The cold, 25 knot wind blew gray November clouds over the waters of Narragansett Bay, and white-capped waves collided in confusion against the seawall on Goat Island in Newport, Rhode Island. But inside the Doubletree Hotel, the wind was unnoticed as the New England Deacon's Assembly began its annual meeting. Approximately 150 deacons from around New England, together with their wives and other members of the diaconal community, came together on Saturday, November 11th, to pray, to participate in a variety of workshops, and to listen to the renowned guest speaker, Ms. Megan McKenna, Ph.D. Many people arrived the night before to relax and renew acquaintances at a cheese and wine reception hosted by the Assembly's organizers, Deacon Phil Devine and his wife, Carol.
The Saturday
Assembly began with a music filled opening prayer led by Deacon
Paul Lambert. Doctor McKenna then spoke for several hours, and
her unique and challenging speaking style, into which she weaves
her personal witness, audience interaction and remarkably
evocative stories, held people's attention from beginning to end.
A noted story teller and author, Doctor McKenna chose her stories
and subject matter in a way intended to disturb the audience's
preconceptions and complacency about the nature of the Church
and, particularly our mission to the poor in our midst. Her
presentation triggered many lively discussions over lunch.
Following her talk, the group moved into four workshops. "Keeping Promises - Matrimony and Holy Orders", presented by Dr. McKenna, "The Mission of Evangelization", presented by Deacon Dennis Dolan, "Collaboration in Ministry" presented by Deacon Richard Santello and "Marriage - Doing Right by the Rite" led by Rev. Austin Fleming. The workshops, although brief, offered the participants some useful insights and gave them an opportunity to share their own rich experiences.
The closing Liturgy was celebrated by Rev. Robert J. McManus, the Vicar for Education in the Providence, Rhode Island diocese. The music was superb. The band `Spirit' played and sang while Deacon Paul Lambert led the Assembly in prayerful songs of praise and worship. The homilist, Deacon Mark Dadlez spoke on the charisms and call to poverty, chastity and obedience. His personal witness and heartfelt preaching was one of the highlights of the day. Assisting deacons at the Mass were Tom Boutier, Bob Gallo and Bob Nicholson. The lector for the Mass was Mrs. Anne Boutier. After the Assembly, many people continued their weekend in Newport taking the time to relax and reflect and to share. For those who attended, it was a weekend to remember.
Deacon Gerald Ryan '94
To understand the ecumenical movement one has to go off the beaten track. It is not only on the main highways or at grand conventions that the lines of the movement are shaped but also in small assemblies of prayerful Christians. One of the basic tools of the movement which has so characterized twentieth century Christianity was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This grew from the earlier gatherings of Faith and Order and international meetings but it was an invitation at the local grassroots level for local communities to pray together from January 18 to January 25 - on the earlier calendar from the Feast of Peter to the Feast of Paul. We hope all in the diaconate will find time during these days to pray with Christians of other churches, and in prayer to discover the work of the Holy Spirit.
Last May Pope John Paul II gave a renewed call to the ecumenical movement in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint. His letter has been the focus of the regional deacon assemblies of the deacons this year. At the first gathering in Abington in November it was encouraging to hear of the simple and gentle gestures that so many deacons of the area have done in the ordinary routine of their ministry, and challenging to discover from the letter of the Pope and the directory from Rome how much more we should be doing. As I write we are preparing for the Framingham meeting in December. Upcoming meetings are scheduled in January in Jamaica Plain, in February in Tyngsboro, in March in Lynn.
These assemblies involve a study of the documents and a reading of the history but they also involve meeting ecumenical partners and doing things, large and small. And, of all the suggested things we might do, the most important is the call to prayer. Pray with one another and pray for one another that the unity that is ours in Christ Jesus might possess our lives.
Rev. Richard Butler
There is a story about the minister and his wife who were driving to a wedding, the minister dressed up in his black suit and collar, his wife in a fancy dress. In their haste, the minister disregarded the speed limit and sure enough they were pulled over by one of Boston's finest. As the officer looked into the car, he glanced at the minister's collar and said, "Pardon me Father, but you were goin' a wee bit too fast. Ordinarily, I'd be givin' you a ticket but if you promise to slow down, I'll overlook it this time." The minister thanked the officer and promised to slow down. As they pulled away, the minister's wife looked at him and chided, "Now just who do you think he thought you were?" The minister answered, "I know exactly who he thought I was. What I don't know is who he thought you were!"
