Bishop ordains newest deacon

Daniel Cooper joins transitional diaconate ahead of pending priesthood

By Bill Brewer

The feast of St. Albert the Great will forever hold a sacred place in Daniel Cooper’s priestly formation as the Nov. 15 date was when he was ordained to the transitional diaconate at St. Albert the Great Church in Knoxville.

Bishop Mark Beckman presided at the ordination Mass, with 25 priests and 20 deacons attending the celebration.

To begin the ordination Mass, Bishop Beckman said Nov. 15 was “a day of great joy for our diocese as we gather to ordain Daniel Cooper on this the feast of St. Albert the Great, an integral feast of this parish. What a beautiful day it is.”

“The Lord has indeed summoned you, Daniel, and you have responded. We are grateful today to be celebrating with you this moment in your life,” Bishop Beckman told the ordinand.

Ordination to the holy Order of the Diaconate is an integral step a seminarian makes before becoming a priest. And as a transitional deacon, Deacon Cooper will serve in this role until his ordination to the priesthood next year.

Deacon Cooper will become the 65th priest ordained for service in the Diocese of Knoxville since its founding in 1988. Including priests, he joins more than 200 clergy now serving in the diocese.

Daniel Cooper, a 35-year-old convert to the Catholic faith, was seated in a front pew with family and friends, across from the concelebrating priests and permanent deacons in attendance, as the ordination Mass began.

To open the ordination rite, Deacon Sean Smith, Diocese of Knoxville chancellor, summoned Mr. Cooper to approach the sanctuary, where the deacon-to-be announced he was “present.”

Then, Father Mark Schuster, pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut who also serves as vocations director for the diocese, exclaimed, “Most Reverend Father, Holy Mother Church asks you to ordain this man, our brother, to the responsibility of the diaconate.”

Bishop Beckman then asked, “Do you judge him to be worthy?”

“After inquiry among the Christian people, and upon recommendation of those concerned with their formation, I testify that he has been found worthy,” Father Schuster replied.

Bishop Beckman then proclaimed: “Relying on the help of the Lord God and of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, we choose this, our brother, for the Order of the Diaconate.” The congregation responded, “Thanks be to God!” and gave Mr. Cooper an ovation.

As the Mass continued, Bishop Beckman gave his homily that was steeped in vocation and ministry.

“The gathering of the Church of God for the celebration of ordination is one of the most beautiful, joyful, and important moments in the life of the Church. And today as we gather to celebrate the ordination of a deacon destined to be a priest of this Diocese of Knoxville, our Church is filled with great joy. This Order of the Diaconate, Daniel, that you are to enter today is sometimes spoken of as a transitional diaconate,” the bishop said.

Bishop Beckman noted the distinctions of the transitional and permanent diaconate and emphasized that the diaconate will be an integral part of Mr. Cooper’s ministry as a priest.

“In some way the word transitional is not appropriate because the Order of the Diaconate that you have been called to will be a constituent part of your ministry as a priest for the rest of your life. And fittingly so because the Lord Jesus Himself became a servant and a slave for all of us. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many,” Bishop Beckman said.

“The very essence of the ministry of Jesus is intimately connected with service. For one who is in the form of God became one with us, took on the form of our humanity all the way to the cross at Calvary. So, likewise, Daniel, your ministry as deacon will be marked by service, by the humble beginnings that we witnessed in the Acts of the Apostles today,” the bishop continued. “I think about the Apostles saying, ‘We are challenged by the overwhelming responsibilities around us as there is conflict between the Hellenists and the Jews.’ It’s interesting to note there was already conflict and controversy early in the history of the Church. We need this order of deacons to assist us.”

Bishop Beckman referred to the Scripture passage that described how the Apostles spoke to the community and requested seven good men to serve in this role who were filled with the Holy Spirit.

He said faith in the Holy Spirit will be central to Mr. Cooper’s ministry once he is a deacon and then a priest as he serves the will of God.

“The order of deacons has remained in the life of the Church because we need that reminder of the importance of the one who came not to be served but to serve,” Bishop Beckman said.

The bishop referred to the feast day of St. Frances Cabrini on Nov. 13 and noted what a beautiful witness she was in serving God in the United States. “Her heart was full of courage and compassion. No stranger, no immigrant, was without concern to her.”

In a 2024 film on the life of St. Frances Cabrini, the faithful religious Sister who lived from 1850 to 1917 once told an editor of The New York Times that immigrants were living in worse conditions than the rats of New York, to which he responded, “I sincerely doubt that.” She then escorted him to where the immigrants were living to prove him wrong. She also stood up to the mayor of New York, demanding improved living conditions for immigrants.

“And because of that, her courage, the presence of Christ the servant became real. To that community of immigrants who so needed someone to care about them, the network of orphanages, of hospitals, the way she reached out has left a beautiful, lasting impact on the Church. So many of the people of God we have known have emulated the beautiful service of Jesus,” Bishop Beckman related to Mr. Cooper and the congregation.

“It’s so fitting today, Daniel, that we celebrate this order with you,” the bishop added. “Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate today this ordination, let’s pray that Christ the servant will keep and help and encourage with compassion those in service to all people. This we ask through Christ Our Lord.”

