One of the newly ordained, Deacon Jason Schalow, dropped me a note to alert me to the ordination by Archbishop Jose Gomez last weekend—and point me to this storyfrom The Tidings, which has profiles of the “deacon couples.”
As the story notes:
Those to be ordained and their wives have undergone a five-year period of formation in preparation for ministry in their parishes. The formation process integrates academic, pastoral and spiritual dimensions towards forming deacons and their wives in ministries of Word, liturgy and charity. The June 8 ordination will bring to nearly 400 the number of deacons serving in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The first class of 25 deacons for the archdiocese was ordained in 1975 by Cardinal Timothy Manning, seven years after the permanent diaconate was restored as a sacred order by Pope Paul VI.
Deacon Jason, meantime, also become another Blogging Deacon. His blog:Grace and Dirty Feet. Check it out.
Finally, below is Archbishop Gomez’s homily from the ordination, with some wise and beautiful words every deacon should hear.
Congratulations and welcome, brothers! Ad multos annos!
And today we celebrate...