March 20, 2008

By Anna Champion

Have you witnessed a miracle lately?

Miracles happen in the most unusual places and at the strangest times. The woman who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment was hoping to be healed. She was graced with a miracle that day. The beggar sitting outside the city gates who cried, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me" (Mt. 9:27) was hopeful that day. He wanted to be productive. He didn't want to continue to beg for his living and his very existence. That day centuries ago, he was the recipient of a miracle. The official who asked Jesus to help his daughter was also seeking something that day. He was yearning desperately for a miracle, for not only was his daughter sick, but she had died. His daughter was gifted with the miracle of a new life that day.

And on April 19, twenty-two men from the Diocese of Memphis will proceed into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Each will go boldly toward their ordination as a deacon for the diocese. They will lay themselves on the Cathedral floor as they are prayed over. They will kneel before Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. with their hands clasped and their heads bowed in reverence as the bishop lays hands on and anoints them. Twenty-two men will leave their respective homes early that Saturday morning knowing they are to be ordained. What they may not know is they will be on their way to a miracle. The people who gather with them to celebrate this very important event should forever remember the day and time for they will be witnesses to the beginning of 22 miracles.

Why describe their ordination as a miracle and not just a sacred church event? Because, it truly is more than that. These 22 men are not simply giving their lives over to the working of the Holy Spirit and the service of the Diocese of Memphis. These men are saying "yes" to the Lord, "Here I Am, Lord. Use me. Mold me. Shape me. Send me."

I'm sure there are naysayers screaming, "Get a grip _ it's just an ordination!" I beg to differ. The woman who reached out to simply touch the hem of Jesus' garment knew it was more than simply a tunic. The beggar who cried out knew he would be heard above the ear shattering din which must have been common at the city gate. And, the official knew this man could awake his daughter from the sleep of death. I know that the men who will be ordained on that next month will embrace miracle after miracle. By saying "Here I am, Lord" these new servants are accepting the miracle of lifelong commitment to service and obedience to the Word. They are accepting the realization of the miracle of living out daily Matthew 25:40. Lastly, they are standing firm as they become witnesses in the miracle of fearlessness in service to the Lord.

The miracle of lifelong commitment and obedience to the Word is not something all are willing to attest to before a packed church. The commitment to the Word is more than simply giving lip service to the words spoken during the rite. This commitment means believing those words in your heart and living out the call to service each and every day. It means, simply, giving your all to the service of the kingdom. Can you do this through your baptismal commitment? Of course you can, and we all should be living and doing all we can to advance the kingdom of God and service to God's people. But ordination as a deacon takes it just a step further. It means, I won't do this until something better comes along. This is not just some "phase" for me. Ordination is true commitment. For life. . . Forever. . .

A deacon's role is one of the most varied in the church. As a deacon's wife, I see the deacon's role as chief cook and bottle washer, preacher, teacher, shoulder to cry on, person to rant and rave to, marital knot tier, glorified maintenance man, bus driver, administrator, counselor, friend, etc. Not only do deacons serve just the parishioners of their individual churches, but through their ordination are called to reach out to help all who cross their path. They serve the faithful Catholic who is in church each Sunday. They serve that CME (Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter) Catholic. They serve that person who is not catholic, but simply in need and reaching out to the church for help and/or guidance. These wonderful men of God know this very simple fact, each time you look into a person's face, you are looking into the face of Christ. Each time you give comfort, you are giving comfort to Christ. These simple words have been ingrained into their very being, "for whatsoever you do for the least, you do for me."

And last, they are accepting the gift of fearlessness in service to the Lord. The deacons in the Diocese of Memphis and other dioceses are truly fearless as they serve as the human hands of Christ. Through their fearlessness, they reach out to people in other countries by accumulating medical supplies during the year and then carrying them to third world countries that do not have the needed medicines for their people. These fearless men of God, will open a soup kitchen with very little money, armed only with the need to feed the hungry and homeless in one of the poorest zip codes in the United States. These fearless men of God, after prayer and reflection, will leave their homes, their comfortable lives and go to work as missionaries in starving countries. These fearless men of God, forsaking their own health and comfort, will continue to take just one more step toward helping a person in need, in our hospitals, in our prisons, and in our churches.

Does this sound like some kind of pie in the sky to you? Does this sound like something from a make believe world? Well, rest assured, these examples are all real. They are from the very men who have been ordained in the past years in the Diocese of Memphis. All these examples, and far too many others to detail here are ways these devoted men have allowed themselves through their ordinations to become living miracles and examples of what God can do. Understand, and I know they will all agree, none of the many wonderful works of service and charity they perform is done solely through their own effort and through their own strength. They will be the first to admit, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

You haven't witnessed a miracle lately? Then gather at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on April 19 at 11 a.m. and see 22 miracles in the making.
Anna Champion is the wife of Deacon Eugene Champion. They serve the Diocese of Memphis at St. Patrick Church.

The Spirituality of the Permanent Deacon

Over the next few months, The West Tennessee Catholic will publish a series of articles relating to the diaconate. This article deals with the spiritual aspect of the permanent deacon.

By Father Albert Kirk

Permanent Deacons are called to the service of the church in three areas: Word (e.g., preaching, catechetical instruction, witness to the Lord in the marketplace), Altar (e.g., the Diaconal role in the Eucharist, baptizing, witnessing weddings, presiding at wakes, funeral and burial services), and Charity (e.g., ministering to prisoners, to the sick and elderly, the poor, suffering and marginalized). For such important and extensive service the deacon needs a mature spiritual life.

