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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
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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.
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.
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
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.
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.
© 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.
Aberdeen has many commemorative plaques situated throughout the city at various locations of importance, I try to capture as many as I can on my trips out and about, I aim to photo them all at some point posting in this folder for reference .
Francis Peacock (1723 – 26 June 1807) was a Scottish dance teacher and musician. He is considered the "Father of Scottish country dancing."
Peacock was possibly born in York. He studied dancing under the celebrated George Desnoyer, who was later the dancing master at the court of King George III.
In 1742, citizens of Aberdeen appealed to the town council "that the town was at great loss for want of a right dancing master to educate their children." A few years later the town hired James Stuart of Montrose, Angus as the dancing master (an early term for dance teacher) but he was apparently found lacking; in 1746 the council advertised again for "a person of sober, discreet and moral character."
John Dawney, dancing master of Edinburgh, recommended Francis Peacock, also living in Edinburgh.
On 14 February 1747, the town council appointed the 23-year-old Peacock as official and only dancing master of Aberdeen. He was paid seven shillings sterling per student per month, together with some money to organise the music.
In Aberdeen, Peacock established the first school of dance as well as the Aberdeen Musical Society. The society was founded with the physician John Gregory, organist Andrew Tait, and music copyist David Young. For almost 60 years, Peacock acted as a director and occasional violinist for the society, with profits from private concerts going to charity.
Peacock's teaching career in Aberdeen lasted five decades. Many of his students included the Scottish nobility; Peacock firmly believed that dancing was a vital activity for young people to learn grace and manners. He writes,
"I may here observe, that there cannot be a greater proof of the utility of Dancing, than its being so universally adopted, as a material circumstance in the education of the youth of both sexes, in every civilised country. Its tendency to form their manners, and to render them agreeable, as well in public as in private; the graceful and elegant ease which it gives to the generality of those who practice it with attention, are apparent to everyone of true discernment."
He is particularly known for his eight-volume treatise on dance, Sketches Relative to the History and Theory, but More Especially to the Practice of Dancing (1805). This was one of the early works on the history of dance. It was dedicated to Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon. He used the traditional Gaelic names for the dances but also employed the classical French ballet terms as well.
He also painted portrait miniatures and composed music, including an anthem played during the coronation of George III in 1761. He played the violin with the Aberdeen Musical Society, which he co-founded with David Young, Andrew Tait and John Gregory. He published Fifty Favourite Airs for the Violin (1762).
Personal life
On 15 February 1748, Peacock married Ellen Forbes (died 1804) at St Nicholas's Church in Aberdeen. They had five children: Elizabeth, Jannet, John, George, and Thomas.
Legacy
Peacock was also a philanthropist; the proceeds of his 1805 Sketches, amounting to £1,000, were donated to the Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum (now Royal Cornhill Hospital). He also left a considerable sum of money to charity in his will.
A commemorative plaque is located at his former dance school on Castle Street in Central Aberdeen. The street of Peacock's Close in eastern Aberdeen gets its name from him.
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.
Vocation discernment prayer to St. Joseph patron of the Universal Church, the dying, a happy death, the unemployed, fathers, carpenters and those discerning their vocation
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.
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
For more information about priestly formation in the diocese, visit www.grpriests.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
Memorial - "Near this place lyeth interred the body of Mrs Anne Taylor (youngest daughter of John Heron esq and of Jane his wife of this parish) the *first) wife of Doctor Robert Taylor (or Winthorpe), physician Extraordinary to the King and likewise Physician to his Majesty's household. A woman of consummate virtue and prudence, in whom a discernment and fortitude above her sex were happily united with that sweetness of manners which is the characteristic of it, and with a piety, void of all superstition which rendered her one of its greatest ornament
These uncommon virtues, CHRISTIAN READER, which were the daily admiration of her friends, and made the constant happiness of her husband, whilst the Almighty indulged her example to this world, have through the merits of our blessed redeemer, most assuredly obtained her an eternal reward in the next, to which it pleased God to call her on the 12th of November in the year of our Lord 1757, and in the 58th year of her age; after she had sustained with the most exemplary patience and resignation to his will, the misery of a long and painful sickness which had eluded the medical endeavours of her husband's friends as well as his own; whose affectionate regard to so excellent a wife hath consecrated this marble to her memory"
Monument signed by Roubiliac
Anne was the youngest daughter of John Heron esq and of Jane Crayle www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/9Z0GG4
Anne m 1739 (1st wife) Dr Robert Taylor 1710-62 the son of John Taylor, publican & twice mayor of Newark . Qualifying as a doctor, he set up a practice in Newark. After attending to Lord Burlington at Belvoir Castle, he was persuaded to move to London, where he became King George III’s personal physician.
