As decided at the last convocation, OCADL 2009 will be held in Pembroke (Eastern Region) on May 29 – 31st, 2009. The Bishop of Pembroke Diocese, Most Reverend Michael Mulhall will be the keynote speaker, host Ordinary, and principal celebrant and homilist for the closing Mass.
According to the Coordinator of Permanent Diaconate Ministries in the Archdiocese of Ottawa, there are a number of diocesan programs and services which are currently under review. The Permanent Diaconate Formation Program is one of them. It is understandable that a program of this significance be reviewed periodicaly. The Formation Program will be under review for a 12 month period from June 2008 through to June 2009. The decision has been made by Archbishop Prendergast that during the review period, there will be no new applicants admitted to the Program. Those candidates already in formation will continue as usual until their formation is completed. Once the review is completed a communication will be sent out to advise all concerned when the program will be accepting new applicants.
After a summer in Ontario Dioceses in which over 25 candidates for the permanent diaconate have been ordained, on Saturday, September 7, eight candidates for the Permanent Diaconate were ordained at 2:00 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Thunder Bay by His Excellency, Bishop Fred Colli. These men were well prepared and formed under the oversight of several OCADL members, including Deacons Charles Johnson, Armand Danis, and Etienne Roussel. Deacon Charles Johnson retired from the OCADL Executive in June at the OCADL 2008 convocation in Sudbury after serving with great distinction as our Past-President.
Please pray for our new Thunder Bay brothers in the Ancient Order of Permanent Deacon. May they serve our Lord and his people with great humility and diaconal love. And our congratulations to Bishop Colli and to our OCADL brothers who assisted them. Well done, good and faithful servants!
The names of our new diaconal brothers and their wives are:
St. Lawrence, Deacon, pray for us.