EDISON — Sixteen men took their first step to becoming members of the permanent diaconate for the diocese at Mass at St. Matthew the Apostle Church Jan. 25.
Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the Mass and Rite of Admission to Candidacy for the Permanent Diaconate for the 16 Spanish-speaking aspirants. Concelebrants included priests from the parishes of the men.
Candidacy, according to the Church, “is a first official recognition of the positive signs of the vocation to the diaconate, which must be confirmed in the subsequent years of formation.”
In his homily, Bishop Checchio reflected on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. He tied the presence of the aspirants coming to participate in the rite, only through the prayerful intercession of others, to the conversion of St. Paul through the intercession of St. Stephen’s prayers during martyrdom and through the continued support of the Christian community beginning with Ananias.
The bishop used the opportunity to encourage the men on their mission to share the message of the Gospel with all people, particularly looking to the time when they will be able to proclaim the Gospel and preach at Mass.
He reminded the congregation that conversion only comes from listening and spending time in prayer, but also of the importance of interceding for others: “This feast is a call to reach one of us. More so for a man who wants to configure himself to Christ. Give yourselves to prayer.”
In the Rite of Candidacy, Bishop Checchio formally asked the aspirants if they were resolved to take on the process of formation, and to prepare themselves to give faithful service to Christ and his Church. The 16 men responded with a confident “I do.”
The bishop then formally accepted their declaration.
At the conclusion of Mass, Deacon Stephen F. Kern, director, diocesan Office of the Diaconate, thanked the wives and families of the new candidates for their support.
Deacons are ordained ministers who proclaim the Gospel and preach. As ministers of sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services.
As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church’s resources to meet those needs.
The candidates who were accepted in the Rite of Candidacy were selected because of their ability to speak Spanish, said Deacon Kern, who exercises his ministry at St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish, Flemington.
According to evangelization statistics: Hispanic Catholics are about 40 percent of the approximately 78 million Catholics in the country; Hispanics account for 71 percent of the growth of the Catholic population in the United States since 1960; and 60 percent of Catholics under the age of 18 are Hispanic.
“Soon after Bishop Checchio came to our diocese, it became obvious to him as he visited the parishes and heard from pastors that there was a need for Spanish-speaking deacons to serve the growing Catholic Hispanic/Latino population in the diocese,” Deacon Kern said. “The number of current deacons who speak Spanish in our diocese is fairly small given our population, so one of the first things the bishop asked me to do was to put together a diaconate formation class of men who speak Spanish.
“Although there is an obvious large Hispanic/Latino presence in parts of the diocese such as Perth Amboy and New Brunswick, there are several parishes in more rural areas [such as St. Magdalen de Pazzi] that have a significantly sized Hispanic/Latino community. In the deacon’s heart is the urge to serve, but the service that English-only speaking deacons can provide in these parishes is sometimes limited because of the language barrier.”
At a reception, candidate Francisco Jaurides, a member of Sts. Philip & James Parish, Phillipsburg, said he is choosing to study to become a permanent deacon to help his community. Specifically, he would like to help parents take seriously the role of forming their children and preparing them to receive the sacraments through encouragement and education.
He also expressed a strong desire to be a part of the Mass. However, he made it clear that he did not come up with this idea on his own. Rather, he explained, only after being encouraged by a priest to consider this path did he take the time to pray about it. Eventually, he developed a strong sense that this is what God wanted for him, and he just needed to say “yes”.
He also expressed that the support from Father George Weiner, his wife and children.
Members of the diaconate formation class who speak Spanish and their parish
Ysidro Abreu St. Joseph
North Plainfield
William Chirinos Mary Mother of God
Hillsborough
Jose R. Diaz Our Lady of Fatima
Perth Amboy
Sergio Diaz Our Lady of Fatima
Perth Amboy
Richard Ferreira St. Matthew
Edison
Paul Flor St. Philip & St. James
Phillipsburg
German Gonzalez St. John Paul II
Perth Amboy
Vidal J. Gonzalez St. Joseph
Carteret
Francisco Jaurides St. Philip & St. James
Phillipsburg
Jose Fritz Molina Most Holy Name of Jesus
Perth Amboy
Hernando Patino St. Magdalen de Pazzi
Flemington
Freddy A. Perez Most Holy Name of Jesus
Perth Amboy
Wilkin Rivera St. Matthew
Edison
Pedro Sanchez- Duval OL of Mt. Carmel
New Brunswick