This morning I met with my Deacon Mentor, Deacon Jim. We got together for coffee and ended up chatting for 2 hours. It was a great conversation that touched on various topics associated with this Aspirancy year and Formation years to follow. Through the course of the conversation I got a good sense that I was speaking with someone who is a lot like me, background, as well as current life commitments. I think it will be very beneficial to have a mentor who is not retired and is still dealing with the daily aspects of working and serving as a deacon.
I've made arrangement to meet with a priest from a nearby parish to be my spiritual director. Unlike the Deacon Mentor who is assigned by the Formation Team, selection of a spiritual director is up to both the priest and the Aspirant. They both have to be comfortable with each other. The priest I'm meeting is someone with whom I am familiar as he celebrated Mass a few times at the former St. Colman. More on that meeting later.
Peace,
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Aspirancy Retreat
Aspirant Retreat, another early milestone in Formation where Juanita and I spent the weekend at Capuchin Retreat in Washington, MI with 10 other Aspirant couples. As Juanita and I learned this weekend, technically I am not in Formation at this time. This first year, as an Aspirant, I am going through a structured discernment. Formation is for Candidates and begins the second year.
We are encouraged now to begin saying Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. This is required of deacons. During the first several Aspirancy Saturdays, the second Saturday of the month, the Formation Team will be helping us learn how to say these prayers - using the Brievary, and not an electronic version. Having been saying these prayers more or less since 2011, I certainly understand the need for instructions on how to flip between various sections. Feasts for saints can quickly become an exercise in ribbon management! More on that another time.
We are were also instructed to end any ministry work we perform with our respective parishes. I alluded to this in an earlier entry. Part of the reasoning for this is associated with time management. With the start of mandatory Saturday meetings and two classes a semester at the seminary, the workload, particularly for someone who is not retired, can be overwhelming. Add to that meeting with a spiritual director monthly, and meetings with a Deacon Mentor at least every quarter, you'd be hard pressed to have time to properly prepare and fulfill other ministry roles.
Friday evening was primarily check-in, welcoming and introductions, followed by some short presentations covering the history and renewal of the diaconate. Check-in was interesting in that we were given a room number, no room key. We went to our room pondering why there were no room keys. But then it clicks. We are at a spiritual retreat center, where you would hope we were all obeying the 7th Commandment.
The room was quite simple, two single beds, each with a plain night stand, and a small desk in the corner. The bathroom was equally simple, with a sink, toilet, and shower stall that was no larger than the old phone booths. There was no phone, no television, no distractions.
Saturday was a full day, beginning with Morning Prayer at 7:30, wrapping up at 9:00 that evening with social time. There were four presentations through the day, followed by Mass, dinner and a fifth presentation. There was a period of reflection after the first four presentations during which we were encouraged to go out onto the grounds of the retreat center and spend some quiet time meditating on what was covered in the presentation.
Sunday we received our Aspirancy Handbook and viewed a presentation that covered the materials within the handbook. We were given a list of priests as prospective spiritual directors with instructions to have arranged to have a spiritual director by November. We were also told that we would be assigned a Deacon Mentor, with whom we should meet quarterly. Meetings with our spiritual directors are confidential, while meetings with our mentors are less so. The mentors will be asked to provide an assessment of the presence of a vocation and our readiness for Candidacy and formation.
The retreat concluded with the commissioning of all the Aspirants, and a reminder of our first Aspirancy Saturday on September 14th, where, with our wives, are to give a 15 minute presentation about ourselves.
All-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend. We met equally wonderful and spirit-filled couples, both within our group of Aspirants, as well as Candidates and their wives. And not to sound like we are rushing things, but we are looking forward to our next couple's retreat in January.
Peace,
We are encouraged now to begin saying Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. This is required of deacons. During the first several Aspirancy Saturdays, the second Saturday of the month, the Formation Team will be helping us learn how to say these prayers - using the Brievary, and not an electronic version. Having been saying these prayers more or less since 2011, I certainly understand the need for instructions on how to flip between various sections. Feasts for saints can quickly become an exercise in ribbon management! More on that another time.
