Quezon City, Philippines. Today, August 13, 2025, at Claret Theology House, six scholastics received the Ministry of Acolyte, namely: Harold G. Tinaja, CMF; Nguyen Tien Dat, CMF; Nguyen Quang Truong, CMF; Nguyen Van Hoi, CMF; Tran Van Ba, CMF; and Tran Van Sinh, CMF. Along with them, another six scholastics received the Ministry of Lector, namely: Truong Van Sy, CMF; Nguyen Van Thai, CMF; Vu Ngoc Dinh, CMF; Patrick Gyi Myint Oo, CMF; Charnito Dawa Tano, CMF; and Do Thanh Chung, CMF. The rites were conferred under the hands of Rev. Fr. Mauricio T. Ulep, CMF, the Prefect of Formation.
The Lectionary and the Ciborium seemed heavier than usual when my brothers and I received them from our Father Prefect of Formation. They became heavier because the atmosphere was filled with a sacred promise and the unspoken weight of history. Today was not merely a day of receiving new ministries in our formation program; it was also the feast of our Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro—the fifty-one brothers who shed their blood during this very month in 1936. As I held the Ciborium, I did not feel its physical weight but rather the burden of the final testimony of some of our brothers who gave their lives for the faith and for the Church: “We are killed only because we are religious.” Through this event, we found ourselves deeply connected—both to the sacredness of the two ministries we received and to the witness of our martyred brothers who laid down their lives in testimony.
By receiving the Ministry of Lector, we are now entrusted with proclaiming the Word of God. This responsibility fills us with both awe and humility, for we know that this ministry is not simply about reading aloud. Rather, it calls us to become channels of the divine, allowing the Word of God to flow into the hearts of the faithful. This ministry truly shares in the mission of Christ, the Word made flesh. When Father Prefect of Formation read: “In proclaiming God’s word to others … let all you say and do show forth to the world our Savior, Jesus Christ,” I recalled the last moments of our brothers of Barbastro, who cried out “Viva Cristo Rey!” and “¡Viva el Corazón de María!” With these final words, they made the ultimate proclamation and profession of faith. They lived their ministry faithfully to the end, proclaiming Christ the King with their dying breaths. They carried this testimony to the cemetery, and now we carry the Word to the ambo, proclaiming it with the same courage as our brothers.
After the Ministry of Lector came the Ministry of Acolyte. This ministry is closely related to Christ’s own offering of sacrifice to the Father. Its task is to assist the priest or deacon at the altar and to distribute Holy Communion. This task carries deeper meaning when connected to the sacrifice of our brothers of Barbastro. The ministry of Acolyte calls us to be humble servants, reminding us that our vocation is to serve and not to be served—just as Jesus came “not to be served, but to serve” (Mt 20:28). Therefore, we must imitate Christ and our brothers by serving God and others, becoming living sacrifices united to the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
Fr. Faustino Pérez, one of the fifty-one martyrs, said at the final moment before his martyrdom on August 13, 1936: “We die forgiving those who take our lives, and we offer them for the Christian ordering of the working world, for the definitive reign of the Catholic Church, for our beloved Congregation, and for our beloved families.” He bore witness to us about how to live as a living sacrifice. In our time, although we cannot literally repeat what our brothers endured, we can live out the same spirit by offering ourselves daily in lifelong service at the Table and the Ambo. Their martyrdom became the bread and wine of their liturgy; our ministries are quieter offerings, but they carry the same love and conviction: to profess our faith and glorify God the Father throughout our lives.
After the celebration, my brothers and I were filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and humility. We felt this because we know that these ministries are not mere titles, but profound calls to imitate Christ our Lord, to praise the Father, to serve His people, and to witness to His truth—even to the point of martyrdom. These tasks are not easy, but the inspiration of our martyred brothers of Barbastro strengthens us to remain faithful to the call we have received—for the greater glory of God and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Written by Sch. Nguyen Tien Dat, cmf
