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Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
We help build great leaders by strengthening the following skills: adaptability, discernment, perspective, communication, endurance and countability.
Rainbow Extravaganza
www.boloji.com/ramblings/044.htm
Shernaz Wadia
A new-age mantra counsels that the pain of discipline is easier to bear than the pain of regret. Sound advice, as most would agree. To be able to write something worthwhile one needs more than an extraordinary vocabulary and command over a language; one requires to be extremely well read, substantially informed, with incisive thought, reasoning, observation, discernment, understanding, a sense of dewy-eyed wonder and acceptance. It is a disciplined workout that constantly exercises the gray cells and ‘makes’ some writers, while others like me struggle on, one sporadic article after another, hoping someone, somewhere, reading it will have found it worth his intelligence and time.
Paradoxically, words and language are very restrictive. Each time I want to articulate a deep thought, transmit a feeling or describe something that has moved me unabashedly, words become impotent. Vocabulary dries up, phrases and sentences, figures of speech – all evaporate and I am left, well, expressionless – mutely pregnant, the poignancy of an unwanted abortion looming menacingly over my wanting-to-be-birthed experiences.
Shackled by the throttling confines of idiom and expression, I still want to share an indelible experience of rainbows. Yes rainbows. A rather common occurrence during the monsoons, but these particular ones left us speechlessly ecstatic. The rainy season had set in earlier than usual this year in Munnar. The rain came with a chilling wind driving it in white sheets. Sometimes a thick, visually impenetrable shroud of mist encompassed the surroundings, with temperatures falling low. One fine afternoon when the rain decided to call it a day and the sun shone through the clouds, a spectacular rainbow embraced the sweep of the eastern sky with its enchanting, pastel-hued arm. The next day the rain gods again wanted some rest. We were strolling in the garden enjoying a soft drizzle, taking in the sparkle of raindrops on the washed and gleaming leaves, petals and blades of grass. The garden and the verdant environs were lusciously enrapturing. Intermittent clouds and sunshine created a bewitching aura all around. Impulsively I looked up at the sky. A phenomenon I had not seen before filled my wondrous gaze. A brilliant rainbow ring formed right around the partially hidden sun! Riveting, amazingly grand! Unbelievably ravishing!
It was a veritable banquet of fantastic rainbows in two days but none of us had envisaged what we saw on the fourth day. It was unbeatable, indescribable in its extravaganza!
It was a very wet, gray day as we lazed in the bungalow on the Chokanad Tea Estate. Green, tea-planted hills gently sprawled in front and to the right of the bungalow; high, forested hills formed a charming backdrop to these emerald ones. To the left and stretching to the back, tall hills were carpeted with thick undergrowth of shrub and their towering silver oaks swayed precariously in a stormy wake. A blanket of dark rain-clouds covered the mountains to the right towards the southwest. Rain poured incessantly and like a magic wand transformed the not so distant mountains and trees into hazy indistinct shapes. After a good lunch, there wasn’t much to do except take a nap and wait for the weather to clear up.
Suddenly through the gloom the sun decided to show up. I heard an enthralled scream “Rainbow! Come quickly, its beautiful!” Flinging away blankets, throwing aside whatever each one was doing, we dashed out.
And, we stood transfixed, suspended in a momentous timeframe, dumbstruck by the grandeur of the fabulous pageant unfolding before us! Painter and painting fused in a florid dance of colors across the vista of hills. A magnificent rainbow rose from the low hills, arched up into the higher ones and traversing the expanse fell again into the low hills of the plantation. Resplendent, it bathed all it spanned in its flamboyance, producing a stupendous panorama at eye-level! As it splashed and curved dazzlingly across the hills each hill was suffused with the rich, lustrous hue/hues of the gorgeous seven, creating a feast never before visualized by any of us five glued to that exquisite manifestation of nature! The sheer magnanimity and its unparalleled loveliness compelled us to look for the mythical pot of gold at either end.
We reveled in this mesmerizing marvel for minutes before it softly dimmed, reappeared in its entire mind blowing radiance and then finally faded, but not from our memories. Imprinted though it is like a photograph on the canvas of my mind, words fail to do justice to the sublimity and majesty of those awe-struck moments. In the words of a contemporary of Mirza Ghalib:
Mere alfaaz mere dushman hain
Meri zubaan meri hareef hain
“My words are my enemies
My language is my rival”
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Bishop Olmsted ordains diocese’s newest priest
By Ambria Hammel | June 2, 2012 | The Catholic Sun
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained Dan Vanyo to the priesthood June 2 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
He joins 254 diocesan and religious priests who serve the Phoenix Diocese by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, conferring the sacraments and overseeing aspects of parish life. Many of them were on hand to offer congratulations to their newest brother.