We are were also instructed to end any ministry work we perform with our respective parishes. I alluded to this in an earlier entry. Part of the reasoning for this is associated with time management. With the start of mandatory Saturday meetings and two classes a semester at the seminary, the workload, particularly for someone who is not retired, can be overwhelming. Add to that meeting with a spiritual director monthly, and meetings with a Deacon Mentor at least every quarter, you'd be hard pressed to have time to properly prepare and fulfill other ministry roles.
Friday evening was primarily check-in, welcoming and introductions, followed by some short presentations covering the history and renewal of the diaconate. Check-in was interesting in that we were given a room number, no room key. We went to our room pondering why there were no room keys. But then it clicks. We are at a spiritual retreat center, where you would hope we were all obeying the 7th Commandment.
The room was quite simple, two single beds, each with a plain night stand, and a small desk in the corner. The bathroom was equally simple, with a sink, toilet, and shower stall that was no larger than the old phone booths. There was no phone, no television, no distractions.
Saturday was a full day, beginning with Morning Prayer at 7:30, wrapping up at 9:00 that evening with social time. There were four presentations through the day, followed by Mass, dinner and a fifth presentation. There was a period of reflection after the first four presentations during which we were encouraged to go out onto the grounds of the retreat center and spend some quiet time meditating on what was covered in the presentation.
Sunday we received our Aspirancy Handbook and viewed a presentation that covered the materials within the handbook. We were given a list of priests as prospective spiritual directors with instructions to have arranged to have a spiritual director by November. We were also told that we would be assigned a Deacon Mentor, with whom we should meet quarterly. Meetings with our spiritual directors are confidential, while meetings with our mentors are less so. The mentors will be asked to provide an assessment of the presence of a vocation and our readiness for Candidacy and formation.
The retreat concluded with the commissioning of all the Aspirants, and a reminder of our first Aspirancy Saturday on September 14th, where, with our wives, are to give a 15 minute presentation about ourselves.
All-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend. We met equally wonderful and spirit-filled couples, both within our group of Aspirants, as well as Candidates and their wives. And not to sound like we are rushing things, but we are looking forward to our next couple's retreat in January.
Peace,
Sunday, July 14, 2013
One Call to Serve Comes to an End to Prepare for Another
Two years ago during an information meeting regarding the Permanent Diaconate Juanita and I learned that a candidate in the formation program is required to cease all ministry work within their parish. They are not to continue to serve on any councils, to serve as a lector, an usher, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, etc., The reason for this is to allow the candidate to focus their mind and efforts on formation. I suspect that this aspect of formation will be covered in an upcoming Apirancy Retreat and Orientation. With that in mind, today could have be my last time serving as a Reader for a while.
This "restriction" seems counter intuitive, considering a main aspect about being a deacon is serving, but I am certain there are good reasons for this. In the meantime, Juanita and I will join the other members of St. Fabian and celebrate the Eucharist.
In further preparation for our upcoming retreat and orientation, which runs from a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, Juanita and I visited a number of dog boarding facilities. We are having to deal with boarding our 7 year old Chocolate Lab, Deacon, for the first time in many years. Juanita is rightfully particular about where Deacon will stay because she spends a tremendous amount of time and energy keeping his allergies under control. This includes preventing skin infections by giving Deacon weekly baths and allergy shots. It can be a thankless job until someone tells her how beautiful Deacon's coat is, or that they would be hard pressed to tell he had allergies.
As for the Formation Program itself, here is some information provided by the Archdiocese of Detroit. As noted in an earlier post, I have been accepted into the aspirancy year of formation.
This "restriction" seems counter intuitive, considering a main aspect about being a deacon is serving, but I am certain there are good reasons for this. In the meantime, Juanita and I will join the other members of St. Fabian and celebrate the Eucharist.