One of the wonderful gifts that the permanent diaconate has brought to the Catholic Church is married clergy. I know both my wife Betsy and I have often thought along with the minister, "I wonder who he thought she is." It really makes me wonder if anyone listens to anything I say in a homily when I tell a story about Betsy or one of my children, and on the way out of church people nod to me and say, "Good sermon, Father." You mean the diagonal stole doesn't shout out to people: Deacon, Deacon? And I wonder how many people I have scandalized by kissing Betsy after a wedding or Baptism while I am still vested.
To add to the confusion, married deacons are not quite pure unadulterated married clergy, are we? There is this celibacy thing. When I was ordained, we had one unmarried man in our class. During ordination, Henry professed his commitment to celibacy. But not everyone in the assembly understood that it was just Henry who did this. Many of Betsy's friends came up to her in the ensuing weeks, to console her or congratulate her on the fact that I was now celibate.
Who is this woman who is one flesh with this deacon but so often goes unnoticed, liturgically and even socially? One time as someone was congratulating me on a wonderful baptism liturgy, going on about how wonderful it was for the Church to have married deacons, I happened to catch Betsy's eye and noticed that it was under a particularly arched eyebrow. When I asked her later what she was thinking at the time, she said, "If only that person knew who dressed him up, propped him up, and pumped him up so he could be so wonderful a deacon!"
Deacon Charlie Cornell '92
In earlier editions of Diaconia we presented 6 profiles of the members of the class of 1998. With this edition of Diaconia we present the profiles of 8 Hispanic candidates and 4 Anglo candidates, coming from a rich variety of places: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, USA, Honduras, Brazil. This brings to completion the profiles of the 18 men preparing for diaconal service in the class of 1998.
Herbert C. (Herb) Hanson, age 49, was born and raised in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. His early education was in the local parochial schools. Herb graduated from St. Vincent's College, Latrobe Pa. In 1968 he was accepted and began studies at Boston University School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctor degree. On October 30, 1971 Patricia Weians and Herb were married in St. Anthony's Church, Columbus, Ohio. They have two children Herbie, 13 and Katie, 11. Presently, Herb is senior litigation attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Public Safety and Corrections. Pat is a physician in private practice, specializing in adult psychiatry. Both Pat and Herb serve their parish, St. Ann's, Wayland in a variety of ministries. They enjoy Cape Cod time with friends and most of all, time with their children.
John C. Hunt, Jr., age 35, holds the distinction of being the youngest member of the class of 1998. He was born and educated in Lowell. After graduating from Lowell High School, John went to work and attended Middlesex Community College evenings. On June 18, 1983 John and Maria Gomes were married in their home parish, St. Anthony's, Lowell. They have two children: Nicole, 9 and Rachel, 7. John is employed at Raytheon in Andover as an Engineering Assistant. Since childhood John has been very active in church ministry: training altar servers, working with youth groups, and is the Liturgical Coordinator for two parishes. Maria is employed at Joann Fabrics. John and Maria enjoy music and dancing.
A native of Wilmington, Richard T. Joy, age 52, spent his youth in St. Thomas of Villanova Parish. He attended Wilmington public schools, Merrimack College and at Boston State College, Richard earned an M.Ed. For almost twenty years, he was employed by the Groton school system as a teacher, principal, media specialist. Presently, he is self employed as a tax consultant. On June 11, 1966 he and his childhood friend, Kathleen Pushee were married in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, Wilmington. They have two children, Sheila (Joy) Tilton, 28 and Kevin 27. Since their marriage the Joys have resided in Westford and are members of St. Catherine's Parish, where Richard and Kathy have been actively involved in church ministry.
James V. Kerrigan, a native of Somerville, at age 62, is the senior member of the class of l998. After graduating from Malden Catholic High School, Jim served in the U.S. Navy for four years. Boston College was next on his agenda. After successful completion of his studies at BC, he earned an MBA at George Washington University. Most of Jim's career has been spent in hospital administration. On October 8, 1966 Jim married Muriel Normand, in Holy Family Parish, Stanford, Maine. Muriel, a nurse, is a graduate of Boston College School of Nursing. They have eight children: Suzanne, 28, Christine, 27, Alicia, 25, Kendra, 24, Michael, 23 David, 21, Steven, 19, Andrew, 11. Jim has given himself wholeheartedly to the service of the Church. The Kerrigans are members of St. Barbara's Parish in Woburn. As a couple they enjoy their Friday night date at the "Ninety Nine"
Pablo Morel was born in 1953 in the Dominican Republic. He did his primary and secondary studies with the Salesian Fathers, After graduation from high school, Pablo entered the seminary to study for the priesthood but after some years he realized that this was not what the Lord was asking of him. He became a teacher, a very active member of his parish, and there he met his wife to be, Altagracia M. Santana, also a teacher. Soon after their marriage in 1975, they came to the United States. They have two children born in Hew York: Pablo. 15 and Judith 13. In 1995 they moved to Massachusetts hoping to find a better atmosphere in which to educate their children. In New York and in Lynn, Massachusetts where they now reside, both Pablo and Altagracia have always been very involved in parish activities. Altagracia is the director of the Catechetical Spanish Program, at St. Joseph's Parish, Lynn and Pablo is one of the pillars of Cursillos de Cristiandad.