That included a handful of local priests and some from St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver who played key roles in Fr. Vanyo’s discernment. Fr. Vanyo, 43, began discerning his call to the priesthood at age 32 when a friend through a local Catholic singles group was discerning religious life.
“I never discerned anything,” Fr. Vanyo said. He researched some religious orders, but it wasn’t until a day for prospective diocesan seminarians that he reached a peaceful conclusion.
“They need help here,” Fr. Vanyo, then a hospice nurse, recalled thinking. “That’s when I gave the Lord my fiat. If you open the door, I’ll walk through it.”
He ran into Fr. Chauncey Winkler, who he knew from the local Catholic Retreat for Young Singles group and told him, “I think this is where I could be of some help.”
He entered the seminary in 2005 and was among a reported 487 ordinands nationally who will join the ranks of priesthood this year. Bishop Olmsted read from the Ordination Rite during Mass.
He reminded the crowd, including family and friends who filled the first row on both sides, that Jesus chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in His name, a priestly office. He reminded the diocese’s newest priest of his roles of Christ the teacher, priest and shepherd.
“Carry out the ministry of Christ the priest with constant joy and love,” the bishop said. He also challenged Fr. Vanyo to bring the people together in one family. That’s a challenge the priest plans to meet in his new home, Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa. He will serve as parochial vicar starting July 1.
“I am most excited that I will be able to hear people’s confessions. When the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the penitents with His grace in the confessional, I will be blessed to be a witness to it,” Fr. Vanyo said.
In addition to a parish presence, Fr. Vanyo will serve as chaplain at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler. Fr. Vanyo will offer his first liturgy, a Mass of Thanksgiving, at his home parish Holy Cross in Mesa, at 10 a.m. June 3.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2012 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
During Christmas and holiday times, people can become stressed and depressed. Pastor Doug used the scriptures to show what God's prescription is for stress and depression.
Proverbs 17
1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son,
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the LORD tests the heart.
4 A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Children's children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Arrogant lips are unsuited to a fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9 He who covers over an offense promotes love,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 An evil man is bent only on rebellion;
a merciless official will be sent against him.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool in his folly.
13 If a man pays back evil for good,
evil will never leave his house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both.
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since he has no desire to get wisdom?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge
and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 He who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he who builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper;
he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a son brings grief;
there is no joy for the father of a fool.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret
to pervert the course of justice.
24 A discerning man keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.
26 It is not good to punish an innocent man,
or to flog officials for their integrity.
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
28 28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
© All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images
S 33° 19.149 E 115° 37.982
1870 - The original square wooden light (lighthouse) was built 370 Metres south of Casuarina Point - (Site of present day Marlston Hill Rotary Lookout Tower.)
1903 - A 9m steel-structured lighthouse was built, 37m above sea level. Light visible for 17 miles (27km)
1959 - The Lighthouse (Marlston Hill site) height is extended by 20 feet (6m) due to poor visibility by ships. Surrounding development in the Port area made discernment of the light almost impossible.
1971 - The original head was placed on a new Lighthouse structure located closer to the ocean beach (Casuarina Point).
It was painted in a quite distinct black and white chequered pattern. Total height of structure: 27.43m
2000 - Bicentenial Marlston Hill Rotary Lookout Tower, built at a cost of $150,000, opened on the site of original Bunbury lighthouse site.
2004 Telstra contoversially proposes to add telecommunications infrastructure to the top of Bunbury's Cassurina Point Lighthouse. Community outrage was understandable and to date the Telecommunications equipment has not been installed.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Faith on Campus
Newman Centers provide students a faith home away from home
By Andrew Junker and Ambria Hammel| Sept. 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
Even though classes at Northern Arizona University wouldn’t start until the following morning, the Flagstaff campus was filled with excited freshmen and fretful-looking parents Aug. 23.
On the mall outside the student union, organizations and groups vied for the new students’ interest and time.
And the requests won’t stop just because school has started, warned Fr. Matt Lowry during his homily at Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center’s annual “Mass on the Grass.”
In fact, he said, much of college life is determining the most important question facing everyone: Whom will you serve?
For Fr. Lowry, part of that question was answered for him when he was assigned to be chaplain of NAU’s Newman Center this past July. He was also named associate vocations director for the Diocese of Phoenix.
For the foreseeable future, at least, he’ll be serving the students at the state university, which is exciting, but also a little daunting.
“College students force you to be intellectually honest,” the priest said. “They’re seeking the truth, which means, as a minister, I have to be very prepared.”
Newman Centers have to be a source of spiritual growth and a strong community for Catholic students at a state school who are often far from family members and their local parish, Fr. Lowry said.
“Since we don’t have a Catholic university in the diocese, the Newman Center becomes the place where students have Catholic formation,” he said. “It’s a critical time in a person’s life. They leave home and parish and they need support for their faith.”
During an Aug. 23 welcoming Mass at the All Saints Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University in Tempe, Dominican Father James Thompson encouraged the students to use the center — and, more broadly, their time in college — to grow their faith.
