Four deacons ordained |
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Written by LAURIE STEVENS BERTKE, Chronicle Writer
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Friday, 03 October 2008 01:00 |
TOLEDO—In a joyful celebration at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, Bishop Leonard P. Blair ordained four men from the Diocese of Toledo as permanent deacons Sept. 20.
The bishop also announced the newly ordained Phillip Avina of Bowling Green St. Aloysius, Michael Eier of Findlay St. Michael the Archangel, Joseph Malenfant of Maumee St. Joseph and Trevor Fernandes of Toledo St. Joseph are to serve as deacons in their home parishes.
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| Deacon Joseph Malenfant of Maumee St. Joseph looks on as Deacon Trevor
Fernandes of Toledo St. Joseph prepares the gifts at the altar. The two
men, along with Phillip Avina of Bowling Green St. Aloysius and Michael
Eier of Findlay St. Michael the Archangel, were ordained permanent deacons for the diocese Sept. 20. (Chronicle photo by Laurie Stevens Bertke) |
After Mass, Deacon Eier said it was difficult to put into words how he felt during his ordination. "I could feel my heart racing, really feeling just a sense of it all, and the power of God," he said.
"It’s been a seven year journey," added Karen Eier, his wife of 27 years, who said she felt both nervous and excited while she watched her husband being ordained.
In his homily during the ordination Mass, Bishop Blair related the three aspects of the service of a deacon — ministry of word, altar and charity — to the Scriptures that were read.
Quoting Pope John Paul II, he reminded the deacon candidates that "one or another of these may receive particular emphasis in an individual deacon’s work, but these three ministries are inseparably joined together as one in the service of God’s redemptive plan. This is so because the word of God inevitably leads us to the eucharistic worship of God at the altar; in turn, this worship leads us to a new way of living which expresses itself in acts of charity."
Deacon Avina, a member of St. Aloysius for 35 years, said he is looking forward to ministering in a parish sacramentally, liturgically and through services to those in need. In his parish, he has been a lector, eucharistic minister and coordinator of small faith-sharing groups. For his fieldwork, he served in the food pantry at Toledo St. Patrick Historic and was involved at St. Aloysius with adult education involving Bible study, faith sharing and Catholic identity classes.
Deacon Avina and his wife, Ann, have two daughters and seven grandchildren. He said the encouragement he received from family, friends and several excellent role models in his parish, including Deacon Ramon Llanas, helped him come to a gradual understanding that he might be suited to serve the Lord and His people as a deacon.
As a lifelong member of St. Michael, Deacon Eier has assisted with baptismal preparation, served as a lector, led funeral home prayer services and been involved with the Holy Name Society and the Belize Mission Outreach Program. For his fieldwork, he visited and took communion to nursing home residents and homebound parishioners, taught sixth-grade religious education and prepared eighth-graders for confirmation.
Deacon Eier, who teaches science at Glenwood Middle School in Findlay, said he was drawn to the diaconate "by the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit urging me to see how blessed my life has been and how I need to share my gifts and blessings in serving and building our church."
As a deacon, "I hope to bring an example of humble service to others, and to inspire other people of all ages to get involved in some way with the many ministries our church offers," he added. Deacon Eier and his wife have three children and one granddaughter.
Deacon Malenfant said he was attracted to "the concept of service that characterizes the deacon — especially service to the church and its people."
Deacon Malenfant works full time as the pastoral associate for St. Joseph, the parish he has belonged to since 1987. He has assisted with adult formation and youth ministry, served as a lector and eucharistic minister, been involved with the JOY People and helped with jail and prison ministry. In his fieldwork to prepare for the diaconate, he started a eucharistic adoration program for area youth and worked in hospital ministry.
Deacon Malenfant and his wife, Marcia, have four children and a fifth child due in February.
When asked what drew him to the diaconate, Deacon Fernandes quoted from 1 Samuel 3:5 — "I am here, because Thou callest me." He says he looks forward to serving his brothers and sisters at St. Joseph and helping the church in Toledo in any other capacity in which the Lord sees fit to use him.
Deacon Fernandes is the liturgical coordinator and master of ceremonies for St. Joseph, a parish where the Latin Mass is celebrated every Sunday. For his fieldwork in preparing for ordination, he created a proposed, model, training program for priests, deacons and altar servers to learn how to celebrate and serve the Tridentine Mass. He also organized Readers and Servers Societies and training for the parish, and participated in hospital ministry.
He and his wife of 17 years, Tamara Marie, are the parents of five children. Deacon Fernandes was admitted to the practice of law in 1995, and works as a Magistrate at the Lucas County Probate Court in Toledo.
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Last Updated on Monday, 22 December 2008 11:09 |
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