Published on February 2, 2010
in News.
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, at St Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, the following ten men from the Permanent Diaconate Class of 2009 were ordained as deacons by Bishop Ronald P. Fabbro: 
Roy Brothers
Gerard Charette
Marcel DeClerk
Jack Grim
Bob Hartman
Alex Litt
Chris Masterson
Doug Oltsher
Rudy Terpstra
Jeremy Tyrrell
Please pray for our brothers and their families as they join us in our Sacrament of Service. And congratulations to the Diocese of London and to all those who supported them in their formation.
Published on February 2, 2010
in News.
The 10th annual convocation of the Ontario Catholic Association of Diaconate Leaders will be held in London at St. Peter’s Seminary on the weekend of May 28 to May 30, 2010.
The distinguished guest presenter will be Fr. Murray Watson, Lecturer in Biblical Studies, St. Peter’s, who will take as his theme “The Deacon as Evangelizer”!
Accommodations are available at Aquinas House, on the Seminary grounds, or at Station Park All Suites Hotel, which is about a five minute drive from the Seminary. The cost will probably be about $50/night at Aquinas House [dormitory style] and $120/night at Station Park.
Watch this site for more information as it becomes available.
Published on February 1, 2010
in News.
At OCADL 2009 in Pembroke last summer, Deacon Bill Gervais presented the new Formation program for the Archdiocese of Kingston. The program makes extensive use of the S.T.E.P. (Satellite Theological Education Program) from the Institute for Church Life of the University of Notre Dame for the doctrinal dimension of formation. We have reviewed the program, and find that it corresponds well with the requirements of the “Basic Norms” document. As a service to our readers, we have posted this review for reference. You may download it by clicking here. The review consists of an independently derived comparison table of the coverage of the Kingston program versus the requirements of the Vatican document “Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons”, followed by explanatory footnotes.
If you are interested in having a similar comparison done for your program of doctrinal formation for the permanent diaconate, please send curriculum information details to the editor.
Kingston Archdiocese was one of several (Arch)dioceses which shared details of the ways candidates were selected, formed, and given post-ordination continuing education at the 2009 OCADL Convocation. We hope to publish soon more of the important information made available in the session presentations at this watershed meeting.
Published on September 14, 2009
in News.
On August 10, the great Feast Day of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, issued a letter of gratitude and encouragement to all permanent deacons. In addition, His Eminence calls all deacons to greater personal sanctification in our prayer lives and in the spirituality of the diaconate. Cardinal Hummes draws our particular attention to the ministry of the Word and to the ministry of Charity, which together with the ministry of the Altar, constitute the essence of diaconal ministry.
We are to model our ministry of the Word on St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr. We are to constantly struggle to study the Word, practice it, and proclaim it to others. When we were ordained, we were told:
Receive the Gospel of Christ,
whose herald you now are.
Believe what you read,
teach what you believe,
and practice what you teach.
With respect to our ministry of the Word, the Cardinal invites us to meditate on the Word, following the style of Lectio Divina (prayerful reading), and make it our own.
With respect to our ministry of Charity, we are to take as our great model, St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, who administered the goods of the Christian community for Pope Sixtus II. As stated by Pope Benedict XVI, Lawrence was well recognized for his concern for the poor, his generous service of the Church, and his faithfulness to the Pope. Deacons are to identify themselves in a special way with charity, and to assist the poor and marginalized with great generosity. In the recent encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, the Holy Father states “Charity is the royal road of the social doctrine of the Church.”
Read the full article here.
Published on September 12, 2009
in News.
Our OCADL President, Deacon John Vallely has recently been appointed by Bishop Ronald Fabbro as Director of Permanent Deacons for the Diocese of London for a 5 year term. As well, Deacon John will continue as Director of the Permanent Deacon Formation and Study Program.
In addition, Deacon Vallely will collaborate with both the Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary and the Executive Director of St. Peter’s Institute for Catholic Formation, with whom he has developed a “bridging program” between the permanent diaconate and the certificate program in lay pastoral formation.
Deacon Vallely was ordained Permanent Deacon Deacon for the Diocese of London in November, 2005. Prior to commencing his formation for the Permanent Diaconate, he received an MDiv from St Peter’s Seminary in 2001. He is assigned to Holy Family Parish for his ministry of Word and ministry of Sacrament. He is Chair of the Board of the London Affordable Housing Foundation.