“I dare you to question your faith,” he said. “I’ll go even further. I demand that you question it so that you achieve an adult faith. That’s what you’re here for at the Newman Center. Own your faith and question it with integrity.”
Fr. Thompson said that through honest questioning, students would arrive at the truth, regardless of their chosen major. In a homily that echoed the thought of the great Dominican Thomas Aquinas, he said students studying the sciences, the arts and philosophy could be led to the ultimate Truth.
ASU’s Newman Center offers a myriad of opportunities for students to “own” their faith, and the list of ways they can get involved grows every year.
“The more students are involved in a community, the more retention levels go up,” said Lourdes Alonso, director of campus ministry and a past president of ASU’s Council of Religious Advisors.
She said consistent comments praise the Dominicans’ “welcoming influence and successful ability to reach students and young professionals who have left the Church or who have drifted from regular Mass attendance.”
Alonso encourages Newman Center volunteers to always make a connection with the students who might be inquiring about something simple like Mass times.
“Engage them in a conversation by asking their name, where they’re from or what they’re studying,” Alonso said.
It can all go a long way to making the students feel comfortable at the Newman Center, and that will get them coming back for more.
“Last year I went to a College Night and got plugged right into it,” said Thomas Kupitz, a sophomore at ASU. “It’s a good atmosphere of peers.”
He noted that opportunities available at the Newman Center cater to the whole individual by offering service projects and socializing, small faith sharing and retreats.
“The environment has pushed us to go and do stuff,” Kupitz said. “There are activities to keep you engaged.”
Sense of community
Up in Flagstaff, second-year student Catherine Eyer told a similar story. She began going to Sunday Mass at the Newman Center and then attended XLT, which combines adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worship music, some Scripture and preaching.
It was her experience at XLT that drew Eyer into the Newman Center. This year, she was manning the signup table before the Mass on the Grass outside the center’s chapel.
“I just like to be involved in things,” she said. “Most of the people I’ve met here are phenomenal. There’s a definite community. It’s like a close-knit family.”
Fr. Lowry hopes the Catholic community at NAU will grow even closer. He plans to do his part by “being visible” on campus and at the center. He’ll be celebrating Mass and hearing confessions daily, and he’s already spruced up the center’s front yard with some sand for volleyball games.
Fr. Lowry didn’t hide the fact that he’ll also be spending his days fostering vocations at NAU and supporting students in discernment.
“College is the time when we discern all our vocations,” he said. “The bishop was purposeful in giving me my two titles: chaplain of the Newman Center and associate vocations director.”
But for many of the new freshmen and returning students who attended Mass at either Newman Center, perhaps the most apparent thing was that even away from home, they still have a family in their brothers and sisters in Christ.
“It’s just so amazing to have a Catholic community on campus,” Eyer said.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2132 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2009 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Another shot from the meet-up at Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia, PA.
This is one of many, many cells. Each cell was pretty small. The original cells that were one story each had their own "exercise yard" attached (through the door under the window), a skylight, and a wooden door that was rolled across the metal barred door, so inmates could not speak or communicate with each other, or the guards. For the first 80 years they even transported inmates from place to place in hoods, to minimize contact. Wow! Eventually this line of thinking changed (or perhaps it just was not fiscally viable), and at one point ESP was home to 1700 inmates (instead of the 250 for which it was originally built). More history on the website. Fascinating. Disturbing. Interesting. Worthy of reflection.
Punggol. A rural estate once known for poultry and pig farming, vegetable plantations, interwoven with narrow roads and multiple dirt-tracks. Fast forward to the present. It is currently undergoing a transformation to become an idyllic residential estate consisting of picturesque waterways, scenic boardwalks, and a landscape of pristine beach. However, another form of transformation is also taking place.
In March 2013, our Archdiocese successfully tendered for a parcel of land to build a new church at Punggol new town. The land area is approximately 2999 sq metres with a tenure of 30 years. The new church is sited along Punggol Central, located between the Punggol MRT station and three other LRT stations. With a distance of 300m from each of these stations to the church, commuting will be a breeze.
With the successful tender of the land parcel, our then Archbishop, Msgr Nicholas Chia, assigned Fr Joachim Chang to head the building project of the new church. A building committee was formed which comprise of members from various parishes, knowledgeable in their respective disciplines, for the development of the new church. 6 architectural firms were invited to submit their design proposal. 4 responded with 1 putting up 2 proposals. The building committee then made a study over each design proposal. After careful deliberation, the design proposal from RSP Architects Planners & Engineers Pte Ltd were recommended to the incumbent archbishop and his consultors for approval.
