Denver Catholic

34 AUGUST 2023 | DENVER CATHOLIC 1 Has to be the absolute beauty of the Catechism. Having grown up in the late 70's/early 80's with the Baltimore Catechism, I always thought of it as a ref- erence book used by teachers in Catechism Classes mostly for Confirmation preparation. Then Dr. Innerst started walking us through it, and besides being beautifully laid out in an easy-to-read format, much of the text in it is actually beautiful to read. I think so many people believe as I used to that the Catechism was a big boring book that we could look to when somebody posed a challenging question to us. It is so much more than that. 2 One of the most tangible ways we can experience God's love for us is through the Eucharist. I never really truly appreciated that until I had the opportunity to really focus on it during four years of formation. Also, it was an invitation by our pastor, Father Scott Bailey, to all of those at Risen Christ Parish that were involved with either adoration or being Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion to come to a Saturday Presentation about the History of the Eucharist and what it really means to Cath- olics that started my journey in diaconate formation. 3 How about a very bold whisper. My call came at a very specific moment during a day of prayer that I was invited to by our pastor. He and Connie from the Augustine Institute gave a talk about the Eucharist and followed the talk up by teaching us how to do Lectio Divina and then we had a Holy Hour with Adoration to practice Lectio. It was during that prayer time that I asked God how I could serve his Church more and he very clearly let me know that he was asking me to be a Deacon! If you are going to ask God a direct question be prepared for a direct answer! 1 Knowledge and trust in God's love for me. When we know and believe this, we can experience God's goodness and ref lect his image to others. Growing up in a family of 12 kids, I experienced deep human love within the family but didn't always understand it from and with God. Through my time in formation, I truly came to believe and live this message, and I felt called to teach and share it with others. 2 I was blessed to witness St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta's interaction with the Eucharist while spending time with her in India in the 90s. After removing Christ from the monstrance, I could see how she handled the luna (the sacred vessel that contains Christ in the monstrance at adoration); her solid belief and love for Christ were evident in her utmost care. That has always given me a beautiful understanding of Christ's true presence and my adoration of him in the Eucharist. I hope to share this with others; it's awesome. 3 I would consider it a whisper. My father was a deacon for the Archdiocese of Denver. As a young adult, I spent time with religious sisters and priests in my volunteer ministries, so I felt comfortable and considered serving the Church in some capacit y. My wife and I had discussed the possibilit y when we were first married but decided to wait until our children were a little older. During adoration at a FOCUS SEEK conference, I felt God 's call to discuss it with my wife and then call the diaconate office to inquire. Men, it 's the second most positive life-changing decision I've made. 1 How to deepen my prayer life. 2 I started as an altar boy right after my first commu- nion. Sister Carlos and Father Hymel taught me very well about the Real Presence of Jesus. I am still in awe at the elevation of the body and blood. 3 I was in the seminary for high school, college and one year of theology. God let me know he had some- thing else for me. Over the last 10 years of my 35 years of marriage, God has whispering to me to do more for his Church. D E ACO N S A M B IT T N E R Risen Christ Parish in Denver D E ACO N S T E V E B O S E L L I St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Boulder D E ACO N CL A R E N CE B R AU D I I I St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Aurora

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