October-November 2008 - Deacons

Volume 4 Number 5
www.ChicagoDeacons.org
An interview with
Bishop Paprocki
Certificate path revised
for candidates’ wives
By Richard F. Hudzik
All deacons have promised to
serve the bishop of the local
church. For us in Chicago, of
course, our promises run to our
Archbishop, Francis Cardinal
George. As we know well, our
diocese is large and complex.
Accordingly, it is necessary that
some work of the archbishop be
delegated to episcopal vicars — the
“local” bishops who oversee the six
vicariates (with the assistance of
the retired bishops). They are
“vicars” because they are
representatives of the archbishop.
Because we are in relationship
to the archbishop, we are also in
relationship to his episcopal vicars.
It seems appropriate then that we
come to know these vicars, seek
their direction and ask how to
serve in ways best suited to assist
In This Issue:
From the Editor..................... 2
Views from the Vicar .............. 3
Widows, Widowers & Seniors .... 4
Vicariate/Deanery Coordinators. 4
Stritch update....................... 5
Red Ribbon Week................... 5
Assignment changes ............... 6
Zacchaeus benefit.................. 6
Spanish classes...................... 7
Community news ................... 7
Mayslake, ecumenical updates .. 9
Peace & Justice update .......... 10
Ecumenical network .............. 10
Preaching workshop .............. 10
Mental illness Mass ................ 11
Stole fee schedule ................ 11
Council notes....................... 12
Life after a stroke................. 13
Calendar............................. 16
October-November 2008
The Deacon Formation Program
and the Lay Ministry Formation
Program recently announced a
revised path for wives of candidates
accompanying their husbands
through formation that affirms the
wives’ own call to service of God
and his people as lay ministers.
Most Reverend Thomas J. Paprocki
them in their work. Here is an
interview with Auxiliary Bishop
Thomas J. Paprocki:
The Flame: Tell us something about
yourself that we should know.
A. Well, you know that I am a
bishop. I was appointed by Pope
John Paul II in 2003. Aside from my
work as a bishop, I have a lot of
diverse interests: I play hockey. I
am a goalie. They call me the
“Holy Goalie.” I have run 14
marathons and am training to do
my 15th marathon in Dublin,
Ireland, on Oct. 27. I listen to a
wide spectrum of music, ranging
from classical to rock. In fact, I
usually sing a few lines from a
contemporary song in my
Confirmation homilies as a way to
introduce a theme to the
confirmandi. I love to read,
especially biographical histories.
My favorite American figure is
Abraham Lincoln. My favorite
ecclesiastical person is Pope John
Paul II. I have two law degrees, a
J.D. in civil law from DePaul and a
J.C.D. in canon law from the
Pontifical Gregorian University in
Rome. I co-founded the Chicago
THE NEWSLETTER
(Continued on page 14)
OF THE
Starting in the 2008-09 formation
year, wives who wish to receive a
certificate of studies in lay ministry
enroll in the Called & Gifted
program, while concurrently
accompanying their husbands in
deacon formation by attending
selected DFP key events.
“This new process allows wives
who feel their own specific call to
lay ministry to be formed by the
archdiocese’s Lay Ministry
Formation Program, which provides
the education and training leading
to the University of St. Mary of the
Lake’s basic certificate of studies in
lay ministry,” said Anne Chrzan, the
DFP’s associate director of
formation.
“At the same time, it provides
wives, through attendance at
certain DFP key events, the
opportunity to learn more about the
ministry of deacons so that they can
give their informed consent for
their husbands to continue in
formation and move toward possible
ordination.”
The revised certificate of studies
path offers several benefits, Chrzan
said. It acknowledges differences in
formation of lay ministers and
ordained ministers; affirms wives’
own call to service; recognizes the
CHICAGO DEACONS
(Continued on page 15)
THE FLAME
PAGE 2
“Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord? I have
heard you calling in the night. I will go
Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your
people in my heart.”
-- Here I am, Lord Dan Schutte
Listening to those words brought
tears to my eyes as I processed in at
the beginning of Mass several weeks
ago. No truer words would ever be
sung, and the message pierced my
heart.
My son, Dan, who’s 20, would be
leaving the next day for Kenya as part
of a study abroad program in
community health. He’ll be gone eight
long months and won’t return until late
April.
Later that night, my wife Jane and I
stayed up late talking with Dan about
his journey and his sense of being
called. Dan has a real passion for
helping others and a strong desire to
live his faith through service.
The Flame
A newsletter for the Chicago
Diaconate Community published
six times a year: February, April,
June, August, October, December
Publisher: Fr. Michael Ahlstrom
Editor: Dave Brencic
Staff: Dennis Colgan, Dan
Dietsch, Clare Faherty, Chick
O’Leary
Submit Articles and photos to:
Office of the Diaconate
Archdiocese of Chicago
816 Marengo
Forest Park, IL 60130
Ph: (708) 366-8900
Fax: (708) 366-8968
Deadline for submissions for the
next issue is November 15, 2008
Email:
[email protected]
The Flame is also viewable
online at
www.chicagodeacons.org
Printed by the generosity of J.
S. Paluch Company, Franklin
Park, Illinois. Publisher of
bulletins, vocation and
stewardship calendars, and of
World Library Publications'
assortment of music and liturgy
resources.
I couldn’t be prouder. You know he’s
“a chip off the old block” and following
the “footsteps of his old man” and all
of that blather. But as a parent, this is
one of the hardest things I’ve ever
faced.
It’s one thing to raise our kids,
shepherd them through adolescence,
send them off to college and then into
the working world. But no one ever
told me about having to say goodbye to
my only son who will be on the other
side of the world and out of touch for
perhaps days and weeks at a time. I
know parents do this all the time and I
have a new-found sympathy for those
whose loved ones are in harm’s way in
Iraq and Afghanistan. This was
something I never really expected or
envisioned.
It’s not like we can pick up the phone
and call down to Champaign-Urbana
where he attends schools or expect him
home on the occasional weekend or
“Aqui estoy, Señor. Soy yo, Señor. He
escuchado tu llamado en la noche. Yo
iré, Señor, si tu me guias. Llevaré a tu
gente en mi corazón.”
-Aquí estoy, Señor. Dan Schutte
Escuchando esas palabras se me
llenaron los ojos de lágrimas mientras
marchaba en la procesión de la Misa,
hace algunas semanas. No podíamos
cantar palabras más ciertas y su
mensaje me atravesó el corazón.
Mi hijo Dan quien tiene 20 años
partiría al día siguiente a Kenya como
parte de un estudio de salud en la
comunidad. El se iría por ocho largos
meses y no regresaría hasta fines de
abril.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
holiday. Dan will be missing all the
holidays, his 21st birthday, dare we say
two baseball teams in the playoffs and
his beloved Illini.
But Dan is going to a place where he
truly feels the Lord is leading him.