How the new church came to be named as “Church of the Transfiguration”? A few names were put up for consideration; Church of the Transfiguration, Church of the Ascension, Church of the Holy Eucharist, Church of the Holy Martyrs, Church of St John Vianney. In the initial brief to the 4 architectural firms who responded, a temporal name, “Church of the Transfiguration”, was provided to the architects for them to develop their design concept. This name was also proposed to the Archbishop and his consultors before bringing it to a vote by the presbyterium. It was during the last week of the priests’ retreat where after much prayer and discernment, the name “Church of the Transfiguration” was chosen by the majority of priests. What makes this name “Church of the Transfiguration” even more appropriate to be the name for the new church was its significance relative to our present day. The Transfiguration of Jesus displays His complete obedience to the Father’s will, and the Father’s call for us to obey His Son. Moses represents the Law, the covenantal love of God. Elijah represents the prophets who proclaimed the Truth. We are Peter, James, and John, called to obedience to the teachings of the Church, and to proclaim the Truth. The theme of listening to Jesus can also be seen at the Wedding at Cana when Mary instructed the stewards to listen to Jesus, “do whatever He tells you”.
Each of us will experience the Transfiguration if we obey God’s will. When we obey, we will respond with trust to His call. Then, will we be able to experience the rich wine He has given to be shared.
Let us pray for Fr Joachim Chang, the building committee, architects, and all those who labour in building this wonderful house of God.
On Saturday, June 7, 2014. Bishop David J. Walkowiak ordained Rev. Mr. Douglas Braun and Rev. Mr. William
Vander Werff as transitional deacons during celebration of the Eucharist with the Rite of Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Transitional deacons are deacons preparing for the priesthood.
Please keep these men in your prayers as they continue their discernment of a vocation of priestly ministry in service to our Lord and his people. (Photography by Dave Taylor)
For more information about priestly formation in the diocese, visit www.grpriests.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
On Saturday, June 7, 2014. Bishop David J. Walkowiak ordained Rev. Mr. Douglas Braun and Rev. Mr. William
Vander Werff as transitional deacons during celebration of the Eucharist with the Rite of Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Transitional deacons are deacons preparing for the priesthood.
Please keep these men in your prayers as they continue their discernment of a vocation of priestly ministry in service to our Lord and his people. (Photography by Dave Taylor)
For more information about priestly formation in the diocese, visit www.grpriests.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
Chacruna Versucum (Canción de la Chacruna) 2003 Version
This is the first version of the painting, the second was painted on top of it. Both versions are dated 2003. Versucum is a Latin word meaning ‘verse’, or ‘canto’.
The five dryads sing gently to heal through the circle of chacruna leaves; they transmit love and healing energy. These fairies accompany the plants of the rainforest. They represent the five outer senses, and the many inner faculties which are derived from them: intelligence, consideration, knowledge, discernment, spiritual perception and wisdom. In the central circle the celestial aspects of chacruna are represented by the circle of leaves while the ayahuasca vine represents the Earth.
ABOUT: THE AYAHUASCA VISIONS OF PABLO AMARINGO
Illustrating the evolution of his intricate and colorful art, this book contains 48 full-color reproductions of Amaringo’s latest works with detailed explorations of the rich Amazonian mythology underlying each painting. Through their longstanding relationship with Amaringo, coauthors Charing and Cloudsley are able to share the personal stories behind his visions and experiences with Amazonian people and folklore, capturing Amaringo’s powerful ecological and spiritual message through his art and words.
With contributions by Graham Hancock, Jeremy Narby, Robert Venosa, Dennis McKenna, Stephan Beyer, and Jan Kounen, this book brings the ayahuasca experience to life as we travel on Amaringo’s visionary brush and palette.
Visit the website of the book;
Bishop Olmsted ordains diocese’s newest priest
By Ambria Hammel | June 2, 2012 | The Catholic Sun
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained Dan Vanyo to the priesthood June 2 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
He joins 254 diocesan and religious priests who serve the Phoenix Diocese by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, conferring the sacraments and overseeing aspects of parish life. Many of them were on hand to offer congratulations to their newest brother.
That included a handful of local priests and some from St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver who played key roles in Fr. Vanyo’s discernment. Fr. Vanyo, 43, began discerning his call to the priesthood at age 32 when a friend through a local Catholic singles group was discerning religious life.
“I never discerned anything,” Fr. Vanyo said. He researched some religious orders, but it wasn’t until a day for prospective diocesan seminarians that he reached a peaceful conclusion.
“They need help here,” Fr. Vanyo, then a hospice nurse, recalled thinking. “That’s when I gave the Lord my fiat. If you open the door, I’ll walk through it.”
He ran into Fr. Chauncey Winkler, who he knew from the local Catholic Retreat for Young Singles group and told him, “I think this is where I could be of some help.”
He entered the seminary in 2005 and was among a reported 487 ordinands nationally who will join the ranks of priesthood this year. Bishop Olmsted read from the Ordination Rite during Mass.