From his practice in Hanover Square, Dr Taylor prospered and bought much land in Winthorpe where Anne's brother had many properties, buying in 1753 the land from his brother in law Robert Heron, on which he would start to build Winthorpe Hall shortly before his death,
Anne died leaving no children in 1757
Robert m2 1759 Elizabeth Mainwaring of Lincoln having a son who died in infancy and a daughter Elizabeth www.themsv.org/artwork/elizabeth-taylor-mrs-charles-chaplin who m Charles Chaplin d1816 of Blankney. (their grandson Henry 1st Viscount Chaplin m Florence Sutherland flic.kr/p/qZmRVT )
'At the time of [Robert's death which rapidly followed on the reverse of his fortune, he was erecting a magnificent mansion at Winthorpe where he fondly hoped to spend the evening of his days in splendid retirement. He left it, however, unfinished, and it was sold to Roger Pocklington, Esq. His body was to have been brought to Winthorpe for interment immediately after his decease; but the threatened vengeance of some implacable creditor who, under the severe laws then in existence, it was apprehended would seize the body of the deceased, as security for his claim, caused it to be interred in the most private manner possible, in the burial-ground of Audley chapel. However, a few years afterwards, his remains were removed, with those of his infant son to Winthorpe
His widow Elizabeth and daughter retired to Lincoln where Elizabeth died in 1812 and was also buried at Winthorpe southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/winthorpe/pmonrtaylor.jpg - Church of St Mary Magdalene Newark, Nottinghamshire
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
For more information about priestly formation in the diocese, visit www.grpriests.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
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.
The Petraea General Trading Company was quick to take advantage of the art tourists visiting the quaint ateliers and beautiful light of Ruadh. In the distinctive gallery of Mme Franck, the wealthy could exchange their riches for paintings that told the world that they were customers of exquisite taste and discernment.
This building was made entirely with stuff already on my desk, which is basically my PaB visit and some decorative elements I picked up at the HKACG. Still not unpacked my bricks post move!
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.
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
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.
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.
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.
In 1974, the Dutch priest and writer Henri Nouwen was allowed to live with the community of monks as a temporary member for seven months. This is rather unusual, because while the Trappists do accept retreatants for some days, it is usually not possible to become a "temporary monk" as Nouwen did. The permission was granted particularly due to Nouwen's close friendship with Abbot John Eudes.
After his retreat, Nouwen's diary was published in 1976 under the title The Genesee Diary - Report from a Trappist Monastery. This book is now deemed one of the fundamental works about Trappist spirituality and contemplative life in general. It is also widely recommended to be read by prospective monks during their vocational discernment. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_the_Genesee
++ ++ ++ ++ ++
image by Photo George
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all rights reserved
locator: 04 Abbey 05
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.
© 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.
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
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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
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Malta: The statue you’re seeing its St. Helena holding the Cross were you could see it in Birkirkara, Malta. St. Helena Basilica Church, they also got the largest Church Bell in Malta. The locals celebrate St. Helena Feast on the August 18th, and there feast its special because the procession and band marches takes place in the morning rather then in the evening. The most beautiful thing is that I [Charles Bray] was baptised at St. Helena Basilica Church and every time that I go to Malta I always go to see her.
St. Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great, born about the middle of the third century, possibly in Drepanum (later known as Helenopolis) on the Nicomedian Gulf; died about 330. She was of humble parentage; St. Ambrose, in his "Oratio de obitu Theodosii", referred to her as a stabularia, or inn-keeper. Nevertheless, she became the lawful wife of Constantius Chlorus. Her first and only son, Constantine, was born in Naissus in Upper Moesia, in the year 274. The statement made by English chroniclers of the Middle Ages, according to which Helena was supposed to have been the daughter of a British prince, is entirely without historical foundation. It may arise from the misinterpretation of a term used in the fourth chapter of the panegyric on Constantine's marriage with Fausta, that Constantine, oriendo (i. e., "by his beginnings," "from the outset") had honoured Britain, which was taken as an allusion to his birth, whereas the reference was really to the beginning of his reign.
