Thirty
Men to be Ordained Permanent Deacons The words "deacon" and "diaconate" derive from the Greek word diakonia, which means "service" or "ministry." A deacon is ordained by the Church for his service, which is provided in three ways: Service of the Word: This includes preaching, offering catechetical instruction, spiritual counseling, instructing catechumens, giving retreats, conducting parish renewal programs, and reaching out to alienated Catholics. Service of the Altar: The deacons' role in the Eucharist – in addition to proclaiming the Gospel and articulating the Church's needs in the general intercessions – is to prepare the gifts and distribute communion at the Lord's table. Deacons may baptize children or adults, witness marriages in the name of the Church, bring Viaticum to the dying, and preside over wakes, funerals, and burial services. Service of Charity: As extensive as human needs are, deacons minister in prisons and hospitals. They visit the homebound and people in nursing homes. They serve the mentally ill, the chemically dependent, the abused and the battered, the old and the young, the abandoned, the dying and the bereaved, immigrants and refugees and the victims of racial and ethnic discrimination. While Canon law does allow a married man to become a deacon, a married applicant must have the full support of his wife in order to continue in his formation for the Diaconate. The wife must give her consent in writing and show that she will participate, to a reasonable extent, in formation and post-ordination activities. She, like her husband, must go through an interview process. Any children the couple has must be over the age of five, and as part of the interviewing process home visits are conducted to establish if the applicant has a stable family life. For more information, on the please contact the Office of the Permanent Diaconate at (973) 497-4223 or visit http://www.rcan.org/permdeac.htm. Editor’s Note: Attached is a list of the newly ordained deacons and their hometowns. Newly
Ordained Permanent Deacons & Their Hometowns:
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