He reminded the crowd, including family and friends who filled the first row on both sides, that Jesus chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in His name, a priestly office. He reminded the diocese’s newest priest of his roles of Christ the teacher, priest and shepherd.
“Carry out the ministry of Christ the priest with constant joy and love,” the bishop said. He also challenged Fr. Vanyo to bring the people together in one family. That’s a challenge the priest plans to meet in his new home, Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa. He will serve as parochial vicar starting July 1.
“I am most excited that I will be able to hear people’s confessions. When the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the penitents with His grace in the confessional, I will be blessed to be a witness to it,” Fr. Vanyo said.
In addition to a parish presence, Fr. Vanyo will serve as chaplain at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler. Fr. Vanyo will offer his first liturgy, a Mass of Thanksgiving, at his home parish Holy Cross in Mesa, at 10 a.m. June 3.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2012 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Bishop Olmsted ordains diocese’s newest priest
By Ambria Hammel | June 2, 2012 | The Catholic Sun
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained Dan Vanyo to the priesthood June 2 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
He joins 254 diocesan and religious priests who serve the Phoenix Diocese by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, conferring the sacraments and overseeing aspects of parish life. Many of them were on hand to offer congratulations to their newest brother.
That included a handful of local priests and some from St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver who played key roles in Fr. Vanyo’s discernment. Fr. Vanyo, 43, began discerning his call to the priesthood at age 32 when a friend through a local Catholic singles group was discerning religious life.
“I never discerned anything,” Fr. Vanyo said. He researched some religious orders, but it wasn’t until a day for prospective diocesan seminarians that he reached a peaceful conclusion.
“They need help here,” Fr. Vanyo, then a hospice nurse, recalled thinking. “That’s when I gave the Lord my fiat. If you open the door, I’ll walk through it.”
He ran into Fr. Chauncey Winkler, who he knew from the local Catholic Retreat for Young Singles group and told him, “I think this is where I could be of some help.”
He entered the seminary in 2005 and was among a reported 487 ordinands nationally who will join the ranks of priesthood this year. Bishop Olmsted read from the Ordination Rite during Mass.
He reminded the crowd, including family and friends who filled the first row on both sides, that Jesus chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in His name, a priestly office. He reminded the diocese’s newest priest of his roles of Christ the teacher, priest and shepherd.
“Carry out the ministry of Christ the priest with constant joy and love,” the bishop said. He also challenged Fr. Vanyo to bring the people together in one family. That’s a challenge the priest plans to meet in his new home, Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa. He will serve as parochial vicar starting July 1.
“I am most excited that I will be able to hear people’s confessions. When the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the penitents with His grace in the confessional, I will be blessed to be a witness to it,” Fr. Vanyo said.
In addition to a parish presence, Fr. Vanyo will serve as chaplain at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler. Fr. Vanyo will offer his first liturgy, a Mass of Thanksgiving, at his home parish Holy Cross in Mesa, at 10 a.m. June 3.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2012 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Faith on Campus
Newman Centers provide students a faith home away from home
By Andrew Junker and Ambria Hammel| Sept. 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
Even though classes at Northern Arizona University wouldn’t start until the following morning, the Flagstaff campus was filled with excited freshmen and fretful-looking parents Aug. 23.
On the mall outside the student union, organizations and groups vied for the new students’ interest and time.
And the requests won’t stop just because school has started, warned Fr. Matt Lowry during his homily at Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center’s annual “Mass on the Grass.”
In fact, he said, much of college life is determining the most important question facing everyone: Whom will you serve?
For Fr. Lowry, part of that question was answered for him when he was assigned to be chaplain of NAU’s Newman Center this past July. He was also named associate vocations director for the Diocese of Phoenix.
For the foreseeable future, at least, he’ll be serving the students at the state university, which is exciting, but also a little daunting.
“College students force you to be intellectually honest,” the priest said. “They’re seeking the truth, which means, as a minister, I have to be very prepared.”
Newman Centers have to be a source of spiritual growth and a strong community for Catholic students at a state school who are often far from family members and their local parish, Fr. Lowry said.
“Since we don’t have a Catholic university in the diocese, the Newman Center becomes the place where students have Catholic formation,” he said. “It’s a critical time in a person’s life. They leave home and parish and they need support for their faith.”
During an Aug. 23 welcoming Mass at the All Saints Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University in Tempe, Dominican Father James Thompson encouraged the students to use the center — and, more broadly, their time in college — to grow their faith.
“I dare you to question your faith,” he said. “I’ll go even further. I demand that you question it so that you achieve an adult faith. That’s what you’re here for at the Newman Center. Own your faith and question it with integrity.”
Fr. Thompson said that through honest questioning, students would arrive at the truth, regardless of their chosen major. In a homily that echoed the thought of the great Dominican Thomas Aquinas, he said students studying the sciences, the arts and philosophy could be led to the ultimate Truth.