Going to Africa is all he has talked and
thought about for months. So who am I
to extinguish or dampen that fire?
Dan definitely has a calling of some
sort. What it will be only God knows.
So I am left struggling with feelings of
pride and loss. There is an emptiness in
my heart, but I know Dan is on a
journey of a lifetime. He’s learning
about the world and doing the work of
the Lord that will lead to all kinds of
possibilities.
Back home, all I can do is pray and
hold Dan and God’s people in my heart.
Keep the fire burning,
Deacon Dave Brencic, editor
poder comunicarse por días y talvez por
semanas. Sé que hay padres que hacen
esto todo el tiempo y siento una nueva
comprensión hacia las personas que
tienen a sus seres queridos pasando
peligros en Irak y en Afganistán.
Realmente esto es algo que yo nunca
imaginé.
No es que yo pueda agarrar el teléfono
y llamar a Champaign-Urbana donde él
va a la universidad, o que lo espere para
pasar un fin de semana o algunas
vacaciones. Dan se perderá todas las
fiestas, sus 21 años, me atrevo a decir
dos de sus equipos de baseball en
los juegos finales y su amada
universidad Illini.
Esa noche mi esposa y yo nos
quedamos hasta tarde hablando con él
acerca de su viaje y su sentir de haber
sido llamado. Dan tiene una real pasión
para ayudar a los demás y un fuerte
deseo de vivir su fe a través de servicio.
Pero Dan está yendo a un lugar donde
piensa que realmente es Dios quien lo
está llevando. Viajar a Africa es todo lo
que él hablaba desde hace meses. Así es
que, ¿ como hubiera podido yo apagar
ese fuego?
No me pude haber sentido más
orgulloso. Ustedes saben. “de tal palo,
tal astilla” y “siguiendo los pasos de su
padre” y todas esas cosas. Pero, como
padre, esta es una de las cosas más
difíciles que he confrontado.
Definitivamente Dan tiene un llamado.
¿Cuál es? Solo Dios lo sabe.
Es una cosa criar a tus hijos, guiarlos
en la adolescencia, mandarlos a la
universidad y después dejarlos ir al
mundo. Pero nadie me dijo como era el
tener que decir adiós a mi único hijo,
quien estará al otro del mundo y sin
Así es que estoy peleado con estos
sentimientos de orgullo y de pérdida.
Hay un vacío en mi corazón, pero sé que
Dan está en el viaje de su vida. Está
aprendiendo acerca del mundo y
haciendo el trabajo del Señor que lo
llevará a toda clase de posibilidades.
Aquí en casa lo único que puedo hacer
es rezar y guardar a Dan y a la gente de
Dios en mi corazón.
THE NEWSLETTER
Views from the Vicar
What does it mean to be a
Diaconate Community? We all
know there is much more to being
Catholic than to simply have been
baptized. Participation in
community life, particularly the
Eucharist, is a non-negotiable
essential. Similarly there is more
to being a member of the
Diaconate Community than just
being ordained or married to a
deacon.
Doing diaconal ministry is
essential, but not all of what it
means. We need the communal
dimension. We offer four events
on an archdiocesan scale for the
Diaconate each year: the St.
Stephen Symposium and the
annual convocation are
formational events; the St.
Reflexiones del Vicario
¿Qué es lo que
quiere decir ser
una Comunidad
Diaconal? Todos
sabemos que hay
mucho más en ser
católico que
simplemente ser bautizado. La
participación en la vida
comunitaria, particularmente en
la Eucaristía, no es negociable, es
esencial. De igual manera hay
mucho más en ser miembro de la
Comunidad Diaconal que
simplemente ser ordenado como
diácono o estar casado con uno.
Hacer ministerio diaconal es
esencial; pero hay mucho más que
eso. Necesitamos la dimensión
comunal. Nosotros ofrecemos a
nivel de la arquidiócesis, para el
diaconado, cuatro eventos
anuales: El Simposio de San
Esteban y la Convocación Anual
que son eventos de formación. El
Festival de Ordenación de San
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
PAGE 3
Lawrence Day Festival of
Ordinations and St. Francis Dinner
are more social. On a local level,
each vicariate or deanery also has
four events a year, from meeting
with the episcopal vicar, to things
like an annual Mass, a supper, or
formational meeting.
While 100 percent participation
is ideal, it is hardly possible. But
when most of these events are
ignored by most deacons and
wives, the Diaconate Community
erodes, just as parish life erodes
when most people do not
participate. Our Diaconate Council
has many new members and has
been revitalized in recent months.
They are making it a priority to
build up our spirit and vitality as a
Diaconate Community. Are you
doing your part?
Retirement is a major topic
being examined by our Diaconate
Council. One hundred of our 495
active deacons are over 70 and
could retire. We have an
additional 100 senior deacons who
are actively retired and about 50
inactively retired deacons. The
rest of our deacons are active
outside Chicago, on leave or
inactive for a variety of reasons.
Over 40 have retired this past
year. What does retirement mean?
Should there not still be some
accountability and expectation to
continue growing? Do our current
policies need to be refined? There
will be a Town Hall Meeting for all
active deacons over the age of 68
to discuss this. It will be at 7:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the
Deacon Center in Forest Park.
Please call if you are interested
Lorenzo y La Cena de San
Francisco que son eventos
sociales. A nivel local, cada
vicariato o denario también
ofrecen cuatro eventos al año,
desde una reunión con el Vicario
Episcopal, como también una misa
anual, una cena o una reunión de
formación. Mientras que lo ideal
sería una participación del 100%,
sabemos que esto es imposible.
Pero cuando la mayoría de estos
eventos son ignorados por la
mayoría de nuestros diáconos y
sus esposas, la Comunidad
Diaconal se desgasta, al igual que
la vida de la parroquia se desgasta
cuando la mayoría de la gente no
participa. Nuestro Concilio
Diaconal tiene muchos miembros
nuevos y en meses recientes se ha
revitalizado. Están haciendo una
prioridad la de revitalizar el
espíritu de nuestra Comunidad
Diaconal.
siendo examinado por nuestro
Concilio Diaconal. 100 de nuestros
495 diáconos activos tienen más
de 70 años y podrían retirarse.
Tenemos además 100 “senior
deacons” que están retirados pero
siguen activos y 50 retirados que
están inactivos. El resto de
nuestros 884 diáconos están
activos fuera de Chicago, de baja,
o inactivos por varias razones. Más
de 40 se han retirado este año. ¿
Qué quiere decir retiro? No
debería seguir habiendo alguna
responsabilidad y deseo de seguir
creciendo?
¿ Estás haciendo tu, tu parte?
