Denver Catholic

INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Nun of the Above quiz ....................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 Making Sense of Bioethics .......... 16 Puzzle Page......................................17 Bulletin Board ................................. 18 Service Directory ........................... 19 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE HUMAN TRAFFICKING 113 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 4 JANUARY 29, 2014 Wives support new deacons' call to service Archbishop Aquila ordains 10 men to the diaconate BY CINDY BROVSKY PHOTO BY JOSEPH MORRIS Nowhere to turn PAGE 6 RESPECT LIFE Bringing divine guidance to life decisions PAGE 7 Behind 10 newly ordained deacons in the Archdiocese of Denver stand supportive wives who share their husbands' new service to God. Archbishop Samuel Aquila ordained the men the morning of Jan. 25, before family and friends at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver. The archbishop emphasized that the men did not come upon this service on their own. "As Jesus in the Gospel told his disciples: You did not choose me, but I chose you," Archbishop Aquila said. The archbishop officiated despite battling the flu and a cough. During the two-hour Mass and ceremony, he urged the new deacons to find joy and confidence in "the gift bestowed by God." He said there is no room for pessimism, despair or fear in Christianity. "Service the people in love and joy as you would the Lord," the archbishop said. The men, who range in age from 47 to 61, said their wives played pivotal roles in their decisions to become deacons. They spent nearly five years studying spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human formation at the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in south Denver. Deacon Michael Raymond Grafner, 61, said God spoke to him one night about becoming a deacon but he didn't tell his wife, Veronica. Yet she also felt a pull from God after PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY/DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER TEN MEN who were ordained to the diaconate Jan. 25 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver face the congregation during the ordination Mass celebrated by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila. Communion one Mass when she said God told her to give her husband to him. "My thought was my husband was going to die or become a deacon," Veronica recalled. After the couple shared their messages with each other, Michael announced to a small church group that he was going to discern becoming a deacon. "He is so loving, so gentle and really cares about people," his wife of 43 years said. "The sincerity of his heart is why he will be a good deacon." During the ordination ceremony, each man swore to faithfully discharge the office of deacon with humility. Individually, they knelt before the archbishop and swore obedience and respect. As a group, the men lay prostrate while the congregation chanted the Litany of Supplication over them. After the laying on of hands and Prayer of Ordination, the men were vested in stole and dalmatic and received the Book of Gospels. The men join 162 deacons in the archdiocese that serve 118 parishes. The archbishop urged the men to remember to put their marriages first and recognize the gift of their families. He encouraged their wives, who participated in the ceremony See Deacons, Page 16 NEW DEACONS The 10 newly ordained deacons and their parish assignments: • Christopher Michael Byrne, 57, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder • Michael Raymond Grafner, 61, Christ the King Parish in Evergreen • Kevin Charles Heckman, 59, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Denver • Paul Louderman, 56, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn • James Francis Mackin III, 52, St. Louis Parish in Louisville • John Michael Otero, 59, St. John the Baptist Parish in Johnstown • George Alex Thierjung, 59, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Longmont • Donald Paul Tracy, 56, St. Rose of Lima Parish in Denver • Timothy Scott Unger, 47, Risen Christ Parish in Denver • Mark Francis Wolbach, 52, Light of the World Parish in Littleton CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK Educator swapped her plan for God's PAGE 12 Teacher's influence felt far and wide PAGE 13

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