ASU’s Newman Center offers a myriad of opportunities for students to “own” their faith, and the list of ways they can get involved grows every year.
“The more students are involved in a community, the more retention levels go up,” said Lourdes Alonso, director of campus ministry and a past president of ASU’s Council of Religious Advisors.
She said consistent comments praise the Dominicans’ “welcoming influence and successful ability to reach students and young professionals who have left the Church or who have drifted from regular Mass attendance.”
Alonso encourages Newman Center volunteers to always make a connection with the students who might be inquiring about something simple like Mass times.
“Engage them in a conversation by asking their name, where they’re from or what they’re studying,” Alonso said.
It can all go a long way to making the students feel comfortable at the Newman Center, and that will get them coming back for more.
“Last year I went to a College Night and got plugged right into it,” said Thomas Kupitz, a sophomore at ASU. “It’s a good atmosphere of peers.”
He noted that opportunities available at the Newman Center cater to the whole individual by offering service projects and socializing, small faith sharing and retreats.
“The environment has pushed us to go and do stuff,” Kupitz said. “There are activities to keep you engaged.”
Sense of community
Up in Flagstaff, second-year student Catherine Eyer told a similar story. She began going to Sunday Mass at the Newman Center and then attended XLT, which combines adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worship music, some Scripture and preaching.
It was her experience at XLT that drew Eyer into the Newman Center. This year, she was manning the signup table before the Mass on the Grass outside the center’s chapel.
“I just like to be involved in things,” she said. “Most of the people I’ve met here are phenomenal. There’s a definite community. It’s like a close-knit family.”
Fr. Lowry hopes the Catholic community at NAU will grow even closer. He plans to do his part by “being visible” on campus and at the center. He’ll be celebrating Mass and hearing confessions daily, and he’s already spruced up the center’s front yard with some sand for volleyball games.
Fr. Lowry didn’t hide the fact that he’ll also be spending his days fostering vocations at NAU and supporting students in discernment.
“College is the time when we discern all our vocations,” he said. “The bishop was purposeful in giving me my two titles: chaplain of the Newman Center and associate vocations director.”
But for many of the new freshmen and returning students who attended Mass at either Newman Center, perhaps the most apparent thing was that even away from home, they still have a family in their brothers and sisters in Christ.
“It’s just so amazing to have a Catholic community on campus,” Eyer said.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2132 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2009 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Eight men commence ministry for the Church
Story and photos by Ambria Hammel | Nov. 15, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
A baptism at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Cave Creek last week marked a double cause for celebration for one man in particular.
The waters of baptism signaled the first step of a lifelong journey in faith for the 2-month-old boy and the first time the celebrant — the infant’s grandfather — administered the sacrament as a permanent deacon for the Church.
One day prior, Deacon Robert Torigian was among eight men, all married with children, whom Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained to the diaconate Nov. 6 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. They join 239 permanent deacons serving the Phoenix Diocese from the altar, within parish ministries and in the greater community.
“I know that each of them has what it takes to be an effective, caring deacon and a powerful witness of Jesus, the Servant of all,” said Deacon Doug Bogart, associate director of education and formation for the diaconate.
He described them as smart and creative. The new deacons, ages 42-60, have a strong commitment to service, particularly to the bishop, their parishes and to the poor, Deacon Bogart added.
Bishop Olmsted told a crowded cathedral filled with extended family, friends, priests and fellow deacons that deacons represent the charity of the Church. Therefore, he said, they will see the new deacons as disciples seeking “not to be served, but to serve.”
Then he spoke directly to his eight newest “sons.”
“You receive sacred authority to teach in the name of the Church. Such teachings are badly needed,” the bishop said. He cautioned them to resist the temptation to omit any teaching that may not be popular.
“Hand it on faithfully in its organic wholeness,” the bishop said.
One by one all eight deacon candidates knelt in front of the bishop, placed their hands in his and promised their fidelity.
Then the entire church offered a litany of supplication while the candidates fully prostrated themselves down the cathedral’s center aisle. It marked their act of submission.
When they got up, the new deacons spread themselves along the foot of the altar where priests vested them for the first time. Jesuit Father Dave Klein vested his brother Deacon Tom Klein, who will be the only deacon serving St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Deacon Klein also cited his other brother, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and longtime Vincentian, as influential in his discernment.
“It’s been a lifetime evolution for me. There was no lightning bolt moment,” Deacon Klein said in his final hour before ordination.
Deacon Klein, who also works as a trial lawyer, will head the parish’s busy marriage preparation program. He hopes to encourage parishioners of all ages to become more active in the Church.
Once vested, the deacons knelt a final time in front of Bishop Olmsted as he symbolically handed each of them the Book of the Gospels.
“Now you are not only hearers of the Gospels, but also its ministers,” the bishop said.
