Bro. Thomas Junis Ordained Deacon
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| Credit: Razeg23 Photography |
Twenty-three Salesians concelebrated,
including Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial. About a dozen Salesian brothers, both
coadjutors and seminarians, also took part, along with Bro. Tom’s parents,
godparents, and other family members, 2 Salesian sisters, the province’s 2
prenovices, other members of the Salesian Family, altar servers from the
parish, Salesian Lay Missioner candidates, and youths from several Salesian
works.
Bp. Gregory Studerus
Named an auxiliary bishop only 5 years ago, Bp. Studerus, 77, had his resignation on account of age accepted just a few weeks ago. He’d begun to think he’d never have an opportunity to ordain anyone until Fr. Dominic called him last year. Then a few weeks ago, the Benedictines in Newark called upon him; he called that a “practice” for Bro. Tom’s diaconal ordination, which became his 2d such celebration. A longtime pastor in the Newark Archdiocese, Bp. Studerus relishes pastoral ministry, is delighted to continue doing that with fewer administrative responsibilities now, and admires the marvelous work he sees his fellow priests doing. He appreciates Cardinal Tobin, Newark’s archbishop, and his fellow auxiliaries as great pastors.
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| Bishop Studerus with Fr. John Nazzaro |
Bp. Studerus began his homily by
noting that the feast of Corpus Christi will be the next day, a celebration of
the Word of God’s coming into the world as one of us. He linked the Divine Word
to Dcn. Tom’s call to proclaim the Word through his preaching of the Gospel and
the witness of his life.
Referring to the gospel of Jesus’
washing the feet of the apostles, read moments earlier (John 13:1-20), the
bishop directed the new deacon to imitate the Master’s example in his service
to Christ and God’s people. “What a wonderful, beautiful calling!” he
exclaimed.
The bishop continued by observing that with the strength of the Holy Spirit, Dcn. Tom will assist the Salesians wherever he’ll serve and assist the local bishop by proclaiming the Word of God, providing sacramental assistance, and leading public prayer. “Do the will of God in charity and from the depth of your heart,” he exhorted the ordinand.
Welcome & Thanks
At the beginning of Mass, Fr.
Dominic welcomed everyone to the liturgy, especially Bp. Studerus. As the
ordination rite began, he presented Bro. Tom and assured the bishop that he was
ready for ordination. When the bishop accepted the candidate, the congregation
signaled their approval with applause.
At the end of Mass, Dcn. Tom thanked
God, Mary Help of Christians, his family, Bp. Studerus, and numerous confreres
and others who assisted him in discerning and following his Salesian vocation. He
directed toward the livestream camera a message in Spanish to his friends and
supporters in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, where he had studied.
Following the Mass, the celebration
continued with a buffet lunch in the parish center.
Family Joy
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| Credit: Razeg23 Photography |
Both Mr. and Mrs. Junis felt overwhelmed by their son’s vocation and the celebration of his ordination. They find their reactions hard to put into words. Mrs. Junis sees “so much grace at work” but admits it wasn’t easy for her at the beginning of Tom’s vocational journey. Now she’s “so proud of him.” At the same time, she isn’t surprised by his vocation; she stated that even in grammar school some called him “Father Tom.” She appreciates very much the vocational guidance he got in college and maintains that both Dcn. Tom and his family have found a genuine family among the Salesians. Now, “As long as he’s happy, it doesn’t matter where he’ll be” because the Salesians look after one another so diligently.
Biography
Dcn. Tom Junis, son of Mitch and Margie Junis, was born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1992. He began to discern his vocation as a student at Illinois State University and was influenced there by the sisters on campus, the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and then by two Newman Center chaplains, the late Fr. Greg Ketcham of the Peoria Diocese (a Salesian Cooperator) and Fr. Bill Bucciferro, SDB, of the Newman Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Early on, Tom made St. John Bosco his patron for his educational efforts and went to Turin in 2015 on a Don Bosco bicentennial pilgrimage.
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| Dcn. Tom with his parents and other family members |
After earning a degree in early
childhood education from Illinois State in Bloomington, Tom entered the
Salesians at Orange, N.J., as a candidate in 2016. He made his novitiate at the Salesian house
in Richmond, Calif., in 2017-2018 and made his first profession at the Marian Shrine
in Haverstraw, N.Y. (now the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians).
Following 2 years of postnovitiate
formation in Orange, Bro. Tom did practical training in 2020-2022 at Abp. Shaw
HS in Marrero, La. There, he taught theology to sophomores and juniors, served
as chaplain to the basketball and baseball teams, and developed good
relationships with many students outside the classroom.
In 2022, Bro. Tom began theological
studies at the Salesian studentate in Tlaquepaque, Mexico. He especially enjoyed
his classes in Christology, Mariology, and the sacred Scriptures. He carried our
pastoral ministry in the local youth center as well as in the state of Oaxaca.
In 2024 Bro. Tom assisted at the
Salesian summer camp in Montreal. He made his perpetual profession last August
at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians.
The Future
Dcn. Tom’s ordination is the
province’s first ordination in two years, bringing great joy to his confreres.
We look forward to his priestly ordination in June 2026, God willing.
For his final year of theological preparation for the priesthood, Dcn. Tom will study at the Chicago Theological Union, along with Salesian Bros. Francis Nguyen and Paul Hotovy, who have just completed 2 years of practical training at Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Takoma Park, Md. They will be part of the Salesian community in Chicago, based at St. John Bosco-St. James Parish.
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| Credit: Razeg23 Photography |
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