In further preparation for our upcoming retreat and orientation, which runs from a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, Juanita and I visited a number of dog boarding facilities. We are having to deal with boarding our 7 year old Chocolate Lab, Deacon, for the first time in many years. Juanita is rightfully particular about where Deacon will stay because she spends a tremendous amount of time and energy keeping his allergies under control. This includes preventing skin infections by giving Deacon weekly baths and allergy shots. It can be a thankless job until someone tells her how beautiful Deacon's coat is, or that they would be hard pressed to tell he had allergies.
As for the Formation Program itself, here is some information provided by the Archdiocese of Detroit. As noted in an earlier post, I have been accepted into the aspirancy year of formation.
Admission into formation occurs through two distinct but unified processes: Acceptance into the aspirant path and admittance into the candidate path in diaconal formation. With the acceptance of the applicant into aspirant formation, the admission process continues with an assessment of readiness for entrance into the candidate path in formation. This phase of discernment extends throughout the entire aspirant formation process, thereby allowing ample opportunity for personal observations, dialog, interview, and additional assessment of each aspirant.
The path to ordination is a four year process where the expectation to complete the aspirant path is one (1) year and the expectation to complete the candidate path is three (3) years. In addition to academic studies, the formation program is composed of a variety of components: Formation Days, Field Ministry, Retreats, Spiritual Direction, Mentoring, and participation in a variety of Archdiocesan functions. All are essential in the formation of the whole individual and as such, active participation is mandatory. (Archdiocese of Detroit Office of the Permanent Diaconate "The Discernment of the Call, An Inquirer's Guide for Men Discerning the Call to the Permanent Diaconate, p. 25)
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Acceptance
Nearly 30 years ago I received acceptance to my first vocation as a husband when I asked Juanita to marry me and she said "Yes!" Our year-long engagement helped us prepare not only for the wedding, but more importantly, life together as husband and wife. It would be foolish to say that our lengthy engagement (it certainly seemed lengthy at the time) prepared us for everything a married couple might face together, but in retrospect, it was time well spent.
Yesterday, I received a "Yes" to a possible second vocation, that of a Permanent Deacon. Technically, as the letter from the Office for Clergy and Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of Detroit states, I "have been accepted into the Aspirancy year of formation for the Permanent Diaconate."
To say this "Yes" is a bit more formal than Juanita's "Yes" to my proposal for marriage would be an understatement. Regardless, similar to Juanita's acceptance, this acceptance starts what could be a four-year engagement. God willing, the engagement would culminate in a Sacrament similar to the Sacrament of Marriage, that being the Sacrament of Holy Orders - Ordination as a Permanent Deacon.
While in the end I alone (in a manner of speaking) would receive this Sacrament, because of the magnitude of this commitment, the engagement - formation program - will involve both Juanita and I. A weekend retreat and orientation with other Aspirants and their wives early next month kicks things off. Now, in addition to the Intellectual Formation that started with the prerequisite classes I have been taking at Sacred Heart, Spiritual, Human, and Pastoral Formation will begin.
I would be remiss to not include a few "Thank you's" in this transitional phase from the Application process to Formation. To Jan, Dan, and Jim for their letters of recommendation - thank you. Likewise, thank you to the late Fr. Norbert and Fr. Jeff for their pastoral support. Thank you as well to Deacon Jene for helping to get the application ball rolling again last December when Juanita told me to follow my heart. To my parents, Jim and Sandy, for all they have done throughout my life, leading me to this moment. Finally, to Juanita, who has been by my side, and was instrumental in helping me hear and act on this calling. I thank God that you are in my life. Without all of your involvement, prayers and doing God's will, this would not be possible.
To wrap up this post, as a prayer for Juanita and I, I would like to paraphrase the closing included in the acceptance letter. I would humbly ask readers of this blog periodically say this prayer for us as well.
"May God's Spirit be with us as we begin this journey in His service. May His Spirit give us the knowledge, wisdom, and discernment that we will need to come to know His will for us. Amen."
