Amarillo—Seminarian Grant Spinhirne, a seminarian for the Diocese of Amarillo, will be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek during a Saturday, July 2 Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
The Mass is open to the public and scheduled to begin at 10:30am. The Mass will be broadcast on St. Valentine Catholic Radio, 1360-AM, KDJW, and online at www.kdjw.org, beginning at 10:25am.
Spinhirne, who will turn 29 on July 12, is a native of Vega. The son of Charlie and Nancy Spinhirne of Immaculate Conception Church, Vega, he is currently attending St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston.
In a Dec. 21, 2014 profile in The West Texas Catholic, Spinhirne said through some of his ministry assignments, he has had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the priesthood.
“It has been really rewarding to see people get excited about learning about their Faith and inspired to learn more,” he said. “As a priest, I will be able to continue to get people to know more about their Faith through the celebration of the Sacraments.
“I think that working with the people of the parish is the most appealing aspect of the priesthood. As a priest, I will be able to help them to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of their Faith.”
Spinhirne was asked
what is one thing every Catholic should know?
“As Catholics we have a great gift in the sacraments we have within the Church,” he said. “While some sacraments are sought out and celebrated with ease, there is one sacrament that is not used as much by Catholics. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift given to us to rectify our sinful nature with God. We know that we have sinned and need to make reparations for our actions. But, to actually admit and name our sins to another person can make us uncomfortable. This often makes people skip getting the grace given through Confession. Sin can often weigh us down and think that we are not worthy of receiving forgiveness.
“Through Confession we have the burden of our sin lifted from us. This will enable us to make a conversion in our lives and begin living again according to the will of God.
“I would like to thank the people of the Diocese of Amarillo for all their prayers and support over the years. This has greatly helped me during my studies and formation toward the priesthood. I look forward to serving the Diocese of Amarillo as a Transitional Deacon and in the future as a Priest.”