The spiritual life or spirituality of a Deacon is characterized by the following aspects:

• He is a man deeply in love with Jesus Christ, which friendship flows from a familiarity with the Gospels and a fidelity to personal prayer.

• He is also deeply committed to the Church, to the holiness of the Body of Christ, willing to sacrifice his personal comfort and success for the Church.

• He is a man of deep and apostolic faith, zealous to draw all into the treasures he experiences. By God's grace he has become a leader, capable of leading others closer to Christ.

• He is a man in whom the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are evident, who lives not from human but from divine resources.

• As a "man of the Church" and as a minister of Word and Altar, his spirituality is rooted in the Eucharist and other sacraments, in the Scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Hours.

• As a minister or Charity, his spirituality is marked by a love for the poor and a deep compassion for those who suffer.

• He has achieved a reasonable personal maturity, characterized by self-awareness, healthy self-esteem, emotional integration, ability to empathize with others and stable family relationships.

Diaconal training is designed to assist a candidate along the road to maturity in such a spirituality. A beginning candidate will have begun the journey in all of these areas, but even the ordained deacon is not a "finished product." Arriving at maturity in the above areas requires years of diaconal service, years of continuing prayer and study.

The men preparing for Ordination in April have completed a long process of formation in Scripture, theology, pastoral studies, liturgy and preaching.

Their spiritual formation component was based on five pillars:

Faith Sharing

At every gathering the candidates probed the Scriptures, being particularly concerned with integrating the word of God into their family life, their work and their ministry.

Personal Spiritual Growth

Each candidate sought to be faithful to an integration of personal prayer, Liturgy of the Hours and reading of Scripture. He was encouraged to participate in the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation frequently.

Study

A course in the History of Christian Spirituality enabled the candidates to explore some of the great spiritual classics, the great teachers, the dynamic movements in our history. It helped them to understand normative patterns of spiritual growth.

Retreats and Days of Recollection

Several times a year the candidates and their wives "went apart" to spend more intense time in prayer and reflection on God's call in their lives.

Spiritual Direction

A spiritual director was encouraged for each candidate, especially in times of confusion or lack of clarity.

The above vision and program is challenging. The Church today does not need mediocre leadership. In danger of drowning in an ocean of secularity and materialism, we need leaders of significant spiritual maturity, capable of leading others to deep faith and commitment to Christ.

The Diaconal Committee trusts that God has been powerfully at work during these years of formation and will gift our diocese with Deacons who can accomplish all that the Holy Spirit desires.

We ask your prayers for them and their families as they approach their ordination.

The Diaconate Program

Over the next few months, The West Tennessee Catholic will publish a series of articles relating to the diaconate. This first article deals with the formation journey that men who aspire to become deacons in the Church undertake.

By Deacon Frank Williams

Director of Diaconate Formation

In February of 2003, a group of thirty-two lay men, along with their wives, began a journey of discernment and formation designed to prepare those men to become deacons in the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.

On Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m., twenty-two of these men are scheduled to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders when they are ordained as Permanent Deacons by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.

The men have journeyed for five years of study, prayer and discernment _ more than 1,000 hours of formation devoted to the human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions of the individual. And through it all, their wives studied, prayed and discerned with them, shared their journey and, along with their families, will play an important role in their ministry as deacons.

Our faculty for these studies consisted of priests, deacons, religious and lay men and women who contributed to their formation process. We are indeed blessed by God to have such dedicated and educated men and women to serve as our faculty during this process.

We remember with fondness and love Father Gabriel DiFederico _ may he rest in peace _ who began this journey in 2003 as Director of Formation and also are grateful to his successors. We thank Father Al Kirk who serves as our Director of Spiritual Formation. Our entire faculty has had a profound effect on this group of candidates for ordination and we are grateful to each and every one of them for their role in the formation process.

The deacons to be will be ordained ministers, as priests and bishops are. From the very earliest days of the church deacons 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 first definite reference to deacons in this sense _ perhaps as early as 53 A.D. _ occurs in St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, which is addressed to "all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with their presiding elders (bishops and priests) and the deacons." (Phil. 1:1 NJB)

By the Middle Ages (around the fifth century) the office of deacon was all but lost. Diaconate was seen as a step in the journey toward ordination as a priest. So it remained for many centuries. There were deacons in the Western church, but they were men on their way to becoming priests. Few people imagined it being any different.

At the time of Vatican II (1967) Pope Paul VI gave specific directives for implementing the restoration of the diaconate in an apostolic letter (Diaconatus Ordinem) published in 1967. In 2004, the Bishops of the United States issued a document entitled The National Directory for the Formation, Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in the United States. These documents are still the basis of the Church's current practice and policy regarding the Permanent Diaconate.

The class of 2008 will be the fifth class of Deacons to be ordained in the Diocese of Memphis. The last class of Deacons was ordained in the year 2000.

During Bishop Steib's homily at that ordination liturgy, he said in addressing his new deacons "Do you know how long I have waited for you?" It was the first class ordained since he had become Bishop of Memphis and his gratitude for the deacons and the work they would do in the diocese was obvious.

One of the dictionary definitions of the word "journey" is "passage or progress from one stage to another." The Church waited almost fifteen hundred years; Bishop Steib waited almost fifteen years; the candidates (and their wives) have waited five long years to become deacons. An old Chinese proverb says "A journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step." The journey of these candidates and their wives toward the permanent diaconate, has begun well. With God's Grace it will continue.