Denver Catholic

Six ordained to serve Spanish-speaking community BY KARNA SWANSON The "unique vocation" of the deacon is his "treasure," Arch- bishop Samuel Aquila told a group of six Spanish-speaking deacon candidates moments before their ordination Aug. 23 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Adding to the uniqueness of their vocation, the six men, all immigrants from Mexico, constituted the third class of deacons in the archdiocese to have received their formation in Spanish. The group has been study- ing through the Denver Arch- diocese's St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons for more than five years, and their service as deacons will primarily be di- rected to the Spanish-speaking community, which the arch- bishop said was a "very import- ant part of our archdiocese, and for whom there is so much to do." In the archbishop's homily, which he gave in both English and Spanish, he thanked them for having said "yes" to serve Christ, reminding them that they have been "called from all eternity ... to serve our Lord as deacons." "A deacon is a servant," he continued. "Deacons receive the imposition of hands, not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry. This unique voca- tion is their treasure." "They are not priests nor quasi-priests," the archbishop explained. "They are deacons who want to be like Christ the servant. They are configured to Christ the servant. They will serve in the sacred liturgy ... and they are called to serve tables, to bring food to those who hun- ger, and most especially hope to those who suffer." The archbishop asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the new deacons to "be joyful and generous ser- vants of the Church." The diaconate is one of three ranks of holy orders—deacons, priests and bishops—in the Catholic Church and dates back to the time of the Apostles. The Book of Acts relates that the order was established when the Apostles told the Christian community to select "seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom" to serve the community and free the Apostles to focus on "prayer and ministry of the word" (6:3, 4). The men were chosen and the Apostles "prayed and laid hands on them" (6:6). Over time, the diaconate be- came a transitional step for men studying to be priests. It was restored as a permanent ministry by Pope Paul VI on June 18, 1967, as a result of the Second Vatican Council. The first permanent deacons in the United States were or- dained in 1971. The first in the archdiocese—10 men—were ordained by Archbishop James Casey on April 6, 1974. The word "diaconate" comes from the Greek diakonia, which means "service." Deacons may officiate at baptisms, weddings, wakes and funerals, and may preach and distribute Commu - nion. They cannot consecrate the Eucharist, hear confessions or anoint the sick. Today, there are 180 perma- nent deacons in the archdio- cese; 135 of them are in active ministry. In addition to the class of six ordained Saturday, an En- glish-language class of 10 men was ordained in January. MEET THE NEW DEACONS Deacon Arturo Araiza, 43, an Alliance Residential employee, was born and reared in Juarez. He and his wife, Yolanda, have been married for eight years and have INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 Marriage Missionaries ....................5 Seniors ..............................................13 Nun of the Above quiz ...................17 Bulletin Board ................................. 18 Service Directory ...................... 18-19 Deacons called by God to serve PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF/DCR SIX newly ordained deacons line up to receive a fraternal kiss of peace from Archbishop Samuel Aquila during their ordination Mass Aug. 23. Watch a livestream of the ordination here: http:// goo.gl/KVdRtz. See a photo gallery of the ordination here www.DenverCatholicRegister.org. AUGUST 27, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 28 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE INTERRELIGIOUS RELATIONS VATICAN NEWS PAGE 3 PAGE 12 Pope sends letter of condolence to family of James Foley PHOTO BY TODD WOLLAM/DCR Let there be peace on earth BACK-TO-SCHOOL PAGE 6 PAGE 6 Seminary uniquely poised for future growth With a little help from Seeds of Hope, student gets Catholic education See Deacons, Page 2

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