The first ordination of a transitional deacon in the Cork diocese of Cloyne for eight years will take place this week.
Clergy and laypeople will gather at noon in St Patrick’s Church in Whitechurch on Saturday, August 30, to celebrate Tiernan Burke becoming a Roman Catholic deacon.
The Bishop of Cloyne, Bishop William Crean, will be officiating at the ceremony and will be joined by priests from across the diocese, Maynooth and further afield.
Next year, in the next stage of his spiritual journey, Tiernan hopes to be the first priest ordained in nine years in Cloyne.
Tiernan, of Whitechurch, said that it’s extra special that his deaconate ceremony is taking place in St Patrick’s Church as he was baptised there, had his First Holy Communion there, and served both as an altar server and a sacristan in his village church.
“Our community has come together to help me organise the ceremony,” he said. “The community formed a committee to organise the occasion.
“There was a lot to do such as arranging parking, cleaning the church and the grounds of the church as well as organising refreshments in Whitechurch Community Centre afterwards.
“I could not do it without the help of my fantastic friends and neighbours,” he proudly stated.
Betty Fitzgerald, director of the choir in the church, said: “We are incredibly proud of Tiernan, he is such a kind person, and in my opinion there’s not a person in need in the parish that he hasn’t gone out of his way to help in the last 20 years.
“The community is delighted to help him organise this special occasion and we couldn’t do enough for him.”
There are two types of deacon, a permanent one who assists permanently as a deacon in the parish, and a transitional deacon, who will continue on a journey to become a priest.
Tiernan will be the latter and hopes to be ordained to the priesthood next year. He will be based in a parish in the Cloyne diocese from September for a year. He will carry out parish duties similar to a priest.
Tiernan said that he always wanted to be a priest from a young age. He was influenced by many people over the years.
His first experience of this was in 1993 when the sacristan, Julia Downey, knocked on his grandmother’s door and asked if he would like to train as an altar server. He loved the experience.
When he completed his Leaving Cert, Tiernan decided he couldn’t face seven years in college and put becoming a priest off for a while.
Instead, he attended Cork Institute of Technology (now MTU) and completed a Batchelor of Business degree in Hotel Management.
After this, he worked as a manager in Whitechurch Service Station for many years. Ted Roche, the owner, became like a brother, best friend and a huge support to him.
“He would often ask me if I wanted to be a priest. Little did he know that his question began to push me in that direction,” Tiernan explained.
The year 2017 brought a turning point for Tiernan when he attended the ordination of Fr John Magner. At the reception, a priest said “there might be someone here thinking of becoming a priest”.
Tiernan felt that the eyes of the room looked at him and it made him begin to think seriously about making the spiritual journey.
“I was discerning for a year,” he recalled. I was ‘the fruit’ of that ordination and I hope my ordination will encourage other young men to join the priesthood.”
Tiernan explained the steps in the process to being a deacon.
“My first step was to journey with a vocation director and this gave me the opportunity to discern if I wanted to become a priest.”
Tiernan entered the Royal English College in Valladolid in Spain to complete a year in preparation to join the seminary in Maynooth.
He was joined in Spain by Irish, English, Welsh and Norwegian seminarians.
After successfully completing this year, Tiernan joined the national seminary in Maynooth in 2019.
During his time there, he had the opportunity of many pastoral placements, including the Capuchin Day Care Centre in Dublin and in Clane and Mallow Parish.
He also completed a chaplaincy course in the Mater Hospital in Dublin. As a chaplain, he helped people to cope with their illness and families to cope with the death of their loved ones.
“It taught me an awful lot and helped to prepare me for the future as the life of a priest is not easy,” said Tiernan.
When asked what he believed was the most difficult part of a priest’s life, he said he believed it was loneliness.
“But, it’s up to yourself how lonely you are – if you’re an outgoing person you will never be lonely.
“Self-care is very important. It is also key to have a support network of good friends, both priest friends and old friends, which I’m lucky enough to have. This will help you through good times and bad.”
Tiernan acknowledged that it was a difficult time for the Church, but he was looking forward to working in the parish, learning new ministries, getting to know people, and helping them where possible.
He is eager to carry out his duties as a deacon and prepare for his priesthood ordination.
He added: “Pursuing my vocation took courage, but it also required a good deal of prayer, hard work, and most importantly the love and support of so many people.
Tiernan will be joined by his parents Donal and Geraldine, his siblings Darren, Shane, and Ciara, family friends and the community to celebrate his Deaconate on August 30. The event is also open to the public.