Peace,
Yesterday, I received a "Yes" to a possible second vocation, that of a Permanent Deacon. Technically, as the letter from the Office for Clergy and Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of Detroit states, I "have been accepted into the Aspirancy year of formation for the Permanent Diaconate."
To say this "Yes" is a bit more formal than Juanita's "Yes" to my proposal for marriage would be an understatement. Regardless, similar to Juanita's acceptance, this acceptance starts what could be a four-year engagement. God willing, the engagement would culminate in a Sacrament similar to the Sacrament of Marriage, that being the Sacrament of Holy Orders - Ordination as a Permanent Deacon.
While in the end I alone (in a manner of speaking) would receive this Sacrament, because of the magnitude of this commitment, the engagement - formation program - will involve both Juanita and I. A weekend retreat and orientation with other Aspirants and their wives early next month kicks things off. Now, in addition to the Intellectual Formation that started with the prerequisite classes I have been taking at Sacred Heart, Spiritual, Human, and Pastoral Formation will begin.
I would be remiss to not include a few "Thank you's" in this transitional phase from the Application process to Formation. To Jan, Dan, and Jim for their letters of recommendation - thank you. Likewise, thank you to the late Fr. Norbert and Fr. Jeff for their pastoral support. Thank you as well to Deacon Jene for helping to get the application ball rolling again last December when Juanita told me to follow my heart. To my parents, Jim and Sandy, for all they have done throughout my life, leading me to this moment. Finally, to Juanita, who has been by my side, and was instrumental in helping me hear and act on this calling. I thank God that you are in my life. Without all of your involvement, prayers and doing God's will, this would not be possible.
To wrap up this post, as a prayer for Juanita and I, I would like to paraphrase the closing included in the acceptance letter. I would humbly ask readers of this blog periodically say this prayer for us as well.
"May God's Spirit be with us as we begin this journey in His service. May His Spirit give us the knowledge, wisdom, and discernment that we will need to come to know His will for us. Amen."
Peace,
Friday, March 29, 2013
Disapproval Does Not Equal Hate
A while back one of my best friends sent me a link to a poster that lists 24 logical fallacies (www.yourlogicalfallacyis.com). It is an interesting poster that states, "A logical fallacy is often what has happened when someone is wrong about something. It's a flaw in reasoning. Strong arguments are void of logical fallacies, whilst arguments that are weak tend to use logical fallacies to appear stronger than they are."
One of these logical fallacies is ad hominem attacks. This comes to mind whenever I hear or read all the claims of hatred, bigotry, and made-up phobias directed towards people who, because of their faith, disapprove of same sex marriages or unions. Disapproval or disagreeing do not equal hate, at least, I believe that is the case for most people.
To further this point recall God handed down His 10 Commandments. Our Father disapproves of our violating these Commandments. Yet, as the ultimate demonstration of disapproval not equaling hate we know, "God so loved the world he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16-17)
One of these logical fallacies is ad hominem attacks. This comes to mind whenever I hear or read all the claims of hatred, bigotry, and made-up phobias directed towards people who, because of their faith, disapprove of same sex marriages or unions. Disapproval or disagreeing do not equal hate, at least, I believe that is the case for most people.
To further this point recall God handed down His 10 Commandments. Our Father disapproves of our violating these Commandments. Yet, as the ultimate demonstration of disapproval not equaling hate we know, "God so loved the world he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16-17)
God did not water down his instructions to us so that we would not be separated from him because of our sins. Rather, He sent his only Son to die for us, that through our belief in him, we could be forgiven of our sins. Likewise, the Church does not waver on the truth when it teaches homosexual acts, "are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2357, p. 566).
