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Items of Interest
Deacon Stan Fedison enters eternal life
Our Brother, Deacon Stan Fedison, 84, of Our Lady Mother of the Church, Woodcliff Lake, entered into Eternal Life on Sunday, January 9, 2022.
Beloved husband of Jean Fedison (Cursi) for 53 years. Devoted father of Chris Fedison of Woodcliff Lake NJ, and Diana Bohane and her husband David of Canton, MA. Loving grandfather of Ava and Ellie Bohane. Dear brother of Robert Fedison and his wife Bernadette, and his sister, the late Maryanne Gallagher, and her late husband, Robert Gallagher.
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Stan served as Altar Boy for 7 years at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish, NYC.
From 1951-55 he attended Saint Mary’s College, Minor Seminary for the Redemptorist Fathers. From 1956-1957 he attended Saint Clements Mission House in Ephrata PA in preparation for the Redemptorist Brotherhood, and took temporary vows for three years. He was professed as Brother Bernard and assigned to Saint Mary’s College in Ilchester, MD from 1957-1960.
In 1960 his temporary vows expired, and he joined the United States Air Force. In 1961 he was trained as an air to ground radio operator in Mississippi, and served as Chaplains assistant to all three religious denominations at South Ruislip AFB, London from 1961-1964.
From 1966 until 1992 he worked for IBM.
In 1969 he married the love of his life Jean Cursi of Avenel, NJ.
In 2002 Stan was ordained a Deacon of the Catholic Church, devoting himself to working at local nursing homes and hospitals to assist elderly and sick people in need of comfort, laughter, and the Gospel of Christ. Nothing gave him more enjoyment than dressing up like Santa, Saint Nicholas, and a Cruise Captain in order to entertain people throughout the year. Nursing home residents knew him as the Deacon who loved to dance, sing, tell jokes, and spend quality time with them when most needed. He loved spending time with his family and his two grandchildren. He was a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles, enjoyed bowling at the Montvale Lanes, was meticulously devoted to recycling, and loved a good television Mystery. He will be missed by all who loved him.
The family received their relatives and friends, followed by the Funeral Mass celebrating Stan’s life, faith and ministry at Our Lady Mother of the Church, 209 Woodcliff Avenue, Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Interment was private. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital would be appreciated.
Prayer for Deacons
We praise you, Father, Creator of all things,
Who teaches us how to love and
Who guides us on our journey of service.
Have mercy on us, forgive us our failings, and
Show us the way to be faithful servants.
We thank you for our families
and the faith communities who support us,
and we ask You to bless and watch over them.
Give us the grace to open our minds and hearts
as we grow in wisdom, faith and love of You
and Your Word.
Send down Your Spirit, Lord, to sustain us
as we accept Your call to be Heralds of Your Word,
servants at Your Table and Ministers of charity
to Your people.
With the intercession of Blessed Mary, Mother of God, St. John the Baptist,
who inspires us to be Your voice, and all Your saintly deacons.
We pray in the name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior,
In union with the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Composed by Deacon candidates of the Diocese of Sprinfield, MA.
Online Liturgy of the Hours
A website has the apprioved English version (ICEL 1976) of the Liturgy of the Hours available online. It is quite comprehesive with: Invitatiory Psalm, Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer, as well as hymns! It gives page numbers for both the four-volume and single volume versions. A podcast is also available so you can listen if reading is inconvenient. An excellent resource anytime, but especially when traveling with your smartphone or laptop. The URL is http://divineoffice.org.
Procedure for Ministering Outside of the Archdiocese
Click HERE for the latest guidelines.
The memorandum dated May 8, 2013 from Deacon McKenna has been incorporated into the Deacon Manual at the end of the last Appendix. See "Handbook for Permanent Deacons" in "Archives" at the right for details.
The Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Newark
Some general information about the Permanent Diaconate can be found HERE.
It has been more than fifty years since the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate (Diaconatus Ordinem) in 1967, and forty-six years since the ordination of the first class of permanent deacons in 1975. At that time 77 men were ordained by Archbishop Gerety, considerably reduced from 200 who had applied and the 144 who began the probationary period. Since that time, the permanent diaconate program in Newark has seen many changes as both the theology and the praxis of the diaconate has developed and evolved under the influence of experience and guidance of the Holy Spirit. As in almost all areas of the world where the permanent diaconate has taken root, it has grown and generally has exceeded expectations, not only in the numbers of men called to this ordained ministry, but in the quality of its witness "as icons of Christ the servant." A listing of significant events in the history of the permanent diaconate in Newark is given in Appendix A from the booklet "A History of 25 Years of Service" presented at the Annual Assembly of Deacons in the Jubilee Year 2000.
Pax et Bonum
Madonna Murillo
From the Directory for Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, Congregation for the Clergy, n. 57, we are given this exhortation: "Love for Christ and for His Church is profoundly linked to love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, handmaid of the Lord. With her unique title of Mother, she was the selfless helper of her divine Son's diaconia (cf. John 19:25-27). Love of the Mother of God, based on faith and expressed in daily recitation of the rosary, imitation of her virtues and trust in her, are indeed signs of authentic filial devotion. With deep veneration and affection Mary looks on every deacon....This love of the Virgin Mary, handmaid of the Lord, which is born and rooted in the word, will cause deacons to imitate her life. In this way a Marian dimension is introduced into the Church which is very close to the vocation of the deacon.
Director of Selection and Formation
Msgr. Joseph R. Chapel
Director of Deacon Personnel
Deacon John J. McKenna
Associate Directors
Deacon Joseph Yandoli Deacon James Tobin
Continuing Education
Deacon Andrew Saunders
Council of Permanent Deacons
Executive Committee
President Vice President Secretary
Deacon Michael York Deacon Walter Wiggins Deacon Steve Lipski
County Representatives
Bergen
Deacon Andrew Golden Deacon Andrew Zucaro
Essex
Deacon Emeruwa Anyanwu Deacon Walter Wiggins
Hudson
Deaon Steve Lipski Deacon Michael Missaggia
Union
Deacon David Farrell Deacon Michael York
Hispanic
Deacon Jorg Montalvo Deacon Pedro Herrera
Publicity
Deacon Ed Campanella
For information about the diaconate program in the Archdiocese of Newark, or questions about the diaconate in general, email us at john.mckenna@rcan.orgi.