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.
This year, six Ontario (Arch)Dioceses have advised us of their ordinations to the Permanent Diaconate. Let us pray for our brothers who were ordained in 2008 to live their vocation of service of word, altar and charity. And let us include their wives and families in our prayers.
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(Arch)Diocese
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Date(s)
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|---|---|
| Ottawa: | Sunday, June 8 |
| Pembroke: | Saturday, May 10 |
| Saint Catharines: | Saturday, May 31 |
| Sault Ste-Marie: | Sunday, July 6 |
| Thunder Bay: | Sunday, September 7 |
| Toronto: | Saturday, May 31 |
Please contact us and send us any additional information about ordinations to the permanent diaconate. We will be happy to post the good news!
On May 10, 2008, at St. Columbkille’s Cathedral in Pembroke, Bishop Michael Mulhall followed the tradition of the apostles, and placed his hands upon the head of Adrien Chaput, to confer the Order of Permanent Deacon, just as was done to St. Stephen by St. Peter and St. James almost 2000 years ago.
From Friday June 6 to Sunday June 8, twenty-two deacons and wives from seven dioceses and archdioceses across Ontario gathered at beautiful Villa Loyola in Sudbury to participate in three days of personal development and sharing in diaconal community. Our host Bishop, Most Reverend Jean-Louis Plouffe, Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie, gave a stirring vision of the Church, and the need for diaconal service to all those who have been neglected by both Church and society. His Excellency encourages his deacons (and indirectly, us) to reach out with compassion and acceptance to the 85% (in his Diocese) of those who are Catholic, but have felt alienated or moved away from the Church for some reason. He believes that much more mercy and courage to risk with compassion are needed in our lives. He calls us to be more human, with the humanity of Christ integrated into our lives of service.
On June 7, Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe gave the OCADL 2008 attendees an extremely interesting personal view of the history, context and possible direction for the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie. What follows is not an exact literal transcript, but rather a faithful sense of the history and vision the Bishop shared with us. Please read on to receive a truly stirring vision of both diaconate and Church in the Third Millenia.
Bishop Plouffe with OCADL 2008 gang
Continue reading ‘Host Bishop’s Vision of Church & Diaconate’
In the Diocese of St. Catharines, we will celebrate our first ordination to the Permanent Diaconate on May 31st this year of seven men of good reputation. Continue reading ‘St. Catharines celebrates golden anniversary by ordaining seven men to the Permanent Diaconate’