Marcio Fonseca, age 33, was born in Honduras. as was his wife Lesley Roxana. They have three children. Marcio, an altar boy, who is 11, Maria Fernanda, 6 and Juan Gabriel, a year old. Marcio's mother came to the States leaving her two sons in Honduras with the hope of bringing them to Boston. Marcio, who is now a member of St. Ambrose in Dorchester, was 15 when he came to the States. He worked hard cleaning offices and doing general maintenance work. He went back to Honduras to marry his sweetheart and brought her to the United. States. Marcio took courses to be a licensed electrician. Now he owns his own business, RR-Jan Electric.
Virgilio Mejia, age 40 was born in the Dominican Republic. He came to the United States in 1979 and in this country met his wife Martina, also a native of the Dominican Republic, When Virgilio arrived in Lawrence, he joined the community of the Immaculate Conception Parish and worked in the catechetical program as well as with Cursillo de Cristiandad. Virgilio and Martina have four children, Cruz del Alba, 15, Ambiory, 14, Moises 12, and Jennifer, 8 It is a grace to have this vocation from Lawrence, a city that is Spanish through an overwhelming majority of its population.
Francisco Quiles at age 62 is the "patriarch" of the group. He was born in Puerto Rico in the colonial city of Ponce. In 1953 he married Aramida Llorene and less than a week after their marriage he sailed to Korea where he fought for his country. In 1970, Francisco completed his high school studies and was admitted to the Catholic University of Ponce where he graduated in 1973, In the meantime five children were born: Lucy, 38, Francis, 37, Caroline, 34. Annette,33 and Juan, 29. Not only Francisco and Araminda have been very active in the apostolate with the Spanish community but their children and in-laws as well. For more than ten years Francisco and his son-in-law, Alfredo Torrejon, have been the lay directors of Cursillos de Cristiandad for men, and his daughter Caroline the lay director for women. All the children are outstanding musicians and the basis of the Spanish choir at the parish of the Sacred Heart in Roslindale. On October 29, Francisco and Araminda received the 1995 Cardinal Law Award at the Annual Dinner of the office of Hispanic Apostolate.
Victor M. Rivera, age 36, and his wife Carmen are from Puerto Rico. They moved to Lawrence two years ago. Victor has a degree in Counseling and Religious Education from the Universidad Central in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, In his native island he taught religion and in Lawrence he is a Special Bilingual Education teacher at the Bruce School. Soon after his arrival in Lawrence he joined the parish of La Asuncion and started a youth group. He is responsible for preparing the youth for confirmation. Their children are Marlene, 16, Victor, 15, Joel, 12, Elizabeth, 6, and Christopher, 2. The entire Rivera family is enveloped in a halo of prayers by Victor's aunt, a cloistered Carmelite nun.
Pedro Pablo Rodrigues, age 54, was born in Portaleze, Brazil. He is a Brazilian who has been involved with Spanish communities since he came to the United States. With his friend Stan Straub, Pedro is a member of the Oblatos de la Santisima Trinidad, a lay perfection group founded in Santiago de Chile, He traveled extensively in South America and Europe. As a pilgrim he visited the most important shrines in Europe during the Marian year and took theology courses in Spain. Pedro Pablo is an occupational therapist and works with mentally handicapped people.
Stan Straub age 40 was born in Bennington, Vermont but his family moved to Williamstown, Massachusetts where Stan grew up. He graduated from North Adams State College with a BS in Elementary Education. His first job was at Mission Grammar School in Roxbury, a very different world from the one familiar to Stan. He soon discovered a new world, the Latino, and fell in love with it. In order to help his students and communicate with their parents he studied Spanish and today he is perfectly bilingual. He did the same traveling with his friend Pedro Pablo. Presently, he is a bilingual teacher in Somerville, and leads a prayer group and Bible study at St. Mary's Parish in Waltham.
