Former Brethren in Christ Pastor Dr. David Hall Ordained!

Today Deborah and I had the joy of traveling to Hershey, PA to witness the bishop conferring holy orders on Dr. David Hall for the permanent diaconate. I met David on line several years ago when he first came into the Catholic church after serving as pastor of one of the largest Lancaster county Brethren in Christ churches. We later got together after I had a concert in the Lancaster area and have kept in touch on facebook and via blogs.
   David Hall surely obeyed the Lord when He asked him to forsake all to follow Him. He left a financially stable career as a pastor and lost the respect of many friends and former coreligionists as he made his journey to the Catholic faith. The Lancaster area is quite a little "bible belt" and Catholicism is not exactly a favorite religion in these parts. Despite the losses he counted it all joy and today God blessed him mightily by allowing him to receive holy orders in the Catholic Church conferred by the laying on of hands by bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg.
  The Church was packed with both new-found Catholic friends as well as many folks from his former Protestant congregation. On the eve of Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit filled the Church as the Word was proclaimed and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated. The most moving part of the ordination liturgy was when Deacon Hall layed prostrate on the floor as the Litany of the Saints was prayed. This is an ancient tradition and both priests and deacons do this during their rite of ordination. It represents total surrender to Christ and a physical way of showing Jesus how much the ordinate submits to Christ and His Church.

                                           (at a gig in a Church in Lancaster, PA 2008)

 Keep Deacon David Hall and his wife Libby in your prayers as they continue to serve the Lord in this new phase of their journey of faith.

To learn more about David's  Heart For God and  his conversion to the Catholic faith check this out.