Deacon Ordination.

There are two essential parts of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. If either of these parts is missing, there will be no sacrament. If either of these parts is missing the man does not become a deacon (or a priest). Thanks be to God that both parts were clearly present (they usually are). The first which is pictured above, is that the bishop will lay his hands on the head of the soon to be deacon (or priest). The second is the prayer of ordination in which we ask God, through the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the very being of the man into a deacon (or priest).
Immediately after the prayer of ordination is finished, the men, who just a moment before were not deacons, rise, and they are now new deacons. Since they are truly deacons, and will be for the rest of their lives, they can function as deacons immediately. I was one of the two fortunate new deacons, to be able to assist as a deacon for the rest of the ordination Mass. Above you will see new-Deacon James Dodson and myself assisting Bishop Hebda with the incensation of the altar.
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Below you see a number of my classmates, including myself, as newly vested deacons.
Immediately after the prayer of ordination is finished, the first liturgical action is the vesting of the new deacons as deacons. Just as all Christian "put on Christ" in their baptism, the deacons (and later the priest) "put on Christ" in a particular way at their ordination. This is what this part of the ordination mass symbolizes. In the prayer of ordination Christ configures the men to himself, makes their very being "look" like him in his servant-hood. This is an invisible change. By putting on the vestments of the deacon, the new deacons make the invisible change visible to others.

I have posted more pictures on Facebook if you would like to check them out.