The big news, from The Pilot:
On a crisp, sunny, September morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley ordained 13 men as permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Boston. Deacons David A. Brooks, Christopher Z. Connelly, Paul David Coughlin, Joseph Bryere Guerrier, Geoffrey W. Higgins, Joseph J. Hopgood, Cheonil Kim, Paul Michael Kline, Howard C. League, Vincent James Leo, Timothy John Maher, Thomas L.P. O’Donnell Jr., and Kevin J. Winn received the sacrament of Holy Orders Sep. 17. All of the men ordained on Saturday are married and their occupations include an anesthesiologist, an air traffic controller, a grocery store clerk and health care interpreter, a mortgage banker, a software consultant, two professors, a retired civil engineer from the city of Boston, a director of religious education, and a high school campus minster and teacher. “In common, they have a very deep spiritual life, a very deep prayer life — they’re all centered on the Eucharist and that’s where the call came from,” said Deacon Dan Burns, director of formation for the Office of Permanent Diaconate. “They’re all very connected in their families and in their parishes,” he added. After the reading of the Gospel, the men were called by name and presented to Cardinal O’Malley, who asked if they were known to be worthy. Their worthiness affirmed by the presenter, the cardinal invoked the help of God and said that the men were chosen for the order of the diaconate. In his homily, Cardinal O’Malley gave a historical context of deacons in the Church, referring to the Acts of the Apostles. Beyond administrative duties, the first deacons soon started to preach, evangelize and baptize. The cardinal asked the men to commit themselves to prayer and said that “it is your interior life of friendship with the Lord that will allow you to be ministers of God’s people.” He remarked that the Gospels do not speak of “CEOs, managers, overlords, or the grand poohbah” — rather it highlights the servant. He said that in today’s world of political correctness, the word servant is avoided in favor of terms like domestic worker or household technician. “Never forget what deacon means; it means servant. High maintenance is an adjective that should never apply to a deacon. Love, humility, generosity, obedience are the virtues that must adorn your service as God’s deacons,” said Cardinal O’Malley.
Read the rest. Congratulations and welcome, brothers. Ad multos annos!
And today we celebrate...