Retiro es el mayor tópico que está
(Continued on page 11)
¿ Necesitan nuestras pólizas ser
revisadas? Habrá una reunión para
todos los diáconos activos que
tengan más de 68 años de edad
para discutir esto. La reunión será
el martes 21 de octubre a las
7:30pm en el Centro Diaconal en
Forest Park. Por favor llamen si
están interesados en asistir
(necesitamos saber cuantos son,
(Continued on page 11)
PAGE 4
Reaching out to the
widows, widowers and
senior deacons
By Father Ed Salmon
Our widows, widowers and senior
deacons are a very important and
ever-growing segment of our
Diaconate Community. Too easily
forgotten perhaps and separated
from classmates, calls dwindle.
Some tell me even the deacons
and wives in their parish don’t
bother with them much, or at all!
In Chicago, we have 106 wives of
deacons who have gone to the
Lord and at least 40 senior
deacons (retired and no longer
active in ministry). Your vicar,
Father Mike Ahlstrom, asked me to
look into this important group of
our men and women, since, being
retired I have absolutely nothing
to do – I guess that’s what he
thinks. He appointed me vicar
emeritus (no such thing of course)
responsible for widows, widowers
and senior deacons. Since I know
them all, it has been a source of
joy and satisfaction.
I say “we” because I asked
several others to join me – three
deacons and two of our widows:
Charlie O’Donnell, Joe Winblad,
Lory Madonia, Judy Finnegan and
Bernie Henning. They have done
all the work and our efforts have
been appreciated by the ladies
and our senior men as well.
We began by making contact,
letting them know we haven’t
forgotten them, finding out how
their health is, what they are
doing, what they might need from
the community – even those who
have moved out of the
archdiocese. It’s a fairly
challenging venture since many
have moved and phone numbers
have changed.
Those we could not reach by
THE FLAME
phone we contacted by mail. Not
all responded; not all were even
interested or impressed by our
reaching out. But those who were,
and they were the majority, were
delighted. We asked them to
continue praying for all our
deacons and wives because they
are still a vital part of the support
system for the active ministry.
This summer we gathered
together for two luncheons – one
north and one south – to
accommodate our men and
women. We have found rides
where needed. The Diaconate
Council funded the effort.
It has proven to be a blessing
and a joy for all concerned. Our
hope is to contact our entire
group of men and women twice
each year, and offer a chance to
come together again each
summer. And always they are
invited to every event and to our
retreats.
Some of the ladies were unaware
that funding is available to them
for retreats and continuing
education through the Council
Education Fund. If they choose to
pursue further study, they may
also apply for a grant, also offered
by the council. For the senior
deacons, funding for retreats is
asked of the parish, and if not
forthcoming, covered by the
council.
If you receive The Flame and
have moved or changed your
phone number in the last several
years please notify the Diaconate
Office. We would like to be in
contact with you if possible. Only
with your help can those records
be kept up to date.
We ask that you pray for them as
well. Let them not be forgotten
since age and distance often
prevent our meeting as often as
we once did.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
Vicariate and Deanery
Co-ordinators
Here are the new Vicariate and
Deanery Deacon Coordinators who
were officially appointed June 24:
Vicariate I John Lucas serving
Bishop Rassas:
Deanery A C. Joseph LaFleur
Deanery B David Wagner
Deanery C George Kashmar
Deanery D Stephan Stecker
Deanery E Lawrence Rybicki
Deanery F John Lorbach
Vicariate II Paul Spalla serving
Bishop Kane:
Deanery A John “Chick” O’Leary
Deanery B Daniel Welter
Deanery C Ubaldo Munoz
Deanery D Paul Spalla
Deanery E Frank Beil
Deanery F Edward O’Leary
Vicariate III Jose Vazquez serving
Bishop Manz:
Deanery A Juan Gonzalez
Deanery B Adolpho Lopez
Deanery C William Pouncy
Deanery E Rodrigo Silva
Vicariate IV Giulio Camerini
serving Bishop Paprocki:
Deanery A Christopher Virruso
Deanery B John Gaughan
Deanery C Javier Pineda
Deanery D Christopher Virruso
Deanery E Thomas Coffey
Vicariate V Joseph Truesdale
serving Bishop Garcia-Siller:
Deanery A Salvatore Lema
Deanery B (W) Salvatore Lema
Deanery B (E) Ignacio Alvarez
Deanery C James Deiters
Deanery D James Deiters
Deanery E Charles McFarland and
Richard Werner
Vicariate VI Dan Ragonese
serving Bishop Perry:
Deanery A John Cook
Deanery B John Cook
Deanery C Dan Ragonese
Deanery D Thomas Knetl
THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
PAGE 5
Stritch House
update
By Richard Hudzik
By now, you should have
received a mailing from Cardinal
Stritch Retreat House detailing
the upcoming retreats. Listed
below is a summary of the
retreats remaining through spring
2009. We believe we have
assembled a very powerful lineup
of presenters who will facilitate
your prayerful time away.
Please take advantage of these
offerings. Call, write or email now
to reserve your place. Further
details are on the Web site at
www.stritchretreat.org.
Oct. 24-26: Deacons and wives
(Fr. Michael Ahlstrom, retreat
leader).
Nov. 21-23: Deacons and wives
(Spanish language).
Dec. 5-7: Deacons and wives
(Fr. Albert Haase, OFM, a new
leader for us but known to many
as a regular commentator on
Relevant Radio. This will be a
partially silent retreat, entitled
“Living the Lord’s Prayer.”)
Jan. 26-28: Deacons and wives
(Deacon Bob Puhala, director of
the Diaconate Formation
Program, will preach this
midweek retreat entitled
“Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary
People: Examining the Call of the
Disciples” — to discover what we
all can learn about our own call
to God’s service through the
disciples’ lives.)
March 20-22: Deacon wives and
widows.
March 27-29: Deacons (Friar
Bernard Kennedy, OFM, will
preach this retreat entitled “Act
Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk
Humbly.”
Deacon Richard F. Hudzik is director of
Cardinal Stritch Retreat House.
April 17-19: Deacons and wives
(Spanish language).
May 1-3: Deacons and wives (Fr.
Kevin Huber, ordained in 1991 for
the Gary Diocese, a holder of the
D.Min. in preaching and a
vocation director, will preach
“Deacons and Wives: Companions
on the Path to Holiness.”).
May 22-24: Deacons and wives
(Spanish language).
If the schedule above does not
match your schedule, remember
you are always welcome here for
a private retreat. Also,
remember that, if we have the
space, we are quite happy to
provide, without additional cost,
separate rooms for husbands and
wives, if that would aid your
retreat — you simply need to
inquire of us ahead of time for
this or for any other special
requirement (e.g., dietary,
mobility). You are the people to
whom Stritch ministers; let us
fulfill our responsibility of
hospitality to you.
Deacon Richard F. Hudzik is director
of Cardinal Stritch Retreat House.
Promoting drug-free
awareness
Red Ribbon Week, which promotes
a commitment toward the creation
of a drug-free America, will be held
Oct. 18-26.
