By TAMI QUIGLEY Staff writer
“Recall and give thanks every day for the joy of your diaconate and the joy of your diaconate marriage,” Deacon Greg Kandra told members of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Allentown and their wives gathered Sept. 28 at the Office of Permanent Deacon Formation Convocation at St. Mary, Hamburg.
“My two greatest decisions were marrying my wife and becoming a deacon,” said Deacon Kandra, who presented two sessions.
Father Eugene Ritz, diocesan chancellor, director of formation for the permanent diaconate and chaplain of Notre Dame High School, Easton, welcomed those gathered.
“The Order of Deacons continues to grow,” said Father Ritz.
Deacon Kandra is creator of the blog “The Deacon’s Bench” on the popular website Patheos.
He also serves as the multimedia editor for Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a pontifical association founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926. He oversees the agency’s blog “One-to-One” and is an editor of its magazine ONE.
The day included breakout sessions and a panel discussion moderated by Father Ritz. Panelists were Deacon Kandra; Bernarda Liriano, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Affiars and member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) National Advisory Council; and Monsignor David James, diocesan vicar general.
Bishop Alfred Schlert celebrated the Saturday Vigil Mass, followed by a reception and dinner.
In Deacon Kandra’s first session, he referenced 1 Timothy 1:12: “I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.”
Deacon Kandra presented some of the ways deacons and spouses bear witness to Christian charity and marriage and the family, as well as serve as agents of healing in a divided world and Church.
“God doesn’t call the perfect, he perfects the called – and thank God for that,” said Deacon Kandra, who served Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.
“We are part of something extraordinary, never forget that.”
Deacon Kandra spoke of the letter “Restoration of the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church” (“Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem”) in which Pope St. Paul VI restored the order in 1968. The first class in the Diocese of Allentown was ordained in 1982.
Deacon Kandra said Pope Paul said the diaconate is not just a stepping stone to the priesthood – deacons can permanently serve the Church.
Deacon Kandra said the vocations of marriage and the diaconate “inform one another and help to illuminate our ministry.” He said the deacon’s ministries of charity, word and altar are not exclusive to the service of the Church but also in marriage; the deacon serves the Church but also his wife, family and people of God.
Deacon Kandra described ministry of the word as proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, teaching and prayer. “We are men and women of prayer above all else. Pray often together as a family with children and as a couple.”
He said wives of deacons, like Mary, are women of “yes,” as the wives said “yes” to their husband’s pursing a diaconate vocation. “Live this wonderful adventure through the graces of the sacraments of marriage and holy orders,” Deacon
Kandra said, advising deacons and their wives to talk openly, honestly and often.
Of ministry of the altar, Deacon Kandra said “the altar of marriage is at home, the domestic Church, at the kitchen table, and the desk where the deacon writes his homilies. “It’s where the deacon lives his other life.”
“The diaconate is a way of living, a way of life. Being a deacon isn’t about what we do but who we are. People should see us as men of God, walking the journey with them, bringing them Christ,” he said, adding not only the people in the pews but priests as well should see deacons this way.
“Everything we do is for one purpose – the salvation of souls, especially the soul of the person you’re married to.
“Everyone here has made the decision to love, and that has put us on the most amazing journey.”
In his second session, Deacon Kandra referenced Philippians 3:13, “Forward to what Lies Ahead.”.
Deacon Kandra wrote about the day in his blog by clicking here.
Deacons can be married and must be married prior to receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders. If a deacon’s wife predeceases him, he must remain celibate as he continues his ministry as a deacon.
Single men may be ordained to the permanent diaconate but make a promise of celibacy at their ordination and live a celibate life after their ordination.
To date, a total of 166 men have been ordained to serve the Diocese as members of the permanent diaconate. There are 108 active deacons in the Diocese, and 17 additional deacons are retired but often serve in some capacity. The deacons serve in various capacities, many in parishes.
