Denver Catholic

8 JUNE 24-JULY 7, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese "I t's essential that your mar- riages stand out," Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila told nine men who were ordained to the perma- nent diaconate June 17 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. "As deacons, you will be called to serve in numerous ways," he said in his homily before the ordination of nine permanent deacons and one transi- tional deacon. "Always remember that marriage is your fi rst vocation, and that your marriage must come fi rst." He called them to be witnesses to the world of "the gift of marriage and to the blessing of marriage." In a word to the priests who will be working with the deacons in the par- ishes, the Archbishop encouraged them to also remember that the deacons are married men with wives and children, and grandchildren. "They do have a family. They do have responsibilities. And even one of them is young enough to still have six young children," the archbishop said, referring to 39-year-old Deacon Greg Perzinski of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Aurora. The archbishop prayed in his closing remarks that the deacons be "witnesses in the world." "May the Lord whose word is truth, who has placed his word in your mouth, continue to strengthen you, and con- tinue to guide you in your ministry," he said. "May you continue to open your hearts to ever greater receptivity to his word, as Mary's heart was open to his word. "Know that Mary intercedes for you each day as her sons to lead you to the one son, her son, Jesus Christ. … May your love for him continue to increase each day, and may you be faithful ser- vants of Christ and the Church." The ordained permanent deacons include David Joseph Arling, Ronald Francis Beck, Geo• rey Bruce Ben- nett, Halbert Ray Goldwire II, Robert Salvatore Lanciotti, Ernest Toribio Martinez, Darell Ladd Nepil, Gregory Michael Perzinski, and Patrick Joseph Travis. A tenth deacon was ordained at the Mass to the transitional diaconate. Shannon Thurman is currently study- ing to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Denver. He studies at the St. John XXIII Seminary in Massachusetts. After the homily, each of the elect stood before the archbishop and declared their intention to be ordained. Each individual deacon then knelt before the archbishop and placed their hands between his. "Do you promise respect and obedience to me and my successors?" the archbishop asked. "I do," each of the elect said. "May God who has begun a good work in you bring it to fulfi llment," the archbishop said. The diaconate is one of three ranks of holy orders—deacons, priests and bishops—in the Catholic Church and dates 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, fi lled 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 became 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 fi rst permanent deacons in the United States were ordained in 1971. The fi rst 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 "ser- vice." Deacons may o± ciate at bap- tisms, weddings, wakes and funerals, Archbishop to deacons: Make your marriages 'stand out' BY KARNA SWANSON karna.swanson@archden.org @KarnaSwanson

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