“Red Ribbon Week reflects the
concern of Catholic educators for
the minds, hearts, and bodies of our
students every day of the year. God
calls all our young people to health
and freedom, which substance
abuse steals from them,” said Sister
M. Paul McCaughney, O.P.,
superintendent of the Archdiocese
of Chicago Catholic Schools.
Events will include:
Oct 18-19: sports weekend
Oct 20: Decoration and
Information Day
Oct 21: United We Stand Pledge
Day
Oct 22: Wear Red Day
Oct 23: Reach Out Day
Oct 24: Rally and Recognition Day
Oct 24-26: Pray for the Children
Weekend
For further information or for a Red
Ribbon packet contact the Office of
Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of
Chicago, Ada Harris, 155 E. Superior
St., Chicago, IL 60611, call (312)
751-3857 or
[email protected].
PAGE 6
Assignment changes
The following deacons have
been relocated during the
past year:
David Baez to Archdiocese of
Denver
William Clark to Archdiocese
of Milwaukee
Lawrence Palmer to
Archdiocese of Los
Angeles
Jaime Rios to Diocese of
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Richard Kullek to Diocese of
Boise
Jeffrey Newman to
Archdiocese of Santa
Fe
George Coltman to Diocese of
Rockford
Deacons changing parishes
during the past year:
Ronald Pilarski from St.
Celestine to Mater
Christi
Juan Gomez from St Basil/
Visitation to St Mary
Magdalene
Dennis Brown from St Frances
de Sales to St. Patrick,
Wadsworth
Matthew Hahn from St Mary
Buffalo Grove to St
James, Arlington
Heights
Alfonso Salgado from St.
Anthony Cicero to Mary
Queen of Heaven
Victor Ruiz from inactive to St
Dismas
Dan Simmet from St Mary of
Annunciation to St.
Joseph, Libertyville
Abraham Chavez from St.
THE FLAME
Kevin to Immaculate
Conception
Peter Manning from St
Joseph, Summit to St
George
Luis Treviño from O’Hare
Airport to Church of
the Holy Spirit
Senior deacons as of 2008
Marvin Kocar, St Pius X, Jan. 1
Robert Matthews, St Joseph,
Libertyville, Jan. 1
James Sanford, St. Emily,
Jan.1
James Platt, St. Cyprian, Jan.
1
Edward Ryan, O.L. of Knock,
Jan. 1
Robert Devereux, O.L. of the
Mount, July 1
Herbert Drazba, St. Jude the
Apostle, July 1
Arthur Nylan, St. Jude the
Apostle, Aug. 1
Peter Morrisey, St. Leonard,
Aug. 1
Joel Chrastka, St. Leonard,
Aug. 1
Robert Brauch, St. Anne
Barrington, July 1
James Crane, St. Anne
Barrington, July 1
James Condill, St Anne
Barrington, Aug. 1
Leonard Richardson, St.
Sabina, July 1
Thomas Ryan, St. Christina,
Aug. 1
Antonio Villalobos, St. Mark,
Aug. 1
Giulio Camerini, St. Eulalia,
Aug. 1
Brendan Foley, O.L. of the
Wayside, Aug. 1
Gary Munda, Holy Family,
Aug. 1
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
Benefit for
Zacchaeus House
The Zacchaeus House
Benefit Luncheon will be held
at noon Saturday, Oct. 25, at
the Oaks Hotel, 300 S.
Frontage Road at County Line
Road and I-55 in Burr Ridge.
The benefit will include a
silent auction and raffle.
Bishop Raymond E. Goedert
will be the special guest at
the luncheon. Deacon John
Wilkerson and William Schultz
will be receiving the Friends
of Zacchaeus House Award.
The ZZAJE’ Jazz Ensemble
also will be performing.
Tickets are $55.
For more information, call
(773) 568-7822, email at
[email protected]
or visit
www.zacchaeushouse.org.
PreCana training
Frank Hannigan of the Family
Ministries Office will be training
new presenting couples for the
Archdiocesan PreCana program
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct.11, at the Archdiocesan
Pastoral Center, 155 E. Superior
in Chicago.
There is a need for more presenting couples to do this ministry with engaged couples. Please
contact Hannigan at [email protected] or by calling (312) 751-8341.This is a wonderful ministry that deacons and
their wives can participate in
together.
THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
PAGE 7
COMMUNITY NEWS:
Your prayers are asked for
those who have recently gone to
the Lord: Deacon Harold
Hempen, ’94; Deacon Pedro
Herran, ’75; Deacon Raymond
Doyle, ’75; Isabel Flewellen,
wife of Deacon James Flewellen,
’72; Florence Dmochowski, sister
of Mary Ann Debnar, ’87;
Berenice Kancler, mother of
Deacon Lawrence Kancler, ’83;
and Devilia Buissereth, mother of
Rameau, ’01; Veronica
Duderstadt, mother of Peery,
‘82.
Among the sick, we commend
to your prayers: Oscar Gonzalez,
Roberto Figueroa, John Pistone,
Roger Mullaney, Edwin Martinez,
Dennis Dunn, Phil White, David
Brezinski, Tim Kryszak, Agnes
Barrett, John Burt, José Uroza,
Wilmer Rodriguez, Arturo
Velasco, Bienvenido Nieves, Jose
Gonzalez, Vicente Estrada,
Juanita Soto, Joaquin Varela,
Luis Perez, Mel Both, Claude
Henseler, Ronald Wiener, Robert
Smith, William Malloy, Mary
Gronkiewicz, John Richardson
and Ed Condon.
Please call the Diaconate office
at (708) 366-8900 and inform us
when someone in our community
has died or should be added to
the sick list.
Spanish classes
available
One of the obvious needs in our
archdiocese is a familiarity with
Spanish in our ministries. Thirtyfive percent of our parishes have
a Spanish Mass and even more
are ministering to Hispanics. To
meet this critical need, we will
be offering Spanish classes.
Julia Aguirre, who serves as the
bilingual secretary of the
Diaconate Office, has offered to
teach the classes. The classes
are designed for English-speaking
deacons and will teach the
basics when doing Spanish
ministry.
Park. Classes count as part of
your ongoing formation hours.
Classes will be held Saturdays
from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and/
or on Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30
p.m. depending on how many
people register. Both sessions
will be offered at the Diaconate
office, 816 S. Marengo in Forest
Deacons are entitled to $150 per
year for ongoing formation. Or
you could pay for this yourself,
or perhaps your parish could pick
up the tab since it will benefit
them. If you have any questions
or want to sign up, call Julia at
(708) 366-8900.
The cost is $100 for the entire
course, which comes out to only
$10 per class.
PAGE 8
THE FLAME
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
St. Lawrence Day Festival
and Barbecue at
St. Barbara Parish in
Brookfield
Deacons Sal Lema, Ignacio Alvarez and aspirant Greg Pardini
Fr. Mike Ahlstrom, vicar of the Diaconate Community, presided
at the Mass assisted by Deacons Andy Beierwaltes and Charlie
O'Donnell.
