SCRANTON – Despite all the rich symbolism and sacred rituals of a Diaconate Ordination Mass, it was just eight words that held the deepest meaning for Jan Carlo Perez.
“I testify that he has been found worthy,” Father Alex Roche, Diocesan Secretary for Clergy Formation/Diocesan Vocations Director, proclaimed during the Rite of Ordination on May 24, 2025, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.
“When you’re on this road, you struggle a lot with unworthiness … To hear ‘we have found him worthy’ to the acclamation of God’s Church, that was something special,” Rev. Mr. Perez said just minutes after the Mass concluded. “It has been eight years since I started, three years in minor seminary, a pastoral year, theology, I left for a year and I came back, it has been a long road.”
A road that Perez admits was filled with prayerful discernment.
“I’ve grown a lot in ways that I never expected to grow. I just thank God. To God, be all the glory,” Rev. Mr. Perez added.
Perez, 26, is the son of Dr. Alex and Mrs. Liana Perez of Stroudsburg. He is a parishioner of Saint Matthew Parish in East Stroudsburg. Perez graduated from Notre Dame High School in East Stroudsburg in 2016 and attended Temple University for one year before transferring to Cathedral Seminary in Queens, N.Y., later graduating from St. John’s University in Queens in 2020.
For the last several years, Perez has been attending St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Md., where alongside his normal seminary studies he is getting a specialization in sacred scripture.
“God has given me everything and I can only give him so little back. I can give him back my life, that’s about it,” Rev. Mr. Perez added.
The Diaconate Ordination Mass was attended by clergy and seminarians, along with Perez’s family and friends, who gathered to witness and support him in this sacred moment.
“Honestly, I feel great. This has been awesome. There were so many people that I just didn’t know would come and support me on this day,” he explained.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant, homilist, and ordaining prelate at the Mass. During his homily, the Bishop explained that the responsibilities of a deacon encompass three main areas: Ministry of the Word of God; Ministry of the Liturgy; and Ministry of Charity.
“If you want your ministry as a deacon to be fruitful, Jan, you must root yourself in Jesus’ life and love. The disciplines of prayer, obedience, and celibacy that you are called to embrace this day are meant to enable you to grow in the same spirit of service and mercy that so characterized Jesus’ ministry,” Bishop Bambera said. “These disciplines are not obstacles, hurdles or distractions that are somehow detached from what it means to be an ordained minister of the Church. They are not meant to set you up as being better or greater than others. Rather, they are the vehicles that will carry you to a deeper union with Jesus.”
While Perez is excited to begin preaching homilies and proclaiming God’s Word, he readily admits needing to serve the poor in a greater way.
“I’ve been reflecting on service a lot because I think, if I can be a little vulnerable here, I think it’s probably one of the things I feel weakest in. I feel like I haven’t done enough for God’s Church and now I’ve been commissioned to do this by the Church, so I know I have to look for every opportunity to serve the homeless, the poor, and the suffering,” Perez added.
Perez was ordained as a transitional deacon, meaning he will now serve in various capacities within the diocese, gaining practical experience and deepening his spiritual life in preparation for priestly ordination, which is expected to take place next year.
His journey reflects the Church’s commitment to nurturing vocations and ensuring that those called to serve are well-prepared to lead and guide the faithful.
“I’m really looking forward to learning everything I can this year so that I can be as prepared as I can be for the priesthood,” Perez said. “The day of (priestly) ordination is just the beginning. It’s not like graduating where you’re done with school and now, you’re onto something completely different. No, it’s just the beginning of something and I look forward to being as prepared as I can be.”