The Messenger, the newspaper for the Diocese of Belleville, has a special issue this week devoted to the diaconate. Check it out. It includes this helpful profile of one deacon’s wife:
Deacons live busy lives, working at jobs to secure their financial stability or in retirement to take on other roles, but always in the public eye. Most deacons enter their lives of ministry as one half of a married couple, with their lives of service shared by those closest to them — their wives. While they do not seek to be recognized, they play important roles as part of the couple, both emotionally and intellectually. Diane Lanter has been part of a deacon couple since 1997 when her husband was ordained April 19, 1997. She pointed out that the 1997 diaconate class will have been ordained 19 years on April 19 this year. And their road to the diaconate began more than five years earlier with the then-required ministry formation program with the late Irene Dill and Msgr. James Margason. In all, the Lanters spent seven years preparing to begin their respective roles in the diaconate. Diane went to almost all of the classes even though their youngest child was only 5 years old. With four children that often required a parent in attendance at sports games or academic recognitions, Diane represented the parents. However, even before talking about the diaconate, the couple had been involved in Marriage Encounter and had attended national conventions. …Her most difficult time, she said, was when their daughter, Monica was married. While Deacon Robert Lanter witnessed the marriage and played a significant role in the wedding, Diane was “sitting in the pew alone.” As part of an active and loving couple, so involved in ministering together, this was one time when she felt alone. However, the joy and fulfillment of the many other ministry opportunities continue to fulfill Diane’s life. She and her husband attend national conferences, listening and learning as they go. “The more I know, the more I can help” others she said. “We complement each other in the way we listen or learn at the conferences. We’re in this together.”
Photo: The Messenger
And today we celebrate...