The Archdiocese of Kuching rejoiced and thanked God for the gift of a Deacon recently. Adrian Kho, a seminarian from the Archdiocese, was ordained to the order of Deacon by Archbishop John Ha in a simple yet profound liturgy at St Stephen’s Church on 24 May.
The Church was packed for the ordination. Also present were Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung, priests, religious and the parents of Deacon Adrian. The ordination ceremony was simple but meaningful.
After the homily, Adrian was asked to declare his intention for the office of deacon before the people. He also took the vows of celibacy and obedience. This was followed by the litany of supplication invoking blessings from God and his saints. The high point of the ceremony was the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination by Archbishop Ha.
Finally Adrian received the deacon’s stole and dalmatic, and the Book of the Gospels. The rite of ordination concluded with the kiss of peace.
The ordination Mass then continued as usual with the new deacon serving at the altar.
This thanksgiving was followed by a dinner fellowship with all those present at the Church basement. The purpose was to celebrate the ordination of Deacon Adrian and also to celebrate Gawai, the harvest festival of the Bidayuh.
There was plenty of food and fun for everyone as each family had brought along something to share. The Rector of the Parish, Fr Patrick Heng, thanked everyone for making the ordination a beautiful and memorable occasion.
Deacon Adrian hails from Kuching and comes from a family of two sons. He felt God’s call while studying in the United States and initially hesitated to respond. After much searching and praying, he decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised when his parents gave their blessing.
After completing his studies, he came back to Kuching and joined St Peter’s College to begin his priestly formation. In 2008, Deacon Adrian successfully completed seven years of formation and graduated from the College. He is presently serving in St Stephen’s Parish (Bau) as a deacon.
Fr Richard Ng
