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Deacon Nicholas Case.
Sep. 3, 2020
Nicholas Wolfram Smith
Capping a month that saw ordinations nearly every weekend, archdiocesan seminarian Nicholas Case was ordained by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone to the transitional diaconate Aug. 29 at St. Raphael Parish, San Rafael.
During his homily, Archbishop Cordileone said a vocation requires being faithful to whatever God has called one to. He explained that from the early church to the present day, preaching God's word is not only a matter of being true to one's vocation but of sharing the joyful message of Christ's redemption.
For Deacon Case, the day was a significant change from the original plan for his ordination. As a student at Rome’s Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), his ordination had been scheduled for October at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. In mid-August, though, because of the COVID pandemic and travel restrictions to Italy, “We decided it made more sense to be ordained here so family and friends could participate,” he said.
Not being ordained at St. Peter’s had been a letdown, Deacon Case said, but “at the same time, it has been an incredible blessing in a surprising way, because I was able to be ordained by my own archbishop in my own archdiocese, surrounded by family and friends.
“It was a slight disappointment but God was very much a part of this. It worked out as beautifully as I could imagine,” he said.
Deacon Case pointed out that the North Bay site had brought him back to the roots of his priestly calling. St. Anselm in nearby Ross is his home parish, and before entering seminary he had served as a Director of Religious Education there. He credited the parish with helping him discern the priesthood.
“The parishioners at St. Anselm played a huge part in my vocation, I feel a special bond to that community and was glad to have their parish so close,” he said.
Deacon Case added that being ordained at St. Raphael, so close to formative influences on his vocation, “was definitely a blessing, I can see the work of God in it.”
Deacon Case will complete his Licentiate of Sacred Theology studies in Rome before returning to the Bay Area next June for priestly ordination.