Milciades Ubiera, 62, and his wife Mercedes are natives of the Dominican Republic. Milciades was born in Higuey, the "holy city" of Santo Domingo, where the shrine of the Virgen de la Altagracia, the patroness of the Republic, is located. He came from a very devout family where the elder brother had the fertile soil to nurture his vocation for Scholae Piae priests In his country Milciades graduated from the Journalism School and Law School. In this country he wrote and reported for a Spanish newspaper and television. The Ubiera's have four children: Juan Manuel, 33, Milciades, 22, Ruben Gerardo, 20, and Rosario de las Mercedes, 18. Presently, Milciades works for the Cursillo de Cristiandad and is a member of St. Joseph Parish in Lynn.
Los 18 años que he servido como diácono han sido muy satisfactorios y llenos de grandes emociones y recuerdos, no solo para mi, sino tambiér para mi esposa, nos han servido para acercarnos más al prójimo y poner algo de nuestra parte para hacer conocer el amor que el Señor nos brinda a todos los que nos acercamos a El.
(Standing) Deacon Hernan Machicado, Marila Machicado, Deacon Guy Spiri (Seated) Barbara Spiri.
Fue para mi muy emocionante poder casar a mis hijos y bautizar a mis nietos.
En toda esta trayectora apostólica he contado siempre con la colaboración de mi esposa, lo cual encuentro que es fundamental en la vida del diácono casado.
Muchas han sido las personas que me han ayudado, sacerdotes, religiosas y amigos, doy gracias a Dios a todos ellos, muy especialmente al Padre Martinez con quien hemos trabajado desde 1958 en Bolivia. Como toda llega a su fin y para mi la jubilación como diácono me llega muy a tiempo, pues la pérdida del oido hace que me sea muy dificil la comunicación con otras personas.
Mi señora y yo agradecemos al Señor por habernos dado esta oportunidad del diaconado, para enriquecernos nosotros y hacer que otros logren esta satisfacción de servir al Se-or, en recompensa por todos los beneficios recibidos de El.
The 18 years I have been a deacon are full of wonderful feelings and great memories, not only for me but also for my wife, whose help and support has been invaluable to me.
Serving as a deacon has helped me give more of myself to our community, and it has been very satisfying being able to do something to let the love our Lord has for all of us be more known. For me, being able to marry my children then baptize and give First Holy Communion to my grandchildren has been a very emotional experience.
My wife and I thank our Lord for having given us the gift of being a part of the diaconate. It has enriched us so much, and the satisfaction of being able to serve our Lord and give back in a small way for all the blessings He has bestowed on us, has been very rewarding.
Hernan Machicado '77
A Congregational minister, a woman who is a deaconess, and 26 other priests, deacons, and wives of deacons, as well as the Diaconate office staff met on Wednesday evening, November 15, at St. Bridget's in Abington to share ways to get involved in ecumenical activity. A sampling of liturgical suggestions included seasonal prayer services (i.e. Advent, Thanksgiving, Lent) and collaboration on the World Day of Prayer and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity .
Perhaps the most important suggestion was for continued intercessory prayer for the healing of the wounds that keep Christian churches separate.
Some of the proposals in the area of service were ecumenical food pantries, shared nursing home coverage, crisis response teams, Habitat for Humanity involvement, hunger walks and other issue related collaborations.
Two helpful documents were made available for purchase.
These documents provide valuable resources for Deacons regarding the official stance of the Church towards all aspects of Ecumenism.
Deacon Leo J. Donoghue '92
Please remember in prayer our loved ones who have died and those who mourn their loss
Deacon Philip L. Anderson '76
Deacon Robert A. Maglio '79
Deacon Louis Porzio '79
Juan Gomez, father of Eulogia Herrera '88
Loretta (Meehan) Mullins, wife of Deacon Thomas F. Mullins Jr. '79, mother of Thomas F. Mullins 3rd, Kevin M. Mullins, Deborah A.(Mullins) Sabo
Diane E. Connelly, daughter of Deacon Milton and Mrs.(Rita) Connelly '76
Mary T. Gaffney, mother of Deacon Francis M. Gaffney '88.
Anna Raffa, mother of Anna Kasenenko, '90
At the Deacons' Day of Prayer, Cardinal Law requested prayers for Deacon Fredric Guarente, '90 who is seriously ill.
Coordinator of Publication: Sister Clare O'Keefe
Editors: Charles A. Cornell, Carolyn S. O' Neil, Richard F. Radford, Gerald P. Ryan
Members of the Diaconate Community are encouraged to submit ideas, articles, photography that might be of interest to the Community. The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue of Diaconia is February 1, 1996.