Deacon Jonathan Smith was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday June 13, and hit the ground running. Below he shares his experiences.

“…It was such a grace-filled weekend. It was beautiful to be able to be so present during the Rite of Ordination. I thought it would be a blur and I’d be a deer in headlights, but I was really able to focus and was super aware of what was going on. I had virtually no nerves, just peace. 

Dinner that night was very nice, it was a very nice dinner on the patio of the Basilica [of St. Mary] with my family and some other guests. It was a much smaller celebration than I had anticipated months ago, but it was a very intimate evening and probably more enjoyable. 

Sunday was totally crazy in a good way. I was at total peace driving to the Basilica to preach my first homily. I got up there and it felt like the most natural thing I had ever done. It was like I had done it countless times before. Afterwards, my family made a big brunch for some of the seminarians and priests who came. Then, I baptized four babies. Unbelievable. Again, I wasn’t nervous or anything. It felt so natural. Then, I preached the 5:00 p.m. Mass and led the Eucharistic procession [for the Feast of Corpus Christi] six blocks down the street to the cemetery altar and back to the church, and gave the benediction at the end. It was certainly a triumphal event after everything being so subdued for so long. Well over 100 people socially distant processed through Old Town behind the Blessed Sacrament…what a sight!

I had Tuesday off, and found out that my good friend, now-Fr. Joe Moschetto was celebrating Mass at GMU’s chapel, and I got to deacon for him and preach. We had met each other at that chapel several years back, then ended up as seminarians together so that was a very special experience.

God has been very good to me and I’m so grateful for this great gift…and I’ve hardly begun! 

Watch his first homily here:

Deacon Smith, whose home parish is the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, is assigned to the Church of the Nativity in Burke for his deacon year and will return to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa. for his fourth year of theology.