By Omenihu Alfred fibmn
May 10th 2025 will remain memorable in the anal of history as the Holy father, Pope Leo ivx ordained the first set of deacons within his pontificate reign. Six years after arriving to Rome from Scotland to study for the priesthood, Matthew McCafferty and Kieran Burt were ordained deacons in the papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Though ordained together, each no had a different journey leading up to that momentous day.
The sottish soon-to-be priests Matthew McCafferty and Kieran Burt reflect on meeting the new Holy Father — and following in his missionary-minded footsteps. Both deacons explained that their ordination happening back-to-back with the election of a new Pope created “a real spiritual high” — especially since they had prayed and studied for so long.“
I have, for as long as I can remember, thought about becoming a priest,” Deacon Kieran Burt, 24, a deacon for the Diocese of Motherwell, told the Register. “It was nothing sort of real or concrete at first,” he added. “I just quite liked fancy vestments, and I liked the music.
”After years of altar serving and active involvement in his parish, he couldn’t shake his thoughts about the priesthood. With the help of his parish priest, who also happened to be a vocations director, now-Deacon Burt was able to explore “what this feeling [he] had might actually be and whether it could be a call” and eventually applied to seminary.
For Deacon McCafferty, the journey towards priesthood began during his university studies. Upon returning home to Scotland after spending a semester in New Jersey, where he witnessed the vibrancy of U.S. Catholic students’ faith, McCafferty felt pulled toward the Church
