Volume XVII
Number 2
May 1997

The View From The Pew

Jim Orcutt is Founder and Director of My Brother's Keeper in Brockton, MA, a program that provides furnishings and support for formerly homeless families.

In the Catholic Church in which I grew up, there were no permanent deacons. Prior to Vatican II, in the 1960's, opportunities for laymen, married or single, to actively participate in the Mass or other sacraments were limited. Then in 1976 the first class of permanent deacons were ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston. If there is a definite constant in our Catholic Church it has to be that change is accepted slowly. I remember that the first time I saw a deacon on the altar, he didn't read the Gospel or give the homily. I thought he was simply an adult altar server. I also have memories in the early days of the renewed Diaconate, of people deliberately changing lines while going to communion so that they could receive from the priest rather than the deacon.

Now, in 1997, things have changed dramatically for the better, for deacons and the congregations that they serve. Many of my personal friends have already been ordained permanent deacons or are in the formation process. The many gifts that they bring to our church are now recognized and deeply appreciated by clergy and people in the pews. The homilies of married deacons reflect not only their own thinking, but the influence and wisdom of their wives, for as we are told in Genesis, "the two shall become one." These dedicated men share the word of God, as they live it out as husbands and fathers. Additionally this new wealth of the church, our deacons, not only serve in parishes; they bring Christ to his people by serving in shelters, halfway houses, hospitals, prisons and a multitude of other service projects. I took the time to look up the word deacon in my thesaurus and it gave the definition, "a person ordained for service in a Christian Church". I was inspired to look up the word " ordained" and found the definition to be "fated as if by destiny." Perhaps that's simply another way of saying "called by God." In any event, I'm glad that our deacons answered the call because their presence definitely helps us to be a better church, one that is more in touch with itself, the people.

Jim Orcutt

From the Director's Desk

If an ordinary picture is worth a thousand words then a beautifully crafted stained glass window could be valued in the millions.

To be sure, there have been countless words written attempting to define a deacon , but nothing captures the essence of diaconia better than a three section, seven foot high stained glass depiction of St. Lawrence in the parish bearing his name in Chestnut Hill.

Lawrence is shown in a regal dalmatic with a very bright halo surrounding his head. Interestingly, he is not posed ceremoniously beside a bishop or a priest and he is not even in church ! St. Lawrence, the fully vested deacon, is represented distributing loaves of bread to several poor hungry families out in the street.

Liturgically, deacons perform a very necessary role. The fullness of Holy Orders is made manifest when bishop, priest and deacon are all present at liturgies. The deacon's proclamation of the Gospel, preaching and assistance at the altar are wonderful public signs for all to see. However, the essence of diaconia resides in service. In the marketplace, in shelters, in prisons, in hospital rooms as well as in boardrooms, courts of law, school classrooms and rectories deacons are quietly about the ministry of service. This year is 100^th anniversary of St. Lawrence Parish so it is a wonderful time to come by and see the beautiful stained glass artwork that provides a window to the diaconate.

Leo Donoghue '92

Paso del Ecuador!

For sailors who traveled the trade routes between Europe and South America, "Passing of the Equator" was a time of celebration which took place as they crossed the line dividing the Northern and Southern hemispheres. From this time-honored custom, a tradition has grown at Spanish Universities called "Paso del Ecuador" which marks the moment the students reach the middle point of the period of years they need for obtaining an M. A. degree.

This past January, the Spanish Class of the Permanent Diaconate "passed the Equator." They have reached the midpoint in their theological studies as they prepare for ordination.

Eight candidates began classes; five of them have reached this middle point. The youngest of the five candidates who have reached this milestone is Marcio O. Fonseca, 34, born in Honduras, and his wife Roxana. Pablo Morel, 41, was born in the Dominican Republic and currently lives in Lynn with his wife Altagracia. Francisco Quiles, 62, is the only Puerto Rican of the group He and his wife, Araminda are from Roslindale. Pedro Pablo Rodrigues, 55, was born in Brasil. Stan Straub, 41, is a native New Englander. Pedro and Stan are single.

I want to express my admiration for the dedication and courage of all the men who come forward to face the rigor of this program. Many of them have to overcome serious obstacles in order to succeed. For some, one of these obstacles is overcoming weak educational backgrounds which make it difficult to grasp the abstract and philosophical content of the courses. Frequently, an even greater obstacle is having to provide for the needs of their families with the earnings from an unskilled job. In many cases they must work a second job in order to meet their financial obligations. This often makes it impossible for them to give the time and energy needed to complete the program

Rev. Jose Corral, S.J.,
Associate Director for Hispanic Deacons

3 Down, 1 to Go (Hopefully)!

Our third year is almost finished and it's been a long one. I remember our friends in the Class of '96 warning us about the 3rd year-- eight different courses to complete and then right into a summer of ministry training at a hospital or prison. As we near the end of classes I can sense that all of us are a bit tired. The classes have been excellent and challenging for us. Our class of ten has bonded into a very close family-- a family that loves a lively discussion on almost any topic that comes up in class! The result has been a year of stretching our faith and broadening our understanding.

