On May 30, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained eight men of different backgrounds as permanent deacons to embrace lives of love and service to God’s people in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. The bishop urged these men to become instruments of unity in their new ministry to a Church and world in need of it, before ordaining them during a Mass at the Cathe¬dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J.
During the Mass, steeped in traditions of the Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Deacon Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Deacon Paul DePinto of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, N.J., Deacon Timothy P. Dunmyer of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J., Deacon James Gillespie of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., Deacon Tobi Ippolito of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., Deacon Tom Kimble of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., Deacon Gregory Marchesi of St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., Deacon Elmer Lopez Maximo of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons, “In our union with Christ, we have the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit to make unity a reality.”
“Holy Communion can build community. Act as a bridge of unity in the Church and for the Church. When you proclaim and preach the Gospel, you are helping hearers to find their way to heaven,” Bishop Sweeney told the deacons. “We must know God’s people as best we can. Listen to them in a synodal spirit. Be concerned for their lives,” he said.
A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church. He belongs to the clergy but may also be married and have a secular job. Serving as a permanent member of the hierarchy — not on the way to priesthood — the deacon acts as a “servant” to the bishop and pastor. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, his ministry focuses on liturgy, the word, and charity.
Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist for the Mass. He presided over the Rite of Ordination, which took place in the “mother church” of the Paterson Diocese. The concelebrants included the candidates’ pastors and priests from around the diocese.
At the Mass, deacons assisted, while many of the newly ordained deacons’ wives and family participated in the celebration as readers, gift bearers, and servers.
Bishop Sweeney thanked the men for devoting themselves especially in the past five years to prayer, study, and spiritual growth and formation. He recognized their dedication to preparing for their new ministry.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
He then reminded them, “Today, with the gift of ordination, you will begin a profound period of formation of the heart, where the needs of God’s people intersect with your knowledge, patience, generosity of spirit, and so much more,” Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons.
The deacons’ roles include proclaiming the Gospel, preparing and dispensing the Eucharist, and giving instruction in holy doctrine. Deacons also prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preside over baptisms, marriages, funerals, and public prayer. They carry out charitable acts in the name of the bishop and the pastor.
During the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Sweeney laid hands on each candidate’s head, signifying the conferral of the Holy Spirit and their commission of service. He later handed the Book of the Gospels to the new deacons, instructing them, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
At the end of Mass, Bishop Sweeney thanked everyone who supported and formed the new deacons. He recognized their wives, families, parishes, the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate, and Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. He also thanked all those who made the Mass possible.
Deacon Maximo called his ordination on May 30 “one of the most grace-filled and humbling days of my life. He added, “Now a deacon, I feel profoundly grateful and renewed in my desire to serve Christ and his people with humility, joy, holiness, and love.”
Gallery 2 / 62 photos)