The bishop then continued with the Rite of Ordination to the Diaconate, asking Mr. Cooper to declare before the congregation his resolve to undertake the office of deacon.

As the bishop delivered the Promises of the Elect, Mr. Cooper was asked to publicly make the six promises.

• “Do you resolve to be consecrated for the ministry of the Church by the laying-on of my hands and the gift of the Holy Spirit?”
• “Do you resolve to discharge with humble charity the office of the diaconate so as to assist the priestly order and to benefit the Christian people?”
• “Do you resolve to hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, as the Apostle says, and to proclaim this faith in word and deed according to the Gospel and the Church’s tradition?”
• “Do you resolve to keep the commitment of celibacy perpetually as a sign of the dedication of your life to Christ the Lord for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, in service to God and others?”
• “Do you resolve to guard and increase the spirit of prayer that is proper to your way of life and, in keeping with this spirit and circumstances of your life, to celebrate faithfully the Liturgy of the Hours with and for the people of God and indeed for the whole world?”
• “Do you resolve to conform your manner of life always to the example of Christ, whose body and blood you will handle at the altar?”

Mr. Cooper responded “I do” to the first five questions and “I do with the help of God” to the last question.

The recent seminarian who completed his religious studies at St. Meinrad earlier this year then knelt before Bishop Beckman and placed his hands within the bishop’s hands to make the promise of obedience. Bishop Beckman asked, “Do you promise respect and obedience to me and my successors?” Mr. Cooper responded, “I do,” prompting the bishop to say, “May God, who has begun the good work in you, bring it to fulfillment.”

“Let us pray, dearly beloved, that God, the Almighty Father, will, in His mercy, pour out the grace of His blessing on this, His servant, whom He is pleased to receive into the sacred order of the diaconate,” the bishop said.

As the congregation knelt, Mr. Cooper laid prostrate before the altar during the Litany of Supplication as the “Litany of Saints” was sung.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was then conferred on Mr. Cooper as Bishop Beckman initiated the laying-on of hands as he gave the Prayer of Ordination.

Deacon Cooper was invested with a stole and dalmatic by Deacon Shawn Ballard, who serves at St. John Neumann Parish. The vestments signify their ministerial role in the celebration of the Eucharist.

As Deacon Cooper knelt before Bishop Beckman, the bishop placed the Book of the Gospels in the ordinand’s hands and said, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

The bishop and the deacons present gave the sign of peace to the newly ordained minister and welcomed him as a fellow deacon.

Bishop Beckman offered a prayer for the priesthood of Christ and the ministry of priests, saying, “For Christ not only adorns with a royal priesthood the people He has made His own, but with a brother’s kindness He also chooses men to become sharers in His sacred ministry through the laying-on of hands. He chooses to lead your holy people in charity, to nourish them with the Word, and strengthen them with the sacraments. As they give up their lives for You and for the salvation of their brothers and sisters, they strive to be conformed to the image of Christ himself and offer you a constant witness of faith and love.”

Deacon Cooper then assisted Bishop Beckman at the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

At the end of Mass, the bishop congratulated Deacon Cooper, who received another round of applause.

Bishop Beckman acknowledged Deacon Cooper’s grandmother, Cindy Cooper, as he called the diocese’s newest member of the diaconate “a great gift to our Church.”

“We want to thank you for helping to form him into a fine young man,” the bishop told Ms. Cooper.

Deacon Cooper’s first assignment is at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, whose pastor, Father Michael Woods, and a contingent of Cumberland County parishioners attended the ordination Mass.

Deacon Cooper will serve there until his ordination to the priesthood.

Also attending the Mass were members of the staff and classmates of Deacon Cooper from St. Meinrad.

Following the Mass, Deacon Cooper expressed joy and gratitude as he reflected on his ordination—joy that his faith and desire to serve God are being fulfilled and gratitude toward all the people who helped him in answering God’s call to the priesthood.

He also expressed relief and a sense of accomplishment that five-and-a-half years of seminary studies are now behind him.”

“When I first started, it was a bit of a challenge like every major change in life. Once I settled into it, everything started to fall into place and things began to feel more and more like this is where God actually wants me,” Deacon Cooper said.

During his formation, Deacon Cooper said his faith grew “by leaps and bounds.”

“I thought I had a really good prayer life and faith life before, but being around the guys at St. Meinrad and being challenged by their own example of faith has caused me to grow even more. I’m eternally grateful to all of them for it,” he shared.

Deacon Cooper expressed appreciation to the priests and seminarians from St. Meinrad who took part in his ordination, including Father Denis Robinson, OSB, who is the president-rector of the seminary, and Father Guerric DeBona, OSB, who heads spiritual formation at the seminary in St. Meinrad, Ind.

Deacon Cooper is a native of Knoxville who converted to Catholicism when he was 27. He was an associate pastor in the Baptist faith for a decade before joining the Catholic Church.

He entered the Church at St. John Neumann in 2017.

He explained that he moved to St. Albert the Great Parish when he entered seminary and now considers it his home parish.

He has been looking forward to serving at St. Francis of Assisi.

“Father Michael is a great priest, and I am looking forward to getting to know that community,” Deacon Cooper said.