May 31, 2009

Dear friends in life and in ministry . . .

Yesterday was a wonderful day. The sun shown brightly, Patty and on were busy but relaxed, and my friend and parishioner Bob Colomaio was among six men ordained as permanent deacons. Patty and I spent Friday night in Rochester so we could attend the ordination on Saturday morning. Bob had asked me to vest him in the diaconal dalmatic and stole soon after Bishop Clark had ordained him through the act of placing his hands on his head and praying over him. Congratulations to Deacon Bob, his spouse Pam and daughters Mary Catherine and Theresa. Congratulations also to Deacon Tom Behe, Deacon Jim Carra, Deacon Dennis Donahue, Deacon David Squilla and Deacon Craig Stratton all of whom were ordained on Saturday.

This morning our community celebrated the Feast of Pentecost and Bob's first M ass and homily as a deacon. Fr. Jim Jaeger, our parish priest presided. Deacon Dave LaFortune who has been assigned by Bishop Clark to become pastoral administrator of St. Mary's when I retire in July and I served at the altar. Following Mass, the parish celebrated with a Pancake Breakfast in Deacon Bob's honor. It was a great day.

It will likely not be surprising to you that my mind has started a countdown to my retirement. My parish is planning a retirement party on Saturday evening June 13 from 5 - 8 p.m. at our O'Malley Hall. (An earlier email invitation I sent to you did not include the date.) My final Mass at St. Mary's will be at 9 a.m. on June 21 followed by the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Gabriel's in Hammondsport. If you are in the neighborhood on either of these occasions, I hope you will attend.

Have a very good Pentecost week. Happy birthday to my son Chris whose birthday was Saturday and to the Church which celebrates its birthday on Pentecost.

Notes by Deacon Ray Defendorf for May 31, 2009 - Pentecost Sunday

Congratulations Deacon Bob and Pam Colomaio!
Bishop Clark Ordains St. Mary's Parishioner to the Permanent Diaconate At a 10 a.m. Mass on Saturday morning at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, Bishop Matthew H. Clark ordained six men to the permanent diaconate. One of the newly ordained is our own Robert “Bob” Colomaio. Bob’s ordination followed four years of theological and pastoral studies at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry and pastoral internships at Our Lady of the Valley Parish and St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell and Catholic Charities of Steuben County.

Unlike priests whose primary ministry is to preside at the Eucharist and other sacraments, or bishops who are assigned by the Church universal to serve as the pastoral, administrative and teaching shepherd of a diocesan Church, deacons are primarily ministers of Word and Service. As such deacons proclaim the Gospel and preach the Word at Mass and proclaim Christ’s mandate of service to the poor, the estranged and those who seek justice through lives dedicated to Christian Service. Permanent deacons vow obedience to their Bishop who assigns them to a particular ministry. Typically this ministry also includes liturgical service to a parish, but first and foremost, diaconal ministry is oriented toward continuing Christ’s care for there brothers and sisters in need.

Although some deacons receive their bishop’s permission to enter full or part time paid ministry within the Church, most permanent deacons donate ten to twelve hours per week to Church ministry without pay. Bob, who serves as Director of Peace and Justice at Catholic Charities of Steuben County and also works part time as a speech therapist at Elcor skilled nursing facility, will be assigned by Bishop Clark to additional non-paid diaconal service in a parish or other ministry.

Diaconal assignments will likely be made by mid June or early July. Rarely are permanent deacons assigned to their own home parish, but that decision rests with the local bishop acting with the guidance of the Deacon Personnel Board.

Since most deacons are married at the time of their ordination, the spouse and family remain the deacon’s primary responsibility and ministry. Pam, Mary Catherine and Theresa have accepted Bob’s call to diaconal ordination and have been extremely supportive of him as he worked to earn a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies from St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry which included weekly trips to Rochester and Watkins Glen for classes and hundreds of hours spent in diaconal formation over the past four years.

The Permanent Diaconate

An Ancient Ministry of Service Restored for Today's Church
This is a very big weekend for our parish, our diocese and one parish family in particular. On Saturday morning at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bishop Matthew Clark ordained six men including our own Bob Colomaio as permanent deacons. While we’ve set aside prime space on the cover of this bulletin for some pertinent information about the call to diaconal service Bob has answered with the support of his spouse Pam, his daughters Mary Catherine and Theresa and hopefully our parish community, I’ll use this space to refresh your memory about the history of this very old, yet only recently reestablished ordained ministry.

Deacons in the Early Church
Deacons are ordained ministers, as priests and bishops are. From the very earliest days of the church they were understood to occupy a special place in the Christian Community, set apart along with the presbyters (bishops and priests) for a special role modeled on that of Christ himself.