Members of the 30-year class were recognized for their years of
service at the end of the Mass.
More than 150 people attended the St. Lawrence Day Festival of
Ordination and Barbecue in August at St. Barbara Parish in
Brookfield.
Brats, hamburgers, hot dogs and steak tacos were on the menu at
the barbecue for the Diaconate Community.
THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
to 2:30 p.m., $50.
Nov. 22: Islam by Fr. Albert Haase
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., $75.
Mayslake Ministries will present the
following programs:
Oct. 11: Write Your Life with
Scriptures by Sr. Marianne
Saieg, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.,
$50.
Oct. 15, 22, 29: Nutrition and
Spirituality by Karen Boton, 9:30
a.m. to noon. $20 per session.
Oct. 17-19: “Opening To God’s
Abiding Presence” Men’s Quiet
Retreat at Cardinal Stritch by
Fr. Tom Borkowski. Reservations
due by Oct. 3, $200.
Oct. 18: The History of the Church
by Robert Inglis, 9:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. $75.
Oct. 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24: “In
The Palm of God’s Hand” by Sr.
Valerie Kulbacki, 9:30a.m. to 11
a.m. or 7 to 8:30 p.m. “Grief
Group” $100 for a six-week
session.
Oct. 24-26: Graced Moments
Women’s Ministry “Friendship of
Women Retreat” by Dr. Jill
Bates at Oscar Swan Country
Inn, Geneva. Reservations by
Oct. 10.
Nov. 7-9 : “Meet Your Biblical
Ancestors,” men’s silent retreat
by Fr. Jonathan Foster at
Cardinal Stritch Reservations
due by Oct. 21, $200.
Nov.8: Gratefulness: The Key to Joy
by Sr. Marianne Saieg 9:30 a.m.
Dec. 3, 10, 17: Historical Jesus by
Fr. Albert Haase 9:30 a.m. to
noon, $75 series.
Jan. 9-11, 2009: “Meet Your
Ancestors: Biblical Men and
Women of Faith” men’s silent
retreat by Fr. Jonathan Foster
at Cardinal Stritch.
Feb. 6-8: “Finding Our Voice in the
Lost Women of the Bible”
women’s retreat at Oscar Swan
Country Inn by Dr. Mary Amore.
Feb. 20-22: “Embracing the Sacred
Mystery of Manhood” men’s
retreat by Fr. Tom Borkowski at
Cardinal Stritch.
April 3-5: “Meet Your Ancestors:
Biblical Men and Women of
Faith” men’s silent retreat by
Fr. Jonathan Foster at Cardinal
Stritch.
April 24-26: “A Closer Look”
women’s retreat at Oscar Swan
Country Inn by Dr. Diane
Stephens.
July 24-26: “Embracing Your
Mystical Heart” women’s
retreat at Oscar Swan Country
Inn by Dr. Mary Amore.
Sept.18-20: “Finding Our Voice in
the Lost Women of the Bible”
women’s retreat at Oscar Swan
Country Inn by Dr. Mary Amore.
Reservations at:
www.mayslakeministries.org or
(630) 323-1620.
Special meeting reminder
There will be a special town hall meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Deacon Center in Forest Park for all
deacons over the age of 68 to discuss what the expectations
should be for retired deacons. Deacons check your e-mail for
more information. Call the office at (708) 366-8900 for more
information.
PAGE 9
Upcoming
ecumenical events
Wednesday, Nov. 19, noon to 1
p.m.: 22nd Annual Chicago
Center for Cultural
Connections Interfaith
Thanksgiving Observance
First United Methodist
Church at the Chicago
Temple, 77 W. Washington
St., Chicago.
Sunday, Jan. 18: 4 to 5 p.m.: 9th
Annual Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity
Chicagoland Ecumenical Prayer
Service Location TBA
Thursday, March 26, 7 to 9 p.m.:
14th Annual Joseph Cardinal
Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture
Title: TBA Lecturer: Dr. Jon
Levenson, DePaul University
– Lincoln Park Student
Center, 2250 N. Sheffield
Ave. (Room 120 A & B),
Chicago
Tuesday, May 5, 6 to 8:30 p.m.:
3rd Annual Abrahamic Faiths
Intersections on Interfaith
Dialogue Speakers and
Moderator TBA, DePaul
University – Lincoln Park
Student Center, 2250 N.
Sheffield Ave., Chicago.
Wednesday, May 20, noon to
1:00 p.m.: 24th Annual
Memorial Observance for
Indigent Persons, First
United Methodist Church at
the Chicago Temple, 77 W.
Washington St., Chicago.
For more information, visit
http://www.archchicago.org/
departments/ecumenical/
eia.shtm events throughout the
year.
PAGE 10
Peace and Justice
update
The Office for Peace and
Justice is planning the following
activities:
The Office for Peace and
Justice and Catholic Relief
Services will present an Advent
Africa Summit from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at St.
Dorothy School, 7740 S. Eberhart
Ave., Chicago.
The cost for the day is $20 and
includes lunch. Please RSVP by
Nov. 21 by calling (312) 751-8367
or email
[email protected].
There are a wide variety of
voter education materials
targeting Catholics this year,
including many that are not
aligned with the faith. The
Archdiocese of Chicago’s policy
is that only materials from the
THE FLAME
U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops and the Catholic
Conference of Illinois are
approved for distribution in
parishes and schools. This
includes: The USCCB document
“Forming Consciences for
Faithful Citizenship”
www.faithfulcitizenship.org, and
the letter on voting from the
Illinois bishops, which is
forthcoming.
The United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops invites U.S.
Catholics to pray before the
November election a novena for
life, justice, and peace called
Novena for Faithful Citizenship.
It is a podcast and available for
download. The novena will be
available for download until the
election at http://
fc.mach1media.com/resources/
podcasts.
For other Faithful Citizenship
resources and materials, visit
www.faithfulcitizenship.org.
Preaching workshop
for Advent
The Diaconate Office will
be presenting an all-day
workshop on preaching
presented by Fr. Richard
Fragomeni.
"Preaching for Advent
2008" will be presented from
9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22
at the Shrine of Our Lady of
Pompeii, 1224 W. Lexington
St., Chicago.
The workshop will be held
in the shrine. The cost is $10
to cover the expense of the
lunch. If you are interested in
attending, call the Diaconate
Office and make your
reservation. There are a
limited number of openings.
Alps tour planned
Deacons Rich Voytas and Dennis Robak will be leading a tour
of the Alps including
Italy, Switzerland, Austria and
Germany Sept. 15-27, 2010.
There will be two meetings for
the trip: Nov.17 at St. Daniel
the Prophet , 53rd and Natoma
in Brennan Hall (school hall) in
Chicago, and Nov. 19 at St.
