I had the pleasure to witness and capture this annual ceremony where my long time friend, Joseph Laracy, was ordained into the Diaconate. Held at the most sacred place in Christian faith, the vast atmosphere within Saint Peter’s Basilica isn’t just a location that us tourists should go take pictures at but yet revel in the sheer perfection, grand scale and scope of time taken to build. No words, pictures, (or even this video!) can do justice to what’s seen, heard, and most of all.. felt.

Placed in the third section of the audience, I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity for capturing such a momentous occasion to be limited to filming from 40-50 rows back. Blending in with a local christian media group, I made my way to the front and ended up sitting in front of the first pew facing the altar. It felt incredible to be lucky enough to get that close to the altar and be able to admire it for over an hour.

An artistic execution so gloriously intricate and triumphant… you don’t have to be very religious to have a spiritual moment in a case like this. You really have to take a trip there if you haven’t already. To cover such a rare annual event that my friend Joseph was a part of, it was quite humbling to be in the presence of such a handcrafted piece of mastery that’s also happens to be one of the most sacred landmarks in the world.