The origin of the diaconate is recorded in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. A dispute had arisen in the church of Jerusalem between Greek – speaking and Aramaic – speaking Christians. The Greeks complained that some of their poor weren’t getting a fair share of the goods which the Christian community divided among people in need of help. When the argument came to the attention of the Apostles, the leaders of the community, they declined to become directly involved, explaining: "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables." Instead they told people to select for this charitable work seven upstanding men "acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent". The seven candidates were presented to he apostles, who "prayed over them and then imposed hands on them".

Among these first deacons was Stephen, "a man filled with grace and power",
who for his courage in proclaiming the Good News of Christ soon became the
first Christian martyr (cf. Acts 6-7).

The title ‘Deacon’ comes from a Greek word – diakonos – which means a servant or helper. But to the Apostles, deacons soon became helpers in more than a material sense – "not servants of food and drink, but ministers of the Church of God". As St. Ignatius of Antioch put it around 100 A.D., the deacon’s task was nothing less than to continue "the ministry of Jesus Christ".

In a special way deacons were considered to be ‘helpers’ of the bishop. Deacons often rendered assistance – on the bishop’s behalf – to the poor and needy of the community.

Unfortunately, in time, the very meaning and purpose of the three orders came to be organized in a new way. One’s role in the Eucharist came to be the factor which governed one’s place within the church. Deacons came to be assistants of priests, as they were of bishops, and primarily at the altar. Greater emphasis came to be placed on the liturgical role of deacons, at the expense of the ministry of the word and the ministry of charity. By the fifth century, it seems, most deacons did little except perform minor functions. Eventually the diaconate became little more than a step leading to priesthood and by the mid twentieth century few people imagined that it had ever been any different.

The Restoration of the Diaconate
The Documents of Vatican II called for the restoration of the Diaconate as a distinct order within the Church. The Council’s principal statement on the restoration of the permanent diaconate appears in the Constitution on the Church.

"Deacons…..receive the imposition of hands not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service." For, strengthened by sacramental grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service of the liturgy, of the Gospel and of works of charity.

Following the Council, Pope Paul VI gave specific directives for implementing the restoration of the diaconate in an apostolic letter (Diaconatus Ordinem) published in 1967 and followed this up with further "norms" in 1972. These are still the basis of the Church’s current practice and policy regarding the Permanent Diaconate.

Restoration of the Diaconate in the Diocese of Rochester
In our Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate was requested by Bishop Joseph Hogan in his 1976 pastoral letter – “Living Stones”. Shortly after the letter was published, Bishop Hogan established a committee of priests and lay people to explore the establishment of a permanent diaconate to serve the Diocese. He appointed Bishop Dennis Hickey to Chair this committee.

By 1978, the first class of permanent deacon candidates had begun a period of study and formation at St. Bernard’s Seminary. Two years later, as St. Bernard’s Seminary closed, formation programs were moved to St. Bernard’s Institute (now St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry). The first class of Permanent Deacons was ordained for the Diocese of Rochester by Bishop Matthew H. Clark on April 17, 1982. I was blessed to be a member of this first ordination class.

Because we know well the great blessings and profound personal sacrifices that Bob and Pam will experience through their diaconal ministry, Pat and I ask that you include them in your daily prayer and support them in both their family life and diaconal ministry.
_______________________

Thanks to Fr. Andrew Sioletti and all who held down the fort last weekend
while both Fr. Jim and I were away.

_______________________

Have a good week. Serve one another well!

Deacon Ray

Lands of the Bible Cruise

On November 11, 2009, you are invited to join Deacon Ray and Pat Defendorf and pastoral leaders from throughout the Diocese on a twelve-day Cruise to the “Lands of the Bible”.

Our itinerary includes an over-night flight to Athens where we will visit the Acropolis and the biblical city of Corinth before boarding the mv Cristal, a new 471 passenger cruise ship. We’ll dock at Port Said for a visit to Cairo (the Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids at Giza) then on to the port of Ashod in Israel. For two days we’ll visit sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem returning to the ship each evening for dinner and overnight.

Our next port is Haifa where we’ll disembark to tour the Galilee with stops at the Mount of the Beatitudes, Tabgha (the site of the miracle of the loaves and fish), a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and renew our baptismal vows at the Jordan River.

After a day at sea we’ll visit the Isle of Patmos where John wrote Revelations and then to Ephesus, Turkey where St. Paul established a Christian community on his first missionary journey. After a visit to Piraeus we’ll return to Athens for our return trip home.

The price of this journey of a lifetime(including roundtrip airfare, chartered cruise ship, guided shore excursions, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner while aboard ship, study guide, entrance fees and deluxe motorcoaches), starts at $2398 plus taxes, tips and fees.

Follow this link to download our itinerary:
http://www.deaconray.com/travel.htm

This cruise is expected to sell out so early reservations are very important. For more information and a brochure, please contact me by email or phone (607-426-1100).

Serve one another well!

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