Luanda, 22 July, 2025 / 3:18 pm (ACI Africa).
Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of the Catholic Archdiocese of Luanda in Angola has urged the Seminarians he ordained on Sunday, July 20, to remain close to the people of God and to embody the compassion and sensitivity of Jesus Christ in their ministry.
In his homily during the Diaconate Ordination of Seminarians Benedito da Silva, Geral Dombo, Júlio Pedro, and Nataniel Diogo, Archbishop Dias emphasized that the Diaconate is not merely a function or ritual, but a life lived among the people of God.
“The people should find in your witness a joyful and comforting presence, a ministry full of beauty and grace,” the Angolan Catholic Archbishop said during the Eucharistic celebration that was held at Our Lady of the Conception Cathedral of Luanda Archdiocese.
He told the Deacons-elect that their mission goes beyond liturgical roles and must be rooted in pastoral sensitivity and availability.
“Wherever you are sent, people must see in you the boundless charity and availability of Jesus,” the Archbishop said, adding that true ministry is marked “not by grand gestures but by a heart that listens, welcomes, and serves.”
