With joy, we announce the priestly ordination of our brothers, Deacon Michael M. Id and Deacon Subin M. Id. It will take place at the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Rockville Centre on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at 11:00am Mass. The principal celebrant with be Most Rev. John O. Barres, Bishop of Rockville Centre.
We, the Idente Missionaries from the province of the United States, invite you to join us on this special occasion and to join us in the new journey of our brothers and pray for them.
Deacon Ditto Wilson Wants To Be Where Parishioners Are
As a boy in Tamil Nadu in South India, Deacon Ditto Subin Wilson, M.Id., always enjoyed spending time at the church in the village, where he lived with his parents and two siblings. He enjoyed serving at the altar and getting to know the priests of Our Lady of Lourdes parish there.
When a new church was built, it was dedicated to St. John de Britto, a 17th century Portuguese Jesuit missionary to Tamil Nadu. Young Ditto found himself captivated by the paintings of the saint’s life on the church walls and began to think about following his footsteps as a missionary.
He first encountered the Idente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer when they came to speak to high school students at his home parish, where several other candidates had previously been received.
He soon visited the Idente Missionaries for three days to share in their daily prayers and mission work and to share in cooking and eating with the community. After completing high school, he expressed his desire to be an Idente Missionary.
The “family spirit” of the Idente Missionaries stood out to Deacon Wilson. The community’s approach joined holiness with humanity, which gave the recruit confidence that the Idente mission wasn’t riding on his own greatness.
“I can move slowly, denying myself and taking up my cross,” Deacon Wilson said. “Let me go and see what I can experience more…Giving more importance to the Heavenly Father and how He loves us.”
Deacon Wilson, 32, professed first vows in Kerala in 2011, three years before he came to New York, where he served as youth minister at Santa Maria parish, the Bronx, before beginning philosophy studies at St. John’s University.
In 2018 he enrolled for priestly formation at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, where he earned a master of divinity and bachelor of theology—granted by St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)—and a master of arts in theology.
Deacon Wilson, who professed final vows in 2021 at Our Lady of Solace Church in the Bronx, said he looks forward to sharing his ordination day with a fellow Idente Missionary and says he and Deacon Nam “helped each other to persevere” in the seminary.
In recent years, he also served as a catechist in the religious education program at Santa Maria. His first assignment after ordination will be at St. Luke’s parish in Brentwood, where he previously served as a catechist and did summer day camp work. He will lead the youth group and supervise religious education.
He will also be involved in an Idente program for young people focused on Eucharistic adoration and artistic sharing known as The Encounter.
Deacon Wilson said he wants to be present where parishioners gather. “I like to be around people, talking to them and getting to know them better,” he said.
He plans to model his priestly ministry on how Jesus reached out to others. “Not to hold myself back with my own status or understanding. I want to be open to see more people, to get closer to them,” he said.
Deacon Wilson will celebrate his first Mass at Santa Maria parish in the Bronx on Sunday, June 11, at 12 noon.
Authenticity of Idente Missionaries Led Deacon Jinwoo Nam to Join Them
Deacon Jinwoo Nam, M.Id., first encountered the Idente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer as a college student in the Philippines. At the time he had fallen away from the strong Catholic faith of his youth and was beset by difficulties.
At a local Idente-run parish, he met Father Felipe Rufes Vasquez, M.Id., who patiently began to answer his many questions about Catholicism. He encouraged Deacon Nam to read the Bible each day and offered spiritual direction inspired by the Idente Missionaries.
“He patiently gave me advice, and I felt hope that I could change my life with the grace of God,” said Deacon Nam, 34, one of three children born to devout parents in Seoul, South Korea.
As his personal transformation proceeded, he became comfortable sharing his experiences of God’s love with others. Now about to begin his priesthood with the Idente Missionaries, Deacon Nam wants to bring the happiness of living his faith to those facing “similar situations” to the ones he experienced in the past.
“I was distant from the Church. I had questions about God’s existence. I had some addictions,” Deacon Nam said. “Now, living the faith, I am very happy. I want to share this joy of following Jesus with others, so they will not suffer. I was suffering in those moments.”
Deacon Nam said the authenticity of the Idente Missionaries he encountered made a deep impression on him. “They were enthusiastic about following Jesus, that was very fresh for me. Through them I went back to my faith,” he said.
He counts community life as one of the great benefits of serving with the Idente Missionaries. “As a priest, I believe I need the community,” he explained. “I cannot live by myself, not just for material needs, but also spiritual needs, to grow in charity.”
He professed vows with the Idente Missionaries in New York in 2015. He studied philosophy at St. John’s University before enrolling at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, in 2018.
He appreciated that seminarians come to St. Joseph’s from various dioceses and religious orders. “We all got along with each other,” he said. “It’s a good idea. We became more united.”
Deacon Nam most recently has served at St. Luke’s parish in Brentwood. He led catechism classes, directed the altar servers and worked with groups dedicated to youth and Eucharistic adoration. He also was a spiritual adviser to the Catholic Club at Suffolk Community College.
Deacon Nam believes that staying in dialogue “with intellectuals in universities” can offer a good sounding board on the current culture because philosophies “spreading out there are formed” on campus.
He earlier was a youth minister for seven years at Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominic parish in the Bronx.
His first priestly assignment at Our Lady of Loretto parish in Hempstead will reunite him with the pastor, Father Rufes, who joins his parents as his biggest influence.
Deacon Nam will offer his first Mass at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 11, at St. Luke’s Church in Brentwood.