Dear Friends in Christ,
We are very blessed to have five Permanent Deacons in Our Lady of Hope Parish. Deacons Andy Encarnado, Robert Foley and Toby Haley are our active deacons. Deacons Jack Werner and Michael Harkins are retired, but still very much in our midst. Deacon Jack continues to preach and baptize despite retirement and Deacon Michael is ever present at Mass every day. In 1987, Saint John Paul II spoke to Permanent Deacons on his apostolic journey to the United States and Canada: “Taking an active part in society belongs to the baptismal mission of every Christian in accordance with his or her state in life, but the permanent deacon has a special witness to give. The sacramental grace of his ordination is meant to strengthen him and to make his efforts fruitful, even as his secular occupation gives him entry into the temporal sphere in a way that is normally not appropriate for other members of the clergy. At the same time, the fact that he is an ordained minister of the Church brings a special dimension to his efforts in the eyes of those with whom he lives and works.” Our deacons have a foot in both the secular and religious world. We must keep them in our prayers as they attempt to balance family life, the occupation and their duties to the parish. Some deacons are extremely active in a parish and are very present to the community. Others struggle as commitments outside the parish keep them from doing as much as they would like for the parish. The life of the deacon helps us in many ways and even affirms priestly celibacy. A deacon cannot be available twenty-four seven, but the priest must be and thus, a priest is called to give up the good of family life for the larger family. All are doing the work of Christ and the deacon is a living sign of charity and an example of the struggle to answer the demands of so many. We are blessed that two men who belong to Our Lady of Hope have been accepted as candidates into the diaconate studies. Mr. Paschal Nwako who worships at Saint Agnes Church and Mr. Jose Garcia-Popoca who worships with the Saint Jude community. We congratulate these two men and assure them of our prayers as they begin the challenging study and formation to be a Permanent Deacon. These two men were considered Aspirants ad they tested their calling from God and allowed the Bishop to assess if they should enter formation. These men have been deemed suitable to officially begin their formation. Paschal and Jose, God bless you! Dios les bendiga! Thank you for saying “yes” to this stage in your spiritual life!
God bless you,
Father Szolack