Mary’s, 1012 Lake St. in the Parish Chapel in Evanston. Both
meetings are at 7 p.m.
For more information, contact
your tour hosts: Rich Voytas at
(773) 586-3734 or Dennis Robak
at (847) 491-9260.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
Ecumenical network
discusses Diaconate
The Ecumenical Network for
the Diaconate (TEND) will have
a special presentation from 9
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov.
14, at Our Lady of Hope Catholic
Church, 9711 W. Devon in
Rosemont.
The primary role of TEND is
to establish connections among
faith traditions for the sharing
of information and resources for
diakonia groups in the United
States.
TEND will also:
-- Develop and maintain a list
of available resources for study
and research.
-- Provide a place for leaders
to meet for conversation on the
diaconate present and future.
-- Develop a virtual
connection.
-- Explore and encourage
publication of papers and
scholarship relating to the
diaconate.
The November gathering will
include a presentation on
“Sustaining Spirituality for the
Diaconate.” The speaker will be
the Rev. Brian Hastings, priest
and spiritual director for the
Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
The cost is $30 and covers the
cost of the speaker and a light
lunch. Checks should be made
out to TEND or pay at the door.
Registration deadline is Nov. 1.
Deacons check your email for
registration information. For
more information, call the
Diaconate Office at (708) 3668900.
THE NEWSLETTER
Views from the Vicar
(Continued from page 3)
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
Reflexiones
del Vicario
(we need to know how many to
plan for) and we will send you
some material to think about
ahead of time. If you cannot come
or are interested in reading the
material, let us know and it will
be sent to you.
E-mail for all active and senior
deacons is finally a reality. This
will now be the primary way all
communication within the
Diaconate Community will take
place. This address will stay the
same until death, no matter
where the deacon is assigned. By
now all deacons should have
received a letter with their
personal e-mail address along with
some basic instructions. If you did
not receive a letter with your user
name, e-mail address and
temporary password by the time
you read this, call today so we can
rectify the situation. I ask that
you check your e-mail at least
twice a week. You can set up your
e-mail to automatically forward to
another e-mail address if you
prefer.
para poder planear la reunión) y
les mandaremos material para que
lo lean antes de venir. Si alguien
no puede asistir; pero está
interesado en leer este material,
avísenos y se lo mandaremos por
correo.
This will vastly improve
communication. There are many
times when I want to send
something out to the entire
Diaconate Community, but there
is not enough time and money to
mail it, but it now can be
forwarded instantly and without
any cost. The savings of paper,
envelopes, postage and labor is
quite substantial. I know some will
have trouble adjusting to this
change, but please be open. We
will offer free classes for those
who need it. Please call our office
if you are interested.
Esto mejorará la comunicación
inmensamente. Hay veces que
quiero mandarles algo a toda la
Comunidad Diaconal, pero no hay
suficiente tiempo ni dinero para
mandalo por correo, ahora lo
podré hacer al instante y sin costo
alguno. El ahorro en papel,
sobres, estampillas y trabajo será
substancial. Sé que algunos
tendrán dificultades ajustándose a
este cambio, pero por favor
considérenlo. Les ofreceremos
clases gratis para aquellos que lo
necesiten. Por favor llamen a la
oficina si están interesados.
Michael Ahlstrom
Padre Miguel Ahlstrom
E-mail para los diáconos y
retirados activos finalmente es ya
una realidad. Esta será desde
ahora la manera principal de
comunicación con la Comunidad
Diaconal. Esta dirección no
cambiará sin importar si los
diáconos cambien de asignación.
Ya todos los diáconos han debido
recibir la carta donde se les avisa
su dirección de correo junto con
algunas instrucciones básicas. Si
no has recibido la carta con tu
nombre de usario y tu palabra de
pase provisional, llámanos hoy
mismo para corregir esta
situación. Les pido que abran su
correo por lo menos dos veces a la
semana. Ustedes pueden arreglar
su e-mail para que les mande su
correo a su otra dirección
personal, si así lo prefiere.
PAGE 11
Special Mass for persons
with mental illness
Mass in Celebration of the Lives
of Persons with Mental Illness,
Their Families, Friends, and Care
Providers will be held at 2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26, at St. Josaphat
Catholic Church, 2311 N. Southport, Chicago.
There will be refreshments after
the Mass.
Faith & Fellowship, the Chicago
Archdiocesan Commission on Mental
Illness, is sponsoring the Mass. For
more information, call Connie Rakitan at (708) 383-9276 or Deacon
Tom Lambert, (773) 525-0453, ext.
21.
Stole Fees
The Archdiocese of Chicago
has approved new stole fees
for deacons effective July 1,
2008:
-- Baptism: $35.
-- Wedding outside of Mass:
$60.
-- Funeral outside of Mass:
$60.
-- Cemetery internment:
$40.
-- Quinceañera outside of
Mass: $60.
Deacons are not
compensated for assisting or
preaching at a Mass, doing a
communion service whether
in church or for the sick,
doing a wake service, or
giving a blessing. The
compensation for baptism is
for each liturgy, not each
child.
THE FLAME
PAGE 12
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
Diaconate Council Notes September 13, 2008
-- Fr. Mike Ahlstrom presented
his report on the issue of
Active/Senior/Retired Deacon
status. An open discussion
followed and the matter was
referred to Dan Welter for a
report at the next meeting.
Mike Riley will have a
presentation on the
archdiocesan web site at the
St. Stephen Symposium.
As to the web site, individual
initial passwords and user
names to be distributed.
-- Dave Egan introduced a
discussion on the VDC/DDC role
job description issue.
-- The Vicar’s report was
presented by Fr. Ahlstrom.
Written copies were provided.
Integration of the e-mail
system for the Diaconate will
be linked with the general
archdiocesan e-mail system for
electronic communication.
A number of deacons are
overdue in presenting their
ministry evaluations. Follow-up
is being initiated. A short set
of comments was made as to
the possible streamlining of
the forms and process as they
appear cumbersome witnessed
by the number of nonresponses.
St. Stephen’s Symposium needs
more attendees. This year the
Hispanic Charismatic
Convocation takes place the
same day. Such scheduling and
conflict problems exist as long
as we use Trinity High School
and are dependent on that
school’s schedule. Nothing
substantial was discussed on
the possible improvement of
presentations and qualified
speakers.
-- Fr. Ahlstrom addressed the
issue of community on various
levels within the Diaconate and
also went through the VDC/
DDC job descriptions. A
discussion followed and some
suggestions were made.
-- Bill Stearns gave a report on
St. Francis Day scheduled for
Nov. 16. The ad book is being
supplemented by a raffle. To
date there has been a low
response from businesses on
the donation of raffle prizes.
This needs attention and
support from the community.
Dinner reservations on which
no profit is made are $35.
