Seventeen Permanent Deacons Ordained
By Amanda Hudson, News Editor
October 6, 2022
ROCKFORD—The Cathedral of St. Peter was packed for the Rite of Ordination of Deacons on Sept. 24 as 17 men were ordained permanent deacons for the Diocese of Rockford.
The men, seated in rows on either side of Bishop David Malloy, were individually named and presented to the bishop who accepted them for the Order of the Diaconate before giving his homily.
In his homily, Bishop Malloy noted the morning was a certain foretaste of heaven.
He thanked the candidates and congratulated them for completing the years of formation, then thanked their relatives, particularly their wives for their support of their husbands.
“We should have a certain feeling of timelessness in what is going to happen here today,’ Bishop Malloy said. “We and you are one with those who have gone before us, as well as those who will come after us.”
He noted the obligations taken on some 4,000 years ago in the first reading from the Old Testament, for the chosen men to assist the priests and “serve the tent” taking care of the meeting tent, sacred to God and to man. They were dedicated and holy and set aside, the bishop said.
“You are assisting the priest, the bishop and the Church,” he said, “You are today … dedicated to God in a special way.”
The same kind of service was found in the second reading, some 2,000 years later.
“Those holy and reputable men then had hands laid upon them,” Bishop Malloy said. “They were to free the apostles for prayer and for preaching. That is a deep service … we must recognize how it fits into the life and calling of the Church … (In the Gospel) Christ offers himself as the example … He has come not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life ...
“Brothers you must love the Catholic Church … as it is the Body of Christ … What we do today is important. It is a great contribution to the Church. Receive this gift well. Pray much … how important is your support, your spiritual support … May God give all of you His grace and help,” he said, adding, “May God bless you in every act of service that you now take on as part of the diaconate.”
Those ordained to the Permanent Diaconate that day were: Noel Fajardo Benitez; Robert Wayne Buerer; Gabriel Castellanos; David Charles Dollman; Mel Gutiérrez Gaytán; Shawn Milton Glanville; Steven Ronald Jolly; Kenneth Stephen McLaughlin, Jr.; Kevin Michael Nestor; Enrique del Carmen Nolasco; Christopher Bradley Olson; Christopher Michael Ragsdale; Paul Anthony Sanderson, OCDS; Michael James Schneck; Dean Edward Schroeder; Rafael Villagomez, Jr.; and Michael Bernt Winger.
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