Fr. Bob Sadowski and Fr. Paul Ritt helped us to recognize that God and the Church are always bigger than we think. I have come to see how easy it is for us to think we understand such deep mysteries, and how critical it is to always be open to other people's experiences of God rather than just seeing our own. The Church is so much more than we realize and it is big enough to include all God's people.

We have also grown in our understanding of the charism of the deacon-- the charism of service to the poor, the oppressed and the broken. But this charism is not just about our service to others; we must also find ways to enable others to serve. Our liturgical role feeds our charism and is a sign which calls others to serve. Fr. Ron Gariboldi has helped clarify this call for us in our Pastoral Theology courses. The need for help in our parishes is acute and how easily we can be drawn to try to fill all these needs! But I am beginning to realize that there will be times when we are called to say "no." We cannot center our ministry only on our liturgical role and ignore the deacon's call to care for the widows, feed the hungry, visit the sick, to be Christ's presence to the poor and forgotten. Nor can we set aside the needs of our own families. It will require a great deal of integration!

For me this year has been one of deep discernment. As we progress farther into the program, the serious reality of the call to ordination grows larger. Questions emerge which must be addressed: Am I truly called to this ministry? What will the impact be on my family? Will I have time for marriage, fatherhood, ministry and work? Is it really possible to juggle these vocations properly and prayerfully? The support of an outstanding spiritual director has been an incredible blessing as I reflect on such questions. And I have come to appreciate the importance of spiritual direction and realize it must be a priority in my faith journey.

As we complete the final few weeks of classes I am looking forward to the experience of field ministry. I know that this summer experience will be one in which God speaks to me and helps me to discern His call. How wonderful it has been to share so many hours with my classmates and their families. God's call is clear in many ways-- to stretch and grow, to live and love, to listen and follow, to change and trust. None of these allows a passive response. So I ask all of you to pray for our class as we enter our final year, that we can stand up and say: "Here I am Lord; lead and I will follow, wherever your path may lead."

Dan Burns, '98.

Deacon Leo DeCoste Receives Award

The management at Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain recently conferred a BRAVO award on Deacon Leo DeCoste, Coordinator of Catholic Pastoral Services at the hospital, for actions above and beyond job responsibilities. Leo was cited for his assistance in the emergency room when an elderly woman was dead on arrival accompanied by her mentally retarded daughter. Leo was involved in sharing the news with her, providing emotional and spiritual support and arranging for her immediate need with her Episcopal church.

Vocations

The kick-off meeting for Vocation Facilitators was held Tuesday, March 4, 1997 at the Pastoral Institute coordinated by Deacon Richard Rocha. The regional Facilitators are :

Please pray for vocations and invite men who in your judgment have the makings of a good deacon to discern a possible vocation. While gathering some statistical data recently, it became apparent that by the year 2002, thirty more deacons will have reached the mandatory retirement age. The need to send laborers into the vineyard is great.

Deacon Assembly - May 28, 1997

Note: This Deacon Assembly has been posponed indefinitely but please read Dic Radford's reflection below.

Deacons and their wives are cordially invited to St. John's Seminary in Brighton, at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 1997 for the Deacon Assembly with Cardinal Law. In the midst of busy diaconal ministries, it is important for deacons to keep plugged into the source of those ministries: their Archbishop, Cardinal Law. Below, Deacon Richard Radford, '88 shares some of his reflections from Cardinal Law's day of prayer with his deacons in January 1996; hopefully they will inspire all deacons to attend the May assembly.

Reflecting on the gospels of Matthew and John, the Cardinal invoked the words of Christ, "whose heralds" deacons are, to "fear not"' and "be not afraid". His main theme was that deacons be not afraid: to believe, to be holy, and to witness their faith to the world.

Discussing the diaconal faculty of preaching, Cardinal Law stressed the importance of humility, and the necessity for deacons to be convinced of the Good News before they can convince their congregations. A deacon cannot successfully urge people to pray if the request does not spring from a rich personal prayer life, or to visit the sick if he does not. This example evokes the phrase from the Rite of Ordination of Deacons: "You must hold to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience and express in your deeds and actions what you proclaim by word of mouth."

For the strength and grace to carry all this off, the Cardinal exhorted deacons to lead lives of prayer, including daily Eucharist if possible, to pray the liturgy of the hours, and to partake of the benefits of spiritual direction. He further entreated the deacons to seek frequent reconciliation.

Holy Land Trip

A special Pilgrimage, Sunday, February 15, 1998 to Tuesday February. 24, 1998 (Traditional school vacation week ) The Diaconate office is sponsoring this ten day trip to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee and much, much more. Call the Diaconate Office for more information. Please join us.

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