Newly ordained Deacon Figura blessed from near and afar

Seminarian Michael Figura had the best of two worlds: being ordained a transitional deacon in a location at the heart of the Church, St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, while also being surrounded by family and friends from home and ordained by a Nebraska bishop.

Deacon Figura – and 15 other seminarians from the Pontifical North American College in Rome – were ordained Oct. 2 by Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island, a former priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha.

U.S. Cardinals Raymond Burke and James Harvey were among the many prelates at the Mass. During the ordination, Deacon Figura and his classmates promised to live a life of prayer, celibacy and obedience to their diocesan bishops.

Deacon Figura’s mother, three siblings, grandmother, aunt and cousin were on hand, as well as about 45 pilgrims from his home parish, St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Omaha.

“Ordination was such a special experience!” Deacon Figura said via email, mentioning several blessings in particular.

“One of the graces of being ordained in Rome is, of course, being ordained in St. Peter’s Basilica at the heart of the Church,” he said.

Another blessing, he said, was being ordained with his seminary classmates at the Pontifical North American College, men from across the United States and Australia. “It was such a joy to be ordained next to the men I’ve spent the last three years with.”

Having Bishop Hanefeldt as the ordaining prelate was an honor, Deacon Figura said. He had met the bishop previously on several occasions and spent the summer assigned to Bishop Hanefeldt’s home parish, St. Ludger in Creighton.

“He is truly a kind and caring bishop and he is so easy to talk to!” the new deacon said.

The ordination marks the final phase of Deacon Figura’s seminary formation. He’s on track to be ordained a priest next summer at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha.

But for now, as a transitional deacon, Deacon Figura will serve his fellow seminarians at the Pontifical North American College.

Just days after the ordination, he preached on the topic of the Good Samaritan at a seminary Mass and brought Holy Communion to sick seminarians.

Deacon Figura has also been assigned to a Catholic parish at Aviano Air Base in Italy, a NATO hub where U.S. Air Force members serve. There, he will spend about a weekend a month preaching at Sunday Masses and helping with catechetical programs.

The Omaha native grew up in St. Stephen the Martyr Parish, graduated from V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School and lived at the St. John Paul II Newman Center before discerning the priesthood.

He studied at St. John Vianney Seminary and graduated from St. Thomas University, both in St. Paul, Minnesota, before continuing his studies at the Pontifical North American College.