The deacons finished their ordination Mass from the altar and helped distribute the Eucharist.
Hope for the future
“We, today, witnessed the living faith being handed on from generation to generation so that the Church of Christ will never be without the sacraments of the three holy orders of the Church,” Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares said during a brief program at a post-ordination reception.
Providing for the future of the Church, especially by administering the sacrament of baptism, is what several new deacons looked forward to in their first weeks of ordained ministry. One had eight baptisms lined up during his first week.
“That is the joy and source of hope,” said Deacon David Runyan, a retired meteorologist who will serve St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler and El Cristo Rey Parish at the Grand Canyon in the summertime.
Deacon Torigian, who baptized his grandson, plans to remind older Catholics of their baptismal obligation to come to know and serve the Lord, he said.
The new deacon and longtime physician assistant should know a thing or two about service. He devoted so much time to pastoral ministry in his native Detroit that several deacons invited him to consider joining the diaconate. He finished formation in Phoenix.
Outside of parish work at St. Gabriel, Deacon Torigian will also help the diocesan Office of Natural Family Planning develop curriculum for Catholic high school students.
Deacon Jim Gall, who for a while didn’t know what a deacon was but always liked to serve others, also looks forward to living the deacon motto of servant leadership.
He gained a deeper prayer life during the formation process. It’s helped him see things with spiritual eyes instead of reacting based on temperament, he said.
“I could never go back to the way I was,” Deacon Gall said.
Most new deacons said they gained a deeper spirituality and strengthened their marriage and family relationships during formation.
“I just thank God that I finally said yes,” said Deacon Al Homiski, a parish administrator at St. Bernadette in Scottsdale. He admitted putting off repeated invitations to join the diaconate for years.
The five-year formation process in Phoenix involves two years of weekly Kino classes, monthly diaconate meetings with candidates and their wives, practicums including at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and twice daily prayer. The experience is enough to impact the entire family.
Deacon Ron Johnson saw a noticeable change in the spiritual lives of his three children as well during formation. The psychologist first felt called to the diaconate during a Cursillo weekend seven years ago and is looking forward to being the first Spanish-speaking deacon in the Flagstaff area.
He’ll also travel with Fr. Pat Mowrer throughout the north deanery supporting other parishes and missions.
Deacon Jason Robinson said he was always attracted to serving the Church. He applied to the priesthood after high school and entered further discernment.
He soon met his wife through a singles ministry and continued to search for his niche in the Church.
“I had this passion for the Church kind of from the inside, yet I was a working man,” the software developer said, “so I was always a bridge.”
He thought about entering the diaconate later in life. A personal invitation to the diaconate expedited his formation and ordination.
His ministry will include prison and Native American outreach plus parish work.
“Thank you for responding to God,” Deacon Jim Trant, director of the diaconate told the diocese’s newest deacons, “for doing and acting upon His will.”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Faith on Campus
Newman Centers provide students a faith home away from home
By Andrew Junker and Ambria Hammel| Sept. 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
Even though classes at Northern Arizona University wouldn’t start until the following morning, the Flagstaff campus was filled with excited freshmen and fretful-looking parents Aug. 23.
On the mall outside the student union, organizations and groups vied for the new students’ interest and time.
And the requests won’t stop just because school has started, warned Fr. Matt Lowry during his homily at Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center’s annual “Mass on the Grass.”
In fact, he said, much of college life is determining the most important question facing everyone: Whom will you serve?
For Fr. Lowry, part of that question was answered for him when he was assigned to be chaplain of NAU’s Newman Center this past July. He was also named associate vocations director for the Diocese of Phoenix.
For the foreseeable future, at least, he’ll be serving the students at the state university, which is exciting, but also a little daunting.
“College students force you to be intellectually honest,” the priest said. “They’re seeking the truth, which means, as a minister, I have to be very prepared.”
Newman Centers have to be a source of spiritual growth and a strong community for Catholic students at a state school who are often far from family members and their local parish, Fr. Lowry said.
“Since we don’t have a Catholic university in the diocese, the Newman Center becomes the place where students have Catholic formation,” he said. “It’s a critical time in a person’s life. They leave home and parish and they need support for their faith.”
During an Aug. 23 welcoming Mass at the All Saints Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University in Tempe, Dominican Father James Thompson encouraged the students to use the center — and, more broadly, their time in college — to grow their faith.
“I dare you to question your faith,” he said. “I’ll go even further. I demand that you question it so that you achieve an adult faith. That’s what you’re here for at the Newman Center. Own your faith and question it with integrity.”
Fr. Thompson said that through honest questioning, students would arrive at the truth, regardless of their chosen major. In a homily that echoed the thought of the great Dominican Thomas Aquinas, he said students studying the sciences, the arts and philosophy could be led to the ultimate Truth.
ASU’s Newman Center offers a myriad of opportunities for students to “own” their faith, and the list of ways they can get involved grows every year.