-- Dave Egan presented the
Chairman’s Report:
No treasurer’s report
available.
Under the new council
conformation each Deanery has
only one vote and no council
member, no matter how many
positions held concurrently,
has more than one vote.
The e-mail list is being
completed for the future
distribution of reports and
communications.
Cardinal George is the
designated recipient of the St.
Francis Award.
-- Associate Director’s Report
made by Dennis Colgan.
Covered the success of the
widows (and retired deacons)
North and South Side dinners,
which was “supplemented” by
a $1,000 support donation.
Emmaus – eight men in new
class.
Among programs is a preaching
workshop (Advent 2008) to be
made by Father Fragomeni at
OLPC. Cost is $10.
St. Stephen’s Symposium –
motion made and passed for
council to pick up “breakfast”
tab, but still seeking
competitive catering bids for
300 people.
Diaconate logo patch modified.
John Rex taking over sales and
promotions.
-- No Formation report.
-- Other reports were
distributed, but not discussed
in detail.
-- Dan Welter reported on the
unionization issue at
Resurrection Hospitals and
solicited the Diaconate’s
support for bargaining. A.P.C.
supports AFSCME, the Presbyteral Council did not make an
endorsement. Seeking
signatures of individual
deacons, no motion to have
the Diaconate as a body
supporting the movement.
-- Tom Coffey suggested the
purchase of a paper-folding
machine. Discussions as to
costs and quality followed. A
motion made and passed to
purchase one at around $500.
-- In response to a statement
made, Father Ahlstrom
addressed the current
archdiocesan policy of
prohibiting clergy endorsement
of political candidates.
-- An e-mail test notice is to be
made.
-- Next meeting is Nov. 11.
THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
A real inspiration
Life after a stroke
By Robert De Fiore
The most reassuring thing
about a stroke is that there is
life afterward. The quality
depends on one’s attitude and
fortitude and where you are
with God and his people. They
all seem to be tied together. If
we are a person who knows
God, we can be assured that
the outcome will be good.
Maybe not in the way that we
think that life should continue,
but still the outcome will be
good.
When I first realized that
God was in control and not me
nor the doctors, or anyone else,
I began to realize that I had
three choices. First, God could
heal me and then I would have
new life. Second, I could
receive a new heart through a
transplant and that too would
certainly be new life! Third, I
could die and go to be with the
Lord and that would be the
highest form of new life that I
could want or receive.
The moment that I realized
that these three options were
all I had and all of them meant
some new life and that new life
was good. I was blessed with
the gift of peace -- and what a
wonderful gift that is. It doesn’t
take away the pain, doubt or
frustration, but it makes all
things possible and adds to the
virtue of hope. It gives me the
willingness to try different
PAGE 13
things like golfing with one
hand, instead of two, or
bowling with one hand instead
of two.
One of the most difficult and
yet most rewarding things was
to be able to ask people for
help. My spiritual director said
that asking others for help is
truly a blessing because it
allows people to do their
ministry and that is why they
were put on this earth. That is
why we are all put on earth -to love and serve our Lord!
When we do these things to the
least of our brothers and
sisters, we do it to for God. But
it can’t happen until we ask.
The other factor that is
involved is the power of prayer.
Wow, what a force that is!
When my family put out the call
for prayers, they told other
friends and relatives and the
list was endless. I thank all of
you for your prayers, love and
support. When you know God
and his people, great things
happen, great and wonderful
things. Thanks be to God and
his people!
When I met Deacon Bob, he
had just received a heart
transplant. He told me of the long
discernment that he went through
about accepting a heart
transplant at age 65. He thought
that it may be better for a
younger person to get it. But God
had a plan for him. It was his sonin-law who told him that, after
years of trying, they were
expecting twins. The babies
needed their grandfather. Bob got
a heart transplant at Loyola
Hospital on Oct. 9, 2001. Soon
after he was up and around, being
an avid golf player, he noticed
that he did not know how to play
golf anymore. He thought that
maybe his donor didn’t know how
to do it. So he learned to play
golf again! In between his duties
as a deacon at St John the
Evangelist Parish and his golf
outings, he came to the Diaconate
to learn Spanish to be able to talk
with his grandchildren.
About two years ago, he had a
stroke and a longer rehabilitation
and speech therapy to go through.
I remember how happy he was
when finally his pastor told him to
give homilies again.
He also found a place called
Revelation Golf and here he
learned to play golf with one
hand, which he does almost every
sunny day. He also learned to
bowl with one hand. In fact, he
challenges all deacons with health
issues to call him and he will
share with them how to keep
their life active. Deacon Bob is for
me an inspiration of courage and
complete trust in God. Regardless
of the health problems he went
through, he never loses his smile
and his gratefulness for what he
has.
-- Julia Aguirre, Diaconate
secretary
PAGE 14
An interview with
Bishop Paprocki
(Continued from page 1)
Legal Clinic in 1981 to help provide
legal services for the poor. I still
serve in a volunteer capacity as
president of the board. I served for
eight years as chancellor of the
archdiocese (1992-2000) and two
and a half years as pastor of St.
Constance Parish (2001-2003).
Besides English, I speak Polish,
Spanish and Italian, and I read
Latin. I am the cardinal’s liaison
for the Polish community in
Chicago and also his liaison for
hospitals and health care. As
episcopal vicar for Vicariate IV, I
oversee 60 parishes, missions and
shrines. So you can see that I keep
quite busy.
The Flame: Do you have any words
to the deacons to call them to a higher
or new or better service? What would
you like to see the deacons do that they
are not now doing?
A. Deacons are configured by
ordination to Christ in service of
God’s people. There are as many
different ways to do this as there
are distinct personalities, but the
basic concept is always the same:
serving others according to one’s
unique talents and abilities. Of
course, all the baptized in some
sense are called to serve others,
but a deacon’s service is done in
connection with the bishop and
this, in turn, means that the
service is done on behalf of
Christ’s spouse, the Church. So it is
not so much doing things
differently that would make them
“new or better,” but in how we
understand what we are doing and
why we are doing it that connects
it to a higher meaning, and makes
them more than just routine or
menial tasks.
In the future, I see more deacons
engaged in full-time ministry. The
needs are great and the Church
can greatly benefit from the full-
THE FLAME
time service of deacons in light of
the training and formation that
they receive. I realize this is not
for everyone, especially given the
demands of other full-time
professions to which deacons are
committed and the financial
obligations of raising a family, but
I think more deacons will enter
full-time diaconal ministry at least
after retirement.
The Flame: If the Diaconate is primarily
envisioned in terms of its charity, its
liturgical service and its teaching
function, do you personally argue for
any priorities here? Any “first among
equals” or ought we hold the three gifts
in harmony and balance?
