Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?
You Have the Words of Everlasting Life
John 6:68
On October 1, 1995, four men from the Hispanic Diaconate formation class of 1995 will be ordained to the Order of Deacon by Bernard Cardinal Law in the Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston. The ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 AM. All deacons and priests of the Boston Archdiocese are invited to be present and to vest for this important event. The men to be ordained are: Teodoro Comacho and Pedro Torres of St. Mary, Waltham, Jose Naveo of Asuncion Parish in Lawrence, and Luis Rivera of St. Rose, Chelsea.
As part of their formation, the sixteen deacon candidates of the class of `96 are spending the summer between their third and fourth year of diaconal preparation as interns in a variety of challenging hospital and prison ministries.
Tony Rizzuto, Steve Murphy, Frank Mandosa and Jerry Hardy, together with Jerry's wife Pat, who is a certified, full time pastoral counselor, are working at Boston's Children's Hospital under the enthusiastic direction of Deacon Joe Crowley. Deacon Joe, who was ordained in 1980 and who lives in Dedham, is a certified chaplain who has been part of the chaplaincy staff at the hospital for the last two years. The men under his direction are expected to spend about 4-5 hours a week, from May through September, living with the challenges, elation, discouragement, and inspirations of chaplaincy in a major critical care hospital. Ordinarily, they visit ten to twenty patients and families each evening they are there.
They are required to prepare and present "verbatims", detailed, written analyses of their chaplain visits, as well as to prepare weekly reflections on their personal reactions. In addition, the candidates meet once a month with a member of the Diaconate Office staff for theological reflection. The unique challenge at Children's Hospital is that the patients are often infants or toddlers, and much of the pastoral care is to frightened and grieving parents. The four men and one woman were eager to talk about their experiences.
When Tony Rizzuto visited an Irish family and properly pronounced the Celtic name of their daughter, Aisling, he broke the ice. Who would have guessed that Tony knew Irish! He was able to share his own life and experiences with them and they responded by sharing their own fears and anxieties. Their shared prayer was a source of grace for them all.
Steve Murphy spoke quietly of the time he held hands and prayed with immigrant parents and grandparents around the crib of their sick baby, soon to die. He spoke of their deep faith and acceptance and how it touched him. Frank Mandosa spoke of the humbling realization that he brings not answers, or promises, or guarantees, just his presence, compassion and empathy to the families. He talked about one severely handicapped young girl, with the mind of a toddler, who has come to recognize him. As he comes down the hall, she sees him and, with a big smile, shouts "Oh, man!, Oh, man!". He visits briefly, holding her hand while he speaks with her.
Pat Hardy, who has shared her husband's journey to the diaconate through all of its many phases, saw this chaplaincy internship as a marvelous opportunity for them to work together in an area in which she has extensive experience. But she was surprised by the differences in pediatric care. She and Jerry talked about the faith and hope of the parents they visited and of the healing grace of God which they experienced both in the hospital and in their own family this past springtime. Jerry explained about the adult patients at the Hospital who have been under treatment since their childhood. Among them are a number of people with Cystic Fibrosis. Jerry shared about his visits with a 42 year old woman struggling with this disease and reflected on how she is a tremendous source of faith and grace for him.
For Deacon Joe, this internship opportunity is both rewarding and challenging. This is the first time that Children's Hospital has been included in the internship program and Deacon Joe speaks with a real sense of excitement about the role these people are playing at the Hospital. He hopes that some of them may be encouraged to return to the hospital after ordination to help in this much needed chaplaincy work.
The internship program continues until the resumption of class-work at St. William's Hall in September. It has been a turning point for the men of the class of `96. During the first three years, their formation has been academic; a spiritually introspective journey of discernment. But now the men have seen part of their future and they have been changed by the experience. They have grown in certainty and maturity. They have begun to understand what it means to put on the mantle of ordained ministers.
| Other Field Assignments For the Class of `96 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brigham & Women's Hospital | ||
Gus Diotalevi |
Joe Donnelly |
|
Al Santosuosso |
Joe Whipple |
|
Bill Kerns |
Joe Ramrath |
|
| Bridgewater MCI Prison | ||
Art Keefe |
Gene Stenstrom |
|
| Framingham MCI Prison | ||
Andy Goldy |
Bill MacKenzie |
|
| Faulkner Hospital | ||
John Menz |
Joe Canova |
|
Gerald P. Ryan
As Labor Day comes and goes and many know it only as a point of passage of vacation back to school, it is important to recognize the special bonding of the labor movement and the Catholic Church. As the nineteenth century approached the twentieth and the burdens of the growing industrial revolution fell on the backs of the poor, it was the church that recognized the dignity of laborers, the importance of the marketplace in the economy of salvation, and the interrelationship of gospel preacher and union organizer in the twentieth century.
