WelCom December 2016:
Diocesan News
Eugene Crosby
Deacon Cirilo Barlis with members of his St Benedict’s Church community ‘family’, Diane and Eugene Crosby. Photo: Eugene Crosby
At Sacred Heart Church in Ponsonby on Friday 23 September, Cirilo Barlis was ordained to the Diaconate by Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington.
Cirilo came to Wellington from the Philippines in August 2014 and joined St Benedict’s Church community in Khandallah (now part of St Francis of Assisi Ohariu Parish) to prepare for seminary studies.
He attended language school in Wellington and in 2015 he went to Holy Cross Seminary in Ponsonby, Auckland.
After the prayer of Consecration at Cirilo’s ordination, members from St Benedict’s Church community, Fr Doug Shepherd – Ann Corcoran and Ita Delahunty – invested Cirilo with a stole and dalmatic (deacon’s liturgical vestments). Diane and Eugene Crosby were part of Cirilo’s ‘family’ and his ‘surrogate parents’ for the day.
Along with Cirilo were Alister Castillo, Graeme Blackburn and Anthony Huynh Tran who were ordained to the Diaconate for the Christchurch Diocese.
Cirilo is now attached to Ss Peter and Paul Church, Lower Hutt, serving the Catholic Parish of Te Awakairangi with Fr Patrick Bridgman and others until he becomes ordained as a diocesan priest.