A. I would resist the temptation
to prioritize gifts and charisms. A
bishop, for example, cannot say
that he’d rather teach than govern
or sanctify. All three are expected
and must work in harmony. Given
that fact, however, we must still
recognize that different people
have unique skills, abilities and
interests. So naturally some people
will tend to put their focus and
energies in one area more than
another. That is fine as long as we
recognize our limitations and seek
the help of others for those areas
that are not our strong points and
for which we could benefit from
some assistance.
The Flame: How can deacons better
serve the Archdiocese of Chicago?
Related to that, how can deacons better
understand that they are ordained for
the archbishop and not for the parish?
How can the deacons better serve the
bishops?
A. Again, I would not make it
either/or. The archbishop is
responsible for the pastoral care of
the archdiocese, and that includes
the parishes. So what deacons do
in their parishes is helping the
archbishop with his pastoral
responsibilities. The pitfall is when
a deacon sees his parish ministry as
his exclusive concern or when he
thinks that there is no other parish
in which he can serve. I realize
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2008
that this poses a different
challenge for married deacons than
it is for bishops and priests who are
asked to move. Married deacons
obviously have to think about the
impact on their wives and families,
but this impact should not be used
as an automatic impediment for a
deacon to consider ministry in a
place other than his current parish.
The Flame: How do you view the
deacons’ wives’ role in the ministry of
their husbands?
A. This, too, will depend to a
great extent on the wives
themselves. Some will see
themselves in a more involved way
with their husband’s ministry, even
though he is the one ordained,
especially if the wife has gone
through the classes on ministry and
formation. Some will work with
their husbands in partnership as a
team. Others will prefer a more
“behind the scenes,” supportive
role of their husband’s ministry.
Still others have their own
interests which may be totally
distinct from their husband’s. This
may be increasingly true if a
deacon is transferred to another
parish and the wife prefers to
remain involved in their “home”
parish.
The Flame: What challenges or
opportunities do you see for the
Diaconate in the next several years (i.e.,
where is the Diaconate headed)?
A. With the decrease in priestly
vocations, I think there will be
more opportunities for deacons to
step into full-time parish
functions, such as pastoral
associate, business manager,
director of religious education,
etc.
The Flame: Are there any particular
areas that you see the need for greater
involvement of deacons on the level of
parish, vicariate or society in general
(i.e., where should deacons be more
involved)?
A. I think this is already
(Continued on page 15)
THE NEWSLETTER
An interview with
Bishop Paprocki
OF THE
CHICAGO DEACONS
Certificate path revised
for candidates’ wives
(Continued from page 1)
(Continued from page 14)
happening in many places, but at
the parish level can be a big help
conducting wake services and even
committal services at the
cemetery, the latter at least for
those who are free in the daytime
during the week. At the vicariate
level, this could be helpful if a
deacon would volunteer
occasionally to assist a neighboring
parish that doesn’t have an
associate pastor or a deacon. For
society in general, I see prison
ministry as a great need. It is
complicated, the prison
bureaucracy puts up a lot of red
tape, and we just don’t have
enough ecclesial ministers to tend
to this need. At least in hospitals
and nursing homes, lay people can
more easily become ministers of
care and bring Holy Communion to
the sick. This is more difficult in
prison settings.
The Flame: How should deacons pray?
A. The short answer is:
constantly. But I would add that it
is good to pray at least some parts
of the Liturgy of the Hours with
others. This is the prayer of the
Church and for the Church. I pray
morning prayer at 7:15 a.m. and
night prayer at 10:30 p.m. daily
with Father Mark Bartosic, pastor
of St. Frances of Rome Parish in
Cicero, where I reside. I also
belong to a prayer group of priests
with whom I meet monthly and a
prayer group of bishops who get
together about four times a year.
Analogously, married deacons can
pray with their wives and children
at home. Both married deacons
and unmarried deacons can form
prayer groups and meet along the
lines of the Jesus Caritas model of
personal sharing and prayer that
was inspired by Father Charles de
Foucauld and is used by many
priests.
unique contributions of wives as lay
ministers in the church by
facilitating their formation leading
to the certificate of studies; and
supports a wife’s individual identity
as lay minister in her own right
rather than through her husband’s’
diaconal identity and ministry.
This revised path also
acknowledges a reality expressed in
“Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the
Lord” (USCCB, 2005), Chrzan said.
“Co-Workers” notes that, “lay
persons who permanently or
temporarily devote themselves to
special service of the church are
obliged to acquire the appropriate
formation required to fulfill their
function properly.” (CIC, canon 231)
To do just this, Chrzan said that
the DFP has been in dialogue for
several years with the Lay Ministry
Formation Program, and other
archdiocesan programs like Ongoing
Formation, Catechetical Leadership
Formation, Instituto de Liderazgo
Pastoral, as well as USML/Mundelein
Seminary. All discussions have been
guided by several foundational
principles: compliance with the
Vatican and (USCCB) National
Directories for deacon formation;
development of academic and
formation paths that lead to greater
flexibility and personalized
recognition of, wives of candidates;
development of paths that address
specific formation needs of wives of
candidates; and standardization of
academic/formation credits of
archdiocesan certificates of study.
Chrzan emphasized that the DFP
policy regarding wives of aspirants
and candidates remains unchanged.
Wives of aspirants are required to
participate fully in the Aspirancy
Path (a year of discernment), and
are required to attend selected key
events in the Candidacy Path (three
years of multi-dimensional
formation). Only the wives’ process
PAGE 15
in the certificate of studies path has
been revised, Chrzan said.
What does this look like in a
practical way? Chrzan explained the
options.
“Wives of candidates can choose
one of three formation paths:
attend key events; attend key
events and audit courses, at no
extra cost; or attend key events and
concurrently enroll in the Called &
Gifted program leading to the
certificate of studies in lay ministry
from USML,” she said.
Those enrolling in Called & Gifted
pay half the tuition cost for that
program, while the parish pays the
other half, Chrzan said. Currently
Called & Gifted tuition is $1,200
yearly; scholarships are available
for those who cannot afford the
cost.
The revised certificate path also
does not separate candidates and
wives, except during formation
Saturdays when both programs offer
sessions specific to their own
ministries.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure
that these Saturday formation
sessions for both programs are held
on the same day, at the same time
and location,” Chrzan said. “We’re
even coordinating the lunch
breaks.”
Chrzan noted that wives who
complete the Called & Gifted
program also can, through
collaboration by the DFP and C&G,
accompany their husband fully
through Year 3 of his candidacy.
These wives would earn a second
certificate of studies in lay pastoral
ministry.
“These certificates of studies can
be very valuable to wives wishing to
enter an academic degree
program,” Chrzan said. “We’ve had
area universities offering women up
to 30 hours of undergraduate credit
and 12 to 15 hours of graduate level
credit for the courses taken through
the DFP and Called & Gifted.”
PAGE 16
Archdiocese of Chicago
Office of the Diaconate
816 Marengo
Forest Park, IL 60130
October
11
Pre-Cana