Dear Friends,
By the time we celebrate our Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:30pm on May 18, the seminarian assigned to Immaculate Conception Church, Jonathan Amidon, will have been ordained a deacon. We are very proud of Jon, and we are grateful for God’s call to him to serve His Church. He will celebrate the next day, Sunday, May 19, in his home parish of St. Peter’s in Worcester.
Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world. They are to conform themselves to Christ who came "to serve and not to be served." As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and preside at wake and funeral services.
As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then gathering the Church's resources to meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. No matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only what a deacon does, but who a deacon is, that is key.
For many years, ordained deacons transitioned from the diaconate to the priesthood as their education and formation continued through some additional months and sometimes years. We call these deacons “transitional deacons.” However, the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965) restored a tradition of the diaconate as a permanent order of ministry as well for both married and unmarried men. We call these deacons “permanent deacons.” We will be very blessed to have both serve together this summer, transitional Deacon Jon Amidon, and permanent Deacon Bill Bilow. We are a blessed parish! If you would like to offer a card congratulating Deacon Jon on his ordination, you may do so next weekend at Mass by placing it in the collection basket or by handing it to him personally after Mass. If you do not happen to see Deacon Jon next weekend, we will be sure to forward it to him on your behalf.
Blessed Pentecost!