Saints in the Making: Our Deacons

We have many saints in the making at Mary, Queen of Peace; among those are our deacons, five men who do more than you or I will ever know to fulfill their vocation of service to the Lord. At their ordination, each one of our deacons heard these words from the archbishop who ordained him: “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

During the past two years, I have been humbled to see the living faith of Deacon Eddy Beckendorf, Deacon Jack Finn, Deacon Abner Guillory, and Deacon Timothy Jackson; I also look forward to getting to know our newest deacon, Mo Casadaban. These men give me support, kindness, and grace. I am grateful for their service at the altar, for their care for the elderly when visiting our area senior communities, for their work with baptisms and marriages, and for preaching and living the Word of God.

Deacons are often little seen and misunderstood. A deacon is not simply the pastor’s helper at the liturgy. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of the presence of Christ, who came “to serve and not to be served.” As the U.S. Bishops state on their website: “We are all called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.” The name itself derives from diakonia, Greek for service. Our deacons are here to serve, and they serve in a multitude of ways.

On this Deacon Sunday, I invite you to join me in giving thanks for these good men, who sacrifice personal time to serve the people of Mary, Queen of Peace and still have time to care for their own families. May the Lord continue to bless each one of them as they serve Him with joy, humility, and love.