With joyful hearts, our faith community extends congratulations to Deacon Tyler Underhill. Deacon Tyler grew up at Our Lady of Hope, and some of us knew him as a little boy. We watched him grow into a man, and on Sept. 28, a number of us, alongside his family, witnessed his ordination to the diaconate.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Debbie Wichman says. “To see Tyler be ordained at the Vatican and to watch as Fr. Paul walked up that aisle and kissed that altar — it was an incredible experience and one that most of us will never forget.”
Meanwhile, Deacon Tyler says he is very grateful that so many Our Lady of Hope parishioners made the long journey to celebrate with him.
“It was a great honor to have people from my home parish celebrate with me,” he says. “I felt very supported by their presence, as well as all those who were able to watch via livestream or EWTN. To look out into the crowd during the ordination and see familiar faces gave me a real boost of confidence.”
In addition to witnessing Deacon Tyler’s ordination firsthand, the groups who traveled to Rome from our diocese we able to attend a papal audience in St. Peter’s Square while there. They also attended an open house at the North American College, where Deacon Tyler has been studying. Many capped their trip off at Chiesa Santa Maria dell’Anima, where Deacon Tyler assisted at his first Mass as a deacon.
“Bishop Siegel presided at this Mass and Deacon Tyler gave the homily,” Debbie says.
On the feast of Sts. Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, Deacon Tyler challenged everyone to be like the archangels — defending our faith, healing the broken,
and proclaiming the kingdom of God. What an incredible opportunity!
Everyone but Deacon Tyler returned stateside in October, and he looks forward to coming home this summer. Meanwhile, Deacon Tyler says he feels beyond blessed to serve the Church as a deacon.
“I am excited to be able to exercise some of the different aspects of being a deacon, such as preaching and baptizing,” he says.
In June, Deacon Tyler will return to Indiana and be ordained to the priesthood at St. Benedict’s Cathedral in Evansville. His priestly ordination will take place on June 22, 2024, at 11 a.m. We hope to have an even bigger group there to celebrate with him!
May God continue to bless Deacon Tyler as He continues to bless the Church through His ministry therein!