Seminarian Stephen Tilley looking forward to diaconal duties

Friday, Jun. 17, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Tilley will be ordained a transitional deacon June 24 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine by Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, who was the ninth bishop of Salt Lake City. 

For the past three years Tilley has studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he received a bachelor degree in theology, the first in a three-part course of studies in comprehensive theology. He has been assigned to continue studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas to pursue a Licentiate of Sacred Theology, which is the step before the Doctor of Sacred Theology degree.

“Stephen is a bright young man who has been a seminarian for the diocese since 2009, attending college seminary at Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon and then receiving his theology studies in Rome,” said Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. “He has had a very interesting journey of faith. He was baptized as an infant in Germany and then came back to the faith as an adult through the RCIA program at St. Joseph Parish in Ogden; he received his First Communion and Confirmation in 2006.” 

Tilley has worked as a cook, in a nursing home, as a warehouse manager, a home health aide and youth mentor, said Msgr. Bircumshaw. “He brings a real zest to all he does, and the parishioners who have come to know him readily embrace his enthusiasm and zeal.”

Tilley was surprised at the amount of education and length of time required to become a Catholic priest, he said. “However, after going through seven years of seminary, I can say there is a lot of wisdom in the formation process. I have grown in patience and humility, learned that I cannot solve every problem and that there are times when all I can do is trust in Jesus Christ.”

In many ways for Tilley, the seminary was a “school of suffering,” he said, because while he has been enrolled his father, Bill, died of cancer; and he lost both of his brothers, Timothy and Justin, to suicide. His mother, Ria, returned to her homeland of Germany following these deaths. 

“I’ve suffered a lot of losses, yet Christ was the shining light that helped me through the darkness of suffering and doubt,” he said. “I discovered that Christ’s mercy is so great that it should give us an almost reckless hope. This hope has fueled my joy and vocation during my time in the seminary.”

Tilley has realized through his journey and studies that “they mean nothing if you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus,” he said. “Faith is meant to be lived out and shared. It is a living body that yearns for a relationship; it’s not a cadaver that we study coldly.”

His ordination into the diaconate will set him apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies, and minister to people. 

“I believe I have been called to share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ; to share the many amazing fruits that come from our loving savior – hope, joy and love,” Tilley said. “These fruits are poured out into the world from our crucified Savior. Christ has given us an amazing example to love one another. He became the source and summit of our love.”

Tilley said he is looking forward to his diaconal ordination; afterward, he will spend the summer at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Salt Lake City.

“I can’t wait to preach and serve at the altar,” Tilley said. “I am also excited to visit the sick and the homebound and to help the marginalized in our communities. In September, I will baptize my nephew, Noah, in Germany. At baptism, we give thanks for this life and give the child or adult the greatest gift – to become a son or daughter of Jesus Christ. It’s always a joy to remember that ministry and vocation are not about doing, they are about being – being the loving face of Jesus Christ to everyone we encounter. How humbling it is that God has called a sinner like me to live a life of love like Him.”

WHAT: The Laying on of Hands for the Order of Priest for Jorge Martinez Gómez and 

Order of Deacon for Stephen M. Tilley

WHEN: Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, SLC 

                 All are invited.