“The more students are involved in a community, the more retention levels go up,” said Lourdes Alonso, director of campus ministry and a past president of ASU’s Council of Religious Advisors.
She said consistent comments praise the Dominicans’ “welcoming influence and successful ability to reach students and young professionals who have left the Church or who have drifted from regular Mass attendance.”
Alonso encourages Newman Center volunteers to always make a connection with the students who might be inquiring about something simple like Mass times.
“Engage them in a conversation by asking their name, where they’re from or what they’re studying,” Alonso said.
It can all go a long way to making the students feel comfortable at the Newman Center, and that will get them coming back for more.
“Last year I went to a College Night and got plugged right into it,” said Thomas Kupitz, a sophomore at ASU. “It’s a good atmosphere of peers.”
He noted that opportunities available at the Newman Center cater to the whole individual by offering service projects and socializing, small faith sharing and retreats.
“The environment has pushed us to go and do stuff,” Kupitz said. “There are activities to keep you engaged.”
Sense of community
Up in Flagstaff, second-year student Catherine Eyer told a similar story. She began going to Sunday Mass at the Newman Center and then attended XLT, which combines adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worship music, some Scripture and preaching.
It was her experience at XLT that drew Eyer into the Newman Center. This year, she was manning the signup table before the Mass on the Grass outside the center’s chapel.
“I just like to be involved in things,” she said. “Most of the people I’ve met here are phenomenal. There’s a definite community. It’s like a close-knit family.”
Fr. Lowry hopes the Catholic community at NAU will grow even closer. He plans to do his part by “being visible” on campus and at the center. He’ll be celebrating Mass and hearing confessions daily, and he’s already spruced up the center’s front yard with some sand for volleyball games.
Fr. Lowry didn’t hide the fact that he’ll also be spending his days fostering vocations at NAU and supporting students in discernment.
“College is the time when we discern all our vocations,” he said. “The bishop was purposeful in giving me my two titles: chaplain of the Newman Center and associate vocations director.”
But for many of the new freshmen and returning students who attended Mass at either Newman Center, perhaps the most apparent thing was that even away from home, they still have a family in their brothers and sisters in Christ.
“It’s just so amazing to have a Catholic community on campus,” Eyer said.
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Essa é a vida...
Muitos são os caminhos...
Alguns não suportam a espera e escolhem o primeiro que lhe aparece... optam pelo mais fácil... pelo mais rápido...
Outros esperam a vida toda para escolher determinado rumo... às vezes já é tarde... mas às vezes é prudente...
Uns acham que acertaram o seu caminho, mas trilham na contramão da vida...
E há aqueles que têm total discernimento para optar pelo melhor caminho, submetendo-se à necessária espera... Quem são esses?
Nos dizeres da querida amiga Su Luz: "felizes são os que reconhecem no meio do caminho que estão lutando contra a maré e mudam o caminho".
Foto tirada na Estação Aeroporto do Trensurb de Porto Alegre, utilizando filme P&B, asa 400, puxado para 800 em laboratório. Câmera Canon EOS 300.
Este trabalho fotográfico faz parte do Projeto Porto Alegre, da escola de Fotografia Projeto Contato, de Porto Alegre(RS). Tenho mais algumas fotografias na galeria virtual daquela escola:
www.projetocontato.com.br/projetoportoalegre/trensurb/tre...
This is the life… Many are the ways… Some do not support the wait and choose the first one that appears… someone opt to most easy… or to fastest… Others wait the life all to choose definitive route… sometimes already is late… but sometimes is cautious… Someone find that they made right way, but tread in the contrahand (mistaken) of the life… And has those that have total discernment to opt to optimum way, submitting yourself to necessary wait… Who is these?
Photo taken off in the Station Airport of the Trensurb of Porto Alegre-Brazil, using film B&W, wing 400, pulled for 800 in laboratory. Camera Canon EOS 300. This photographic work is part of the Porto Alegre Project, of the school of Photograph Project Contact, Porto Alegre (RS - Brazil). I have plus some photographs in the virtual gallery of that school: www.projetocontato.com.br/projetoportoalegre/trensurb/tre...
Representatives of the Dalai Lama Fellows were on hand for the may 2013 Festival of Faiths. Dalai Lama Fellows awards highly competitive, yearlong Fellowships with a project grant of up to $10,000 to students at select universities and colleges worldwide. Fellows design and launch ambitious, mentored Compassion-in-Action projects in one or more of the following areas: Enhancing understanding and cooperation across peoples and cultures; Diminishing violence and promoting peace; Helping to alleviate poverty through creative initiatives; and Protecting the environment. Over the course of the year, Fellows are immersed in a reflective leadership curriculum, where they explore universal human values including contemplation, compassion, emotional resilience, discernment and courage.
For more information visit www.dalailamafellows.org