The 20th anniversary of the permanent diaconate in the Perth Archdiocese has been celebrated with a Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth. Source: The Record.
“None of them would say that they are the same as they were on the day of their ordination.”
With those words, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton drew together two decades of service as the permanent deacons of the Perth Archdiocese gathered at the cathedral on June 28 to give thanks for 20 years of ministry.
On June 29, 2006, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, then-Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey ordained 14 men to the permanent diaconate, restoring to the local Church an order that had survived for centuries only as a step towards the priesthood.
Ten of the 14 permanent deacons were present for the special celebration, with Deacons Patrick Seatter and Ivan Sands having since passed away, and Deacons Damian Gorian and Paul Stacy unable to attend because of ill health.
In his homily, Bishop Sproxton said each deacon had listened to the call to be a servant and witness to Jesus and had begun his ministry by walking into the unknown.
They were called to make Christ the centre of their lives, he said, and had learned to stop and take stock when ministry challenged them.
As ordained ministers, deacons preach, baptise, witness marriages and lead funerals, assisting the bishop and priests in liturgical and pastoral work.
Over 20 years, the men have served in parishes, schools, prisons and hospitals, and in the special ministries of the Archdiocese.
Some have worked with seafarers and refugees, others as chaplains and spiritual companions.
Each of the married deacons have carried out their ministry with the support of their wives and families, whose sharing of a husband and father, Bishop Sproxton acknowledged.
Deacon Chris Power, director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate, called the 2006 ordination a historic moment for the Church in Perth, one whose fruit, he said, “continues to be felt in parishes, prisons, hospitals and communities across the Archdiocese.”
FULL STORY
Twenty years on, Perth’s permanent deacons give thanks for a ministry that has changed them (By Jamie O’Brien, The Record)
