gospel and may preach at Mass, assist the priest at the altar and distribute Holy Communion. They can also baptise, witness marriages when authorised, and preside at funerals and burial services. Their ministry extends beyond the church, with deacons called to be a visible sign of Christ the Servant through their service to the community, particularly those who are vulnerable or in need.
The Greek word diakonia means service, and service lies at the heart of the diaconate. Together, the journeys of Zung, Charles and the newly ordained priests remind us that formation is an ongoing process of growing in faith, deepening vocation and being equipped to serve God’s people.
Photos: Mihi whakatau for the 2026 Recently Ordained Gathering, the group of Recently Ordained Priests at Kopua, and the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders for Zung Manh Phan.
