Nutley Man Among 6 New Deacons Ordained In New Jersey (WATCH)

NUTLEY, NJ — The Archdiocese of Newark welcomed five transitional deacons and a permanent deacon at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Sunday, including a Nutley resident.

Ashton Francisco Wong, who attends Holy Family Church in Nutley, was one of six new deacons ordained for service (watch the video below).

According to a Q&A segment on JerseyCatholic.org, Wong was inspired to join the priesthood after “living the good life” as a popular high school athlete, but finding it “empty and unsatisfying.”

Wong and the other new transitional deacons — Matthew Gonzalez, David Hinojosa, Roberto Moreno and Peter Volz — are all seminarians who will serve in their new role until being ordained as priests in 2022. As deacons, they can perform works of charity and service, “proclaim the word of God” and assist in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church within whatever archdiocesan parish they are assigned to.

Edwin Dava, the permanent deacon, will minister within his parish part-time while balancing his marriage and career responsibilities. His ordination was particularly meaningful after surviving COVID-19 last year.

The Archdiocese of Newark encompasses the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union, and includes about 1.3 million Catholic residents in 212 parishes.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.