Reflecting the love God showed all mankind through the sacrifice of his only Son, the Church tells us with regard to men and women who have these tendencies that, "They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." (CCC, 2358, p. 566)
I will continue to disapprove of the sin, but will continue to love the sinner. While this is not a popular position in our ever-secular society, and one that garners ad hominem attacks, I will take strength in the words of our Savior, "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me." (Mt 5:11)
Peace,
Reflecting the love God showed all mankind through the sacrifice of his only Son, the Church tells us with regard to men and women who have these tendencies that, "They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." (CCC, 2358, p. 566)
I will continue to disapprove of the sin, but will continue to love the sinner. While this is not a popular position in our ever-secular society, and one that garners ad hominem attacks, I will take strength in the words of our Savior, "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me." (Mt 5:11)
Peace,
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Blessed Virgin
This evening in my Intro to the Catholic Church class we were reviewing the section of Lumen Gentium covering Mary. Class was moving along at a regular pace, with a bit of dialog between the six students and our professor. After our break we started reviewing paragraph 60. The section addresses Mary's role as a mediator while stating unequivocally that Jesus is the one mediator of God. "In the words of the apostle there is but one mediator; 'for there is but one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all' (1 Tim. 2:5-6)" (LG 60).
Stepping into the shoes of one of my Protestant friends with whom I've enjoyed thought-provoking conversations over our respective Christian faiths, I asked "Why?" with regard to the last part of the paragraph, which reads:
I don't have the memory to be able to quote my classmates verbatim, but suffice it to say, what resonated with me was, just as God may use any believer in his plans to "mediate" between Him and other believers or non-believers, God also uses Mary. In other words, by my living out my faith in even the most seemingly mundane aspect of my life, I may knowingly, or unknowingly, help someone in their relationship with the Lord. It may be their initial exposure to someone following the will of God, or it may be just the something they needed to return to God after a loss of faith, or maybe something that further solidifies their faith.
Consider Mary's response to being told by an angle of the Lord that she was full of grace and would bear the Son of God, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to thy word" (Lk 1:38). If knowing of someone who surrendered themselves to the will of God helps foster, or mediates, a relationship with Christ for another, there isn't a greater example than Mary.
Peace,
Stepping into the shoes of one of my Protestant friends with whom I've enjoyed thought-provoking conversations over our respective Christian faiths, I asked "Why?" with regard to the last part of the paragraph, which reads:
But the Blessed Virgin's salutary influence on men originates not in any inner necessity but in the disposition of God. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. It does not hinder in any way the immediate union of the faithful with Christ but on the contrary fosters it (emphasis added).There are many reasons to venerate Mary, the Mother of God, but I was just not getting why she would or could foster my union with Christ if I already believed in her son. What is the point?
I don't have the memory to be able to quote my classmates verbatim, but suffice it to say, what resonated with me was, just as God may use any believer in his plans to "mediate" between Him and other believers or non-believers, God also uses Mary. In other words, by my living out my faith in even the most seemingly mundane aspect of my life, I may knowingly, or unknowingly, help someone in their relationship with the Lord. It may be their initial exposure to someone following the will of God, or it may be just the something they needed to return to God after a loss of faith, or maybe something that further solidifies their faith.
Consider Mary's response to being told by an angle of the Lord that she was full of grace and would bear the Son of God, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to thy word" (Lk 1:38). If knowing of someone who surrendered themselves to the will of God helps foster, or mediates, a relationship with Christ for another, there isn't a greater example than Mary.
Peace,
Monday, March 4, 2013
Application Process Update
We received a letter today from the Archdiocese of Detroit. After reviewing our application into the Formation Program for the Permanent Diaconate for Canonical issues, the Office of Clergy and Consecrated Life has informed us we are authorized to proceed with the next step of the application process, psychological exams for both Juanita and I. We are also to expect an in-house interview from a Diaconate Couple.
The letter closes by asking us to schedule the exams as soon as possible because they hope to notify everyone of their decision by the end of May or early June.
Peace,
The letter closes by asking us to schedule the exams as soon as possible because they hope to notify everyone of their decision by the end of May or early June.
Peace,
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