Items of Interest
The Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Newark
Some general information about the Permanent Diaconate can be found HERE.
It has been more than a quarter of a century 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
2018 Retreat for Deacons
"Come by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile." (Mark 6:31)
We're all busy, aren't we? Confirmations, First Communions, weddings, preaching, etc. Then, in our personal lives we have Confirmations, First Communions and weddings. More of the same! Well, we love our vocation as much as we love our family, so we try to make all our commitments. Nevertheless, we need to take some time now and again to pray, play and listen to the voice of the Lord.
Deacon Greg Kandra is going to help us do those things at the 2018 Retreat for Deacons, October 19-21, at the San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, NJ. A busy deacon himself, Greg handles many commitments every day and has an impressive list of credits to his name. To learn more about him click this link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/about/.
This year, take time for prayer, fellowship and meditation. Click HERE to download the retreat form, fill it out and return it to Deacon John McKenna with a check for $100.
Online Liturgy of the Hours
A new 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
The memorandum (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.
Intercessory Prayer for Religious Freedom
The prayer below was composed by Deacon Jim Tobin and posted here with approval of Deaon John McKenna. It is a suggestion for use at Masses in our Archdiocese:
That American Catholics will listen to the teachings of the US Catholic Bishops; become aware of the intrinsic evil being forced on Catholic institutions by the HHS Mandate and pray that the leaders of this country will have a change of heart and allow religious liberty, "Our first and most Cherished Freedom"
Let us pray to the Lord.
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: Rev. James Teti
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 Chairman: Deacon Michael York
Executive Committee Vice Chairman: Deacon Walter Wiggins
Executive Committee Secretary: 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.