Born in Hamilton, Deacon John earned an Honours BA in Psychology from Western, then graduated from Medicine in 1972 and did post-graduate training in Urology. He retired in 2008 as staff Urologist at St. Joseph’s Health Care, London and Associate Professor of Surgery (Urology) in UWO’s Faculty of Medicine. Deacon John has been married to Susan since 1970 and they have two adult sons, Paul and Alan.
Please pray for our brother John and for his ministries - London is a fortunate Diocese!
Published on July 10, 2009
in News.
In North America, deacons associate under the umbrella of the National Association of Deacon Directors (NADD), which is divided into 14 regions. This enables deacons from groups of dioceses to meet, to study, to pray, and have fun being together without having to travel thousands of miles.
Regions consist of several dioceses, and each one makes an effort to facilitate fellowship, learning and faithfulness to the diaconal calling among the deacons in that region.
Every two years our group of northern New York and southern Ontario dioceses (Region 2) holds the convocation, usually at the end of July. It moves from diocese to diocese.
The Convocation this summer will be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology Campus. Convocation Fees (including meals) are $175.00. Please register asap. With a credit card, you can register on-line by clicking here.
You may also download the pdf registration information by clicking here.
For more information, please contact Deacon Dan Hurley, Chair, at 1-585-319-8205 or dhurley@dor.org.
As Deacon Bert says, “Let’s make this the best convocation yet!”
Published on July 10, 2009
in News.
At the Annual Convocation of the Ontario Catholic Association of Diaconal Leaders, May 29-31, 2009, hosted by Bishop Mulhall and the Diocese of Pembroke, Deacon Bill Gervais was elected unanimously President-Elect of OCADL. This position commences a three year sequence of executive positions for Deacon Bill, namely president-elect, president, and past-president over the period 2009-2012. We all recognize the commitment he has made to OCADL and are very appreciative!
Deacon Gervais stands at the left hand of Archbishop O'Brien
Deacon Bill Gervais is married, and with his wife Ellen they enjoy two daughters and four grandchildren. Bill was ordained in 1995 and served at St. Gregory’s Parish as a Pastoral Minister until 2008. He is presently assigned to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kingston and Director of Pastoral Care at Hotel Dieu Hospital. In addition to these pastoral duties Bill is the Director for the Office of the Permanent Diaconate in Kingston.
Deacon Gervais holds a BA in Political Science from University of Windsor, Masters of Divinity from Queen’s Theological College in Kingston and Doctor of Ministry from the Toronto School of Theology. His doctoral thesis explored the sacramental identity of the diaconate.
Published on June 12, 2009
in News.
One of the highlights of the OCADL 2009 Annual Convocation was the dinner speech by the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Chaplain General of Canada, Deacon Padre Lawrence D. MacIsaac. Most of us had little or no understanding of the way the permanent deacons serve in the Canadian Forces, and were captivated by the generous and dedicated service these men provide to our women and men serving Canada throughout the world in conditions of extreme danger. Colonel MacIsaac is Principal Chaplain and director of priest-chaplains and deacon-chaplains from every faith, as well as two imams and four rabbis. In 2007, he was awarded an honourary Doctor of Divinity by the Atlantic School of Theology for the leadership he provided in transforming the Canadian Forces Chaplaincy into one of the most ecumenical and interfaith chaplaincies in the world. Yet as every other deacon does, he strives “not to be served, but to serve”.
Padre MacIsaac illustrated his stories with touching pictures of the chaplains, soldiers and people of the area. This was the first time that a representative of the military ordinariate attended OCADL, and we all benefitted from his presence and contributions.
Padre Colonel Deacon MacIsaac describes a tour of duty in Afghanistan at OCADL 2009
Published on May 4, 2009
in News.
At OCADL’s 2009 Convocation, May 29-31 in Pembroke, Diaconate Leaders from the far corners of Ontario (and the centre, too) will share insights gained from over 30 years of
- identifying diaconal vocations
- forming candidates and
- assisting deacons to develop in their ministry and vocation
For more information, view the preliminary-schedule-2009. To register, print and send the completed registration form as soon as possible.
Join us in the city that lumber built - beautiful, quaint Pembroke.
We look forward to sharing the Spirit!
Published on April 15, 2009
in News.
April 22, 2009 marks the start of the NADD Convention for 2009 and also the first day of a year-long educational institute program for deacon directors, including four days of immersion at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. The dates are selected to allow directors to combine participation in the National Convention and participation in the Institute.
Specifically, the dates are:
April 22, 2009 (NADD Convention 2009, Chicago, Illinois)
June 14-19, 2009 (Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio)
April 14, 2010 (NADD Convention 2010, Spokane, Washington)
For more, visit the NADD website.
