Diaconate internship: St. Ann Church and Shrine, Metairie By Peter Finney Jr. Clarion Herald The bronze statue on the front steps of Notre Dame Seminary depicts a boatload of migrants from various epochs of human history fleeing persecution for freedom and security in a new land. Andy Gonzalez, a third-year seminarian who will be ordained as a transitional deacon for the Archdiocese of New Orleans on May 22, has spent quiet time recently gazing at the statue and considering the parallels to his own faith journey. Gonzalez was born in Cuba, which has lived for decades under communist rule. He first stepped inside a Catholic church when he was 12, which is when he said his life changed forever.