In the year 292 Constantius, having become co-Regent of the West, gave himself up to considerations of a political nature and forsook Helena in order to marry Theodora, the step-daughter of Emperor Maximianus Herculius, his patron, and well-wisher. But her son remained faithful and loyal to her. On the death of Constantius Chlorus, in 308, Constantine, who succeeded him, summoned his mother to the imperial court, conferred on her the title of Augusta, ordered that all honour should be paid her as the mother of the sovereign, and had coins struck bearing her effigy. Her son's influence caused her to embrace Christianity after his victory over Maxentius. This is directly attested by Eusebius (Vita Constantini, III, xlvii): "She (his mother) became under his (Constantine's) influence such a devout servant of God, that one might believe her to have been from her very childhood a disciple of the Redeemer of mankind". It is also clear from the declaration of the contemporary historian of the Church that Helena, from the time of her conversion had an earnestly Christian life and by her influence and liberality favoured the wider spread of Christianity. Tradition links her name with the building of Christian churches in the cities of the West, where the imperial court resided, notably at Rome and Trier, and there is no reason for rejecting this tradition, for we know positively through Eusebius that Helena erected churches on the hallowed spots of Palestine. Despite her advanced age she undertook a journey to Palestine when Constantine, through his victory over Licinius, had become sole master of the Roman Empire, subsequently, therefore, to the year 324. It was in Palestine, as we learn from Eusebius (loc. cit., xlii), that she had resolved to bring to God, the King of kings, the homage and tribute of her devotion. She lavished on that land her bounties and good deeds, she "explored it with remarkable discernment", and "visited it with the care and solicitude of the emperor himself". Then, when she "had shown due veneration to the footsteps of the Saviour", she had two churches erected for the worship of God: one was raised in Bethlehem near the Grotto of the Nativity, the other on the Mount of the Ascension, near Jerusalem. She also embellished the sacred grotto with rich ornaments. This sojourn in Jerusalem proved the starting-point of the legend first recorded by Rufinus as to the discovery of the Cross of Christ.
Her princely munificence was such that, according to Eusebius, she assisted not only individuals but entire communities. The poor and destitute were the special objects of her charity. She visited the churches everywhere with pious zeal and made them rich donations. It was thus that, in fulfillment of the Saviour's precept, she brought forth abundant fruit in word and deed. If Helena conducted herself in this manner while in the Holy Land, which is indeed testified to by Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, we should not doubt that she manifested the same piety and benevolence in those other cities of the empire in which she resided after her conversion. Her memory in Rome is chiefly identified with the church of S. Croce in Gerusalemme. On the present location of this church formerly stood the Palatium Sessorianum, and near by were the Thermae Helenianae, which baths derived their name from the empress. Here two inscriptions were found composed in honour of Helena. The Sessorium, which was near the site of the Lateran, probably served as Helena's residence when she stayed in Rome; so that it is quite possible for a Christian basilica to have been erected on this spot by Constantine, at her suggestion and in honour of the true Cross.
Helena was still living in the year 326, when Constantine ordered the execution of his son Crispus. When, according to Socrates account (Hist. eccl., I, xvii), the emperor in 327 improved Drepanum, his mother's native town, and decreed that it should be called Helenopolis, it is probable that the latter returned from Palestine to her son who was then residing in the Orient. Constantine was with her when she died, at the advanced age of eighty years or thereabouts (Eusebius, "Vita Const.", III, xlvi). This must have been about the year 330, for the last coins which are known to have been stamped with her name bore this date. Her body was brought to Constantinople and laid to rest in the imperial vault of the church of the Apostles. It is presumed that her remains were transferred in 849 to the Abbey of Hautvillers, in the French Archdiocese of Reims, as recorded by the monk Altmann in his "Translatio". She was revered as a saint, and the veneration spread, early in the ninth century, even to Western countries. St. Helena Feast falls on 18 August.
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
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Introduction
English Christian Movie "Deadly Ignorance" | Who Should We Listen to in Welcoming the Lord's Return
Zheng Mu'en is a co-worker at a Chinese Christian church in the US, has believed in the Lord for many years, and passionately works and expends for the Lord. One day, his aunt testifies to him that the Lord Jesus has returned to express the truth and do the work of judging and purifying man in the last days, news which greatly excites him. After reading Almighty God's word and watching the movies and videos of The Church of Almighty God, Zheng Mu'en's heart verifies that Almighty God's words are the truth, and that Almighty God might very well be the return of the Lord Jesus, so he begins investigating the work of God in the last days with his brothers and sisters. But when Pastor Ma, the leader of his church, discovers this, he tries time and again to intervene and stop Zheng Mu'en. He shows Zheng Mu'en a CCP government propaganda video that slanders and condemns Eastern Lightning in an attempt to make Zheng Mu'en abandon his investigation of the true way, and this video leaves him very confused: He can obviously see that Almighty God's words are the truth and the voice of God, so why do the pastors and elders of the religious world condemn Almighty God? They not only themselves refuse to seek or investigate, they try to stop others from accepting the true way. Why is this? … Zheng Mu'en fears being deceived and taking the wrong path, but also fears losing his chance to be raptured. In the midst of his conflict and confusion, Pastor Ma presents even more negative propaganda from the CCP and the religious world, producing many more doubts in Zheng Mu'en's heart. He decides to listen to Pastor Ma and give up his investigation of the true way. Later, after hearing testimony and fellowship from witnesses of The Church of Almighty God, Zheng Mu'en understands that in investigating the true way, the most fundamental principle is determining whether a way has the truth and whether what it expresses is the voice of God. Anyone that can express much of the truth must be the appearance of Christ, because no member of corrupt mankind could ever express the truth. This is an indisputable fact. If one does not focus on hearing the voice of God as they investigate the true way, and instead awaits the descent of the Lord Jesus on white clouds based on their imaginings, they will never be able to welcome the appearance of God. Zheng Mu'en finally understands the mystery of the wise virgins hearing God's voice spoken of by the Lord Jesus, decides to no longer believe the lies and absurd theories of the CCP government and the pastors and elders of the religious world, and escapes the constraints and bondage of his religious pastor. Zheng Mu'en experiences deeply the difficulty of investigating the true way. Without discernment or seeking the truth, there is no way to hear the voice of God or be raptured before God's throne. Instead, one can only be deceived and controlled by Satan and die in Satan's net, which entirely fulfills the words in the Bible, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6). "Fools die for want of wisdom" (Pro 10:21).
