Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Ordination to the Diaconate - Shayne D’Cunha, Tân Thomas Nguyen, Huy Vincent Tran
Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary
4 August 2025
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, our community of the Church gathers in joy and solemnity, on this beautiful Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. We celebrate not only the sweet and holy name of our heavenly Mother, but also the generous “yes” of these three men, Huy, Tân, and Shayne, who, in the presence of God and His Church, will be ordained deacons in the service of the Gospel.
There is providence in the timing of this ordination. The Holy Name of Mary echoes across salvation history as a name filled with trust, surrender, and divine grace. Her name is holy not because of worldly power or prestige, but because of the way she allowed herself to be available totally to the will of God.
And so today, as these men, our brothers, take their place in the service of the Body of Christ, we turn our eyes to Mary, not simply in devotion, but in discipleship. For Mary is the first and model disciple, the one who “did justice, loved mercy, and walked humbly with her God”. (cf. Micah 6:8)
In the Gospel today, we hear of Mary going with haste to the hill country to serve Elizabeth, her cousin. She carried within her the Son of God, and what does she do? She travels, she serves, she rejoices. That is the life of a true servant of the Lord: going with haste not for ambition, but for mission. Carrying Christ, not for self-glory, but for others.
Tân, Shayne, and Huy, today you take on a sacred identity, not a promotion, but a consecration. Not a reward, but a responsibility. You are to become living signs of the Servant Christ, “who came among his disciples as one who serves.” You are not being ordained to rise above others, but to stoop low enough to wash their feet.
As Saint Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Galatians, “You are not a slave anymore; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.” (Gal 4:7)
Beloved sons of the Father, this identity, which is born in the waters of baptism, is the source of your dignity, and this dignity is now sealed in a new way through Sacred Orders. You are now being configured to Christ the Servant, so that through your lives, others might come to know that they too are no longer slaves to fear, sin, or death, but beloved daughters and sons, and heirs of grace. You do not belong to yourselves anymore. You belong to Christ and to his Church. But remember; you do not serve the Church by wielding control, be it liturgical, administrative, or theological. The temptation is real. There is a danger that the higher in rank one rises in the Church, the further removed the person seems to become from the real purpose in being there. This has been true of clericalism, yes, but increasingly today, we see its mirror image: lay authoritarianism dressed in the language of “professionalism,” “efficiency,” or “reform.” Both are distortions. Both can suffocate the Spirit. Whether it is a collar or a title or a boardroom, any form of dominance that forgets the cruciform shape of Christian leadership is spiritually corrosive.
This must not be part of your life and ministry. The diaconal ministry must be grounded in discipleship, not ideology, not institutional politics, but in the radical humility and servant leadership of Jesus Christ our Saviour. True Christian leadership is cruciform, shaped by the cross, not by dominance. It is deeply relational, sacrificial, and always oriented toward communion rather than control.
Shayne, Huy, and Tân, this is your path now. It is beautiful. It is challenging. It is joyful. It is costly. But it is worth it, because it belongs to Jesus Christ. And he will walk with you. You are not being asked to do this alone.
You are called to be men “of good reputation, filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit,” (cf. Rite of Ordination) as were those chosen by the Apostles for the ministry of charity.
This ministry is not merely about function; it is about witness. Let your whole life preach the Gospel, especially in the silent, unseen acts of service. You will proclaim the Word of God, prepare the altar of sacrifice, baptise, witness marriages, bury the dead, bring Christ to the sick, and speak for the voiceless.
Do the will of God from the heart: and as the Rite of Ordination says, serve the people in love and joy as you would the Lord. And remember, you are never alone. The community of the Church walks with you. We, your brothers and sisters, pray for you and support you. We are not spectators to your ordination; we are participants in the mission.
Together, as the One Body of Christ, which is the Church, we proclaim the Good News to a world that is starving for truth, aching for mercy, and desperate for hope.
So today, as you lay prostrate before the altar, and offer your lives to God, we entrust you into the care of the one whose name we honour today: Mary, our Mother and Star of the Sea. Her Holy Name will be written on your hearts, as a compass in the storms, a balm in weariness, a shield in temptation, and a song in your joy.
May she guide your steps, form your hearts, and protect your ministry, so that in all things, your lives may echo her song: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Amen.