November 23, 2010

Deacons, wives gather at cathedral for annual Deacons Appreciation Mass and Dinner

 

REGIONAL
UPDATED 3:30 p.m.

Article and photos by Rebecca Drake

 

SPRINGFIELD – Three days before the Thanksgiving holiday, members of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Springfield both gave and received gratitude during the Ninth Annual Deacons Appreciation Mass and Dinner held on Monday, Nov. 22 at St. Michael’s Cathedral, here.An estimated 110 deacons and deacons’ wives were present at the 5:30 Mass and the dinner that followed in the Bishop Marshall Center adjacent to the cathedral. The Mass was concelebrated by Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell, Springfield Bishop Emeritus Joseph F. Maguire and Msgr. Christopher D. Connelly, diocesan vicar general and rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral.

Deacons serving on the altar included Deacons Joseph Peters, of Chicopee, who proclaimed the Gospel, and William Moesley, of Pittsfield, who delivered the homily.

Deacon Moesley quoted lyrics from “Getting To Know You,” a song from the Broadway musical, “The King and I,” saying to his fellow deacons, “‘Getting to know you, getting to know all about you’: Isn’t that what our mission is all about? Getting to know God… and spreading the good word?”

“What better way to serve than by bringing God into someone’s life who really needs him,” he said, during his homily. “God looks at deacons as servants called on to do important work, as adopted sons and daughters of God.”

At a table set up outside the Bishop Marshall Center, the deacons and their wives placed food and other items, along with $810 in cash and gift card donations, for St. Michael’s Open Pantry.

Before the dinner began, Deacon Leo Coughlin, the newly named director of the diocesan permanent diaconate program, asked the deacons to stand and give their wives a round of applause.

Speaking to iobserve, Deacon Coughlin said that the annual appreciation Mass and dinner for the deacons was created “to have some way to pay our respects to the deacons and their wives, who dedicate themselves to the parishioners of the diocese of Springfield.”

Deacon Coughlin also said the Mass and dinner functions as the annual assembly that is required for the deacons as well as an opportunity to visit with other deacons and their wives.

After the dinner, the diaconate class of 2005 received five-year pins, Deacon Terry O’Connell was honored for 20 years of service and Deacon Bob Duval was recognized for his recent retirement. Deacons O’Connell and Duval are both presently hospitalized. 

Deacon Edward Meyer, now retired and living in Indian Orchard, was cited for his 30 years of service as a deacon. Deacon Meyer, who was ordained in another diocese before serving in Springfield, told iobserve that the role and duties of deacons are as varied as the men themselves, “except for the fact that we all generally assist (at Mass) on Sunday.”

“It’s a matter of serving the church wherever those needs are,” he said. Having served in three different dioceses and as president of a Catholic college, Deacon Meyer said his vocation as a deacon has allowed him and his family to see “the various ways that the church is displayed around the world.”

The evening concluded with remarks from Bishop McDonnell, who said, “We’ve seen the diaconate become part of the heart of parishes.” He also acknowledged, “Some of you became deacons of parishes that no longer exist.”

Telling the deacons they are “the arms of Christ reaching out to people,” the bishop said, “I can’t thank you enough.”

Bishop McDonnell also offered thanks to Father Timothy J. Murphy, who was not present at the dinner, for his long tenure of service as director of the diaconate program.

In an interview with iobserve, Bishop McDonnell noted that for a long time, the diaconate had gone into a decline. “When the Second Vatican council revived it, it brought back one of the earliest ministries in the church. In fact, they tell us that the apostles first made deacons before they were making priests,” he said.

Bishop McDonnell noted that in the early church, the deacons were the ones who did the works of charity. “And to this day, the diaconate is so totally identified with the works of charity, of reaching out, of helping people.”

Emphasizing that the diaconate is an ordained ministry, the bishop said, “I call the priests and the deacons of the diocese my right and left arms. They are the ones who really are able to carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy because of their day-to-day commitment to God’s work, to service of God, to service of neighbor.”

Check out the Iobserve Photo Gallery for more photos of the deacons’ annual gathering.