Deacons would do well to reflect on this. The writings of popes and bishops from Pope Leo XIII to the present hour provide a veritable treasury of Catholic social doctrine. Here in the archdiocese the Catholic Labor Guild with offices at 883 Hancock St., Quincy, provides many resources including classes and seminars every fall and every spring under the direction of Fr. Ed Boyle SJ. (Many of these would fit well into the category of diaconate continuing education!)
The special call of deacons to the cause of labor is not only in the preaching of the pulpit or the organizing of the Labor Guild but most especially in the day to day diaconal ministry that can be exercised in the marketplace. Take the time to reflect and to pray and then continue to minister.
Rev. Richard Butler
Acclaimed speaker Megan McKenna, Ph.D. will deliver the keynote address during the Regional Deacons Assembly on November 11, 1995, in Newport Rhode Island. The theme of this year's assembly is "Becoming What We Proclaim". Hosting the event again this year will be the Doubletree Islander Hotel. For information call Sister Clare O'Keefe at the Diaconate office 617-730-8477.
We continue profiles of the class of '98 and their wives, in briefer form than our earlier style so that all might get noted before the next class is on our doorstep.
Age 43, an attorney, and father of two, Mark is an active parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi in Medford. A native of the parish, he attended St. Francis School; he went on to Matignon High School, '70 To this day credits much of the direction of his life to the Sisters of Charity of Halifax and Sisters of St. Joseph. He graduated from Merrimack College, '74. A year later he married Susan Brogan at St. Francis and they went off to Springfield as he studied law, later returning to Medford. His daughter Erin is 16 and his son Matthew is 10. He has had a strong record of parish involvement at St. Francis as lector, council member, religious education service, and marriage preparation work. Susan has worked many years at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
A Vietnam veteran (USAF), Rich, age 49, has served as a postal worker for more than twenty years with a strong record of support and endorsement by fellow postal workers. A native of St. Joseph Parish in Kingston, he spent his youth in California where he went to High School and two years of college. It was in California that he met his bride, Patti, whom he married at St. Jerome's in L.A. after his military service. Now back in New England, he is again a parishioner of St. Joseph's in Kingston. They have three children: Allison, 18, Russell, 14, and Meaghan, 8. Patti works as a secretary in Kingston
A native of St. Mark's, Dorchester, Tom, age 53, is now an active parishioner of St. Thecla's in Pembroke. He attended public elementary school, BC High, 59, and Boston College, '63. An auditor, he does much of his work at home avoiding the morning and evening rush hours. He married Barbara Smith (a native of Maine) at St. Mark's in 1966. They have four children, all in their twenties: Thomas, Linda, Kathryn and Joanne. His wife, Barbara, is a nurse, alumna of Catherine Laboure School of Nursing.
A native of Beverly, age 46, Jim is an alumnus of St. John's in Beverly, Fenwick High School '67, Georgetown University '71, and Georgetown Law '74. He married Susan, a Unitarian, at the Unitarian Church in Beverly June 18, 1972. He served as an attorney for a while in Connecticut and for the greater part of his career back in Massachusetts concentrating in real estate law. He is an active parishioner of St. Paul's in Hamilton. Their two daughters are Catherine, age 18, and Elizabeth, age 16. His wife Susan is an alumna of Lesley College with a BS in Education.
Please remember in prayer our loved ones who have died and those who mourn their loss
Helen Harvey sister of Candidate Gerard J. Hardy '96
Leonard V. Guarente brother of Deacon Frederic G. Guarente '90
Mary Anne (Egan) Saccone daughter of Deacon and Mrs. Thomas F. Egan '79
Joseph D. Shea father of Carolyn S. O'Neil '90
Shirley DiBiase mother of Sandra Morey '88.
Estoy escribiendo estas líneas con las emociones todas vivas, por recientes, que despertó en m' el último retiro con los candidatos al Diaconado Permanente que Dios mediante serán ordenados el primero de Octubre de este año.
Por la mañana el diácono Jesús Quiles y su esposa Palmira compartieron su larga experiencia de 13 años como diácono y esposa de diácono y padres de familia.
Por la tarde centramos nuestra reflexión y oración sobre el contenido de la carta que escribió el Cardenal Law con motivo del décimo aniversario de su instalación como Arzobispo de Boston: "YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES ". El retiro tuvo lugar el sábado, 8 de Julio, y lo cerramos con la misa del dia siguiente, Domingo XIV. Y las lecturas de la misa no pudieron ser más apropiadas para el tema central del retiro.
Todo cristiano está llamado por el Señor a SER TESTIGO, por lo menos de una forma "pasiva", es decir, por nuestra santidad personal manifestada en nuestra forma de vida, nuestra escala de valores y nuestro respeto y apoyo a los demás, principalmente en el barrio, en el trabajo y en la familia.
Pero el diácono, ministro consagrado por el sacramento del orden, ha sido llamado a SER TESTIGO de una manera que podríamos llamarla "activa". Este testimonio activo ha de brotar de la vocación de todo cristiano a la santidad, como dec'amos más arriba. Pero ahora, por el sacramento que nos ha sido conferido, somos ENVIADOS, como el Señor envió a los 72 discípulos. ¡Y qué verdad sigue siendo que la "cosecha es abundante y los obreros son pocos!" (Lc10,2) Tantos hispanos oficialmente católicos por estar bautizados en la iglesia y tan pocos obreros que prediquen y trabajen esta parcela del campo del Señor.
Y sigue siendo verdad que se nos envía como "corderos en medio de lobos." (Lc 10,3). Como el Sr. Cardenal señala en su carta, la cultura actual es, en el mejor de los casos, a-religiosa y anti-religiosa la mayoría de las veces. Y a esta sociedad le tenemos que predicar "oportuna e inoportunamente", como nos dice el Cardenal, el Evangelio, la Eucaristía, la vida de oración, la riqueza de la fé y de la vida espiritual, el compromiso y fidelidad del matrimonio, la familia. Y seguro que muchos rechazarán o no comprenderán este mensaje. Pero este rechazo e incomprensión no será solamente al mensaje; en muchas ocasiones el rechazo será tambien a nuestras personas por ser los mensajeros. Así ha sido desde los primeros momentos de la Iglesia. Bien lo experimentó San Pablo cuando dice que por su apostolado "lleva en su cuerpo las señales de Jesús." (Gal. 6, 17) Pablo, que ataca a los judaizantes por su insistencia en la necesidad de la señal de la circuncisión para ser del pueblo elegido, se pone como modelo de cuáles son las nuevas señales del nuevo pueblo de Israel: la gracia que se nos dió en Cristo y en su caso, como ha sido y sigue siendo con tantos "enviados" a lo largo de la historia de la Iglesia, las señales de la persecución, de los azotes, de los insultos, del desprecio...que son una gloria que hace exclamar a San Pablo: "no quiero estar orgulloso de otra cosa sino de la cruz de Cristo Nuestro Señor. Por El el mundo ha sido crucificado para m' y yo para el mundo." (Gal.6, 14)
El telón de fondo que enmarca "la misión-ser enviados", no parece muy atrayente: cruz, persecución, desprecio, corderos enviados a una manada de lobos...
Y otra vez el Evangelio lo aclara todo con una contradicción, una paradoja. La misión del discípulo enviado a un mundo desquiciado es para ofrecerle PAZ, y cuanto más el mundo rechace la PAZ esta PAZ retornará a nosotros y nos inundará más y más hasta lo más profundo de nuestro ser. (Lc 10,6) Esta ha sido siempre la contínua experiencia de todo misionero-enviado. Cuando por la gracia de Cristo ejerce en fé su ministerio, cuanto más dificil y aparentemente más inútil e infructuoso es su ministerio, más PAZ y consuelo recibe del Señor porque por su participación en el misterio de Cristo, "sépanlo bien; el Reino de Dios está muy próximo." (Lc. 10.9)
José Corral, S.J.