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
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That the only God is Allah…
He is Allah. There is no god but Him. Praise be to Him in the world and the hereafter. Judgement belongs to Him. You will be returned to Him. (Surat al-Qasas:70)
Never Forget That...
- Our sole purpose in life is to serve Allah,
- Allah encompasses everything from East to West,
- Allah exercises absolute control over natural events and He directs their whole affairs,
- Allah holds all people under His control, including our mothers, fathers, classmates and colleagues,
- Allah is the true protector and defender of man,
- Allah will always win in the end,
- It is only Allah Who can relieve us of all the forms of difficulties we encounter,
- Allah knows the hidden truth of an event, the details pertaining to it, and any other unknown aspects about it,
- Allah knows the details of the deeds one has done throughout one's lifetime,
- Allah possesses the power to do anything He wishes,
- Allah knows all the subtle details pertaining to all matters, that He benefits His servants who fear Him,
- Allah protects those who take refuge in Him and gives them relief,
- Allah desires to make things easier for us,
- Everything that happens to us occurs under His control,
- It is Allah Who grants us all our blessings,
- Allah is the possessor of any property (yachts, houses, cars, furniture, clothes, jewelry etc…) and the actual owner of all money is Allah,
- Allah provides the provision of all living things,
- Allah will expand the blessings for whom He wills,
- We must engage in all deeds only to earn His good pleasure,
- Allah will reward most abundantly those deeds done to earn His good pleasure,
- Allah has taught us everything we know,
- Allah is the One Who has rightly guided us and willed for us to become believers,
- Allah is exalted above any sort of fallibility particular to human beings is in no means in need of anything,
- Every living being on earth is in need of Him,
- Allah is infinitely conscientious,
- Allah knows everything, whether we keep to ourselves or divulge it,
- Allah certainly helps those who help His religion,
- Allah sees us no matter where we are or what we are doing,
- Allah is infinitely just and does not wrong anyone by so much as the smallest speck,
- Allah does not harm mankind in any way,
- Allah is the Originator of the heavens and earth, and when He decides on something, He merely says "Be!" and it is,
- Allah knows everything beyond our knowledge,
- No one can change what Allah wills for him and no one can prevent something from happening, be it good or bad, if Allah wills for him,
- To look at and reflect upon the Signs Allah shows you within yourself and outside of you,
- Everything in the earth and in the heavens glorifies His praises,
- Only Allah deserves to be glorified,
- Allah never forgets anything,- Allah is always alive, that He never sleeps, nor is in need of sleep,
- Allah heals the hearts of those who believe in His support,
- Allah supports believers at every moment,
- Allah forgives and accepts repentance from His servants,
- Allah does not punish wrongdoers immediately, and that he grants time so that people can repent and ask for forgiveness,
- Allah is Ever-Gentle with His servants,
- Allah wishes His faithful servants to attain Paradise,
- Allah will reward those who show patience,
- Allah is the One Who gives us our soul and gives health,
- Allah heals us when we are sick,
- Allah warns us constantly to help us attain true faith and reminds us through various ways,
- Allah has given us love of faith and has made disbelief, deviance and disobedience hateful to us,
- Allah will bring forward a people whom He loves and who love Him to replace those who renounce the religion,
- Allah erases bad actions from true believers,
- Allah gives the power of discernment to judge between right and wrong to those who have fear of Allah,
-Allah is closer to us than anyone or anything,
-We need to pray to Allah that He keep us as His friend till eternity.
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 Jonathan Tramontana)
For more information about priestly formation in the diocese, visit www.grpriests.org/Pages/Home.aspx.