Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss ordained to the transitional diaconate three seminarians from Sacred Heart's Class of 2005 on December 18, 2004. Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders were Maurice Henry Sands and Andrew Bloomfield of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and Hector Moreno of the Diocese of Lacrosse. The transitional diaconate is the final step in the process leading to priestly ordination, which will be conferred upon Rev. Mr. Sands and Rev. Mr. Bloomfield on May 14.

Deacon Joseph Lang also will be ordained that day as a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He previously received orders as a permanent deacon after earning his MA in Pastoral Studies in 2001.

Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn assisted in the ordination ceremony, along with priests from Sacred Heart and deacons from across the archdiocese. Andrew Bloomfield, who is also a lieutenant and chaplain in the U.S. Army, was honored by the participation of his father, Deacon Richard Bloomfield. Deacon Bloomfield serves in the Army, as well, as a captain and chaplain. Hector Moreno's mother traveled from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to be with her son for this special event. Henry Sands is the first Native American to be ordained for the archdiocese.

Three other classmates received their diaconal ordination earlier in the year: Charles Canoy for the Diocese of Lansing in November; Patrick Craig and Christian Johnson for the Diocese of Kalamazoo this past summer.