Ongoing Formation Hours
All active deacons are required to complete 25 hours of ongoing formation
hours annually. If you are in need of a form, refer to page 110 of your
Deacon Handbook and copy/enlarge the page. You may also download the form
from the member section of this website.
Completed forms for the each year are due prior to March 1 of the
following year. Please
submit completed forms to this office in a timely fashion.
A reminder to all active deacons who have not
yet submitted their ongoing formation hours for the calendar year ending
December 31, 2009. We ask that you please submit your hours AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE - the deadline was March 1, 2010.
Please also include those hours for the calendar year ending December 31,
2008 for those active deacons who did not submit them. Thanks.
Virtual Tours of the Vatican
Be sure to allow yourself enough time to take
this virtual tour of The Vatican. It is awesome.
INSTRUCTIONS: After you link on the site below and select an image,
double click with the left mouse button and it appears, then HOLD DOWN THE
LEFT MOUSE BUTTON AND SLOWLY MOVE THE CURSOR AROUND THE ROOM and to the
ceiling.
http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/vr_tour/index-en.html
The Vatican virtual tours - once you get
the hang of it, you can easily spend hours on this site...
RCIA for the Hispanic
Deacon Armando Martinez is setting up R.C.I.A.
beginning October for the Hispanic. He is trying to establish dates for this
year and next year. If some deacons have information they can share with
him, it will help him start the process. Deacon Martinez can be contacted at
martinezluckey13@gmail.com.
Homiletic Resources Available
Dear Deacons,
I recently sent this information about Fr. Mike
Librandi, one of our own diocesan priests, to a number of priests in the
diocese. I thought you might also appreciate this information as you prepare
your homilies.
Fr. Mike has developed a series of homilies for
this liturgical year which began with the first Sunday of Advent. I
personally have found these homilies to be some of the best I have used in
my ministry. What I especially find helpful is the way he is able to pull
all the readings, including the response psalm, into a simple and very
understandable message. I am happy to recommend this homily service to you.
You can access the homily membership site by
going to http://www.sundayshomily.com.
Once there you will be able to listen to and read a few sample homilies. If
you wish to subscribe to the homily service Fr. Mike has offered a special
price to the priests and deacons of our diocese. Just send him an email to
FrMichael@BuildMySpirit.com
and you will receive a discount of $2.00 per month.
May God continue to bless you in your ministry.
Msgr. Thomas C. Brady, V.G.
Deacon to Deacon
 Since Assembly Day, a number of
deacons have enquired about the status of the St. Stephen - Deacon Relief
Fund. As background, the Office has been given funds by parishes [tithes],
deacons and individuals earmarked for assistance to deacons or their
families in times of great need. The funds are kept in a separate account,
isolated from the operating funds. With the advice of the Bishop’s Committee
for the Permanent Diaconate and authorization of the Vicar for Clergy, the
Office has made several gifts since the funds inception over a decade ago.
Today, the funds are nearly depleted. If you or your parish would like to
make a gift at this time, please do so by sending a check accompanied by a
letter stating the origin and intended use of the funds.
To replenish the funds, we will need the assistance of the community.
Several deacons made suggestions about how we might raise funds. Please
contact the office if you would like to serve on a committee focused on
sourcing these funds. Today’s generosity will be the charity we have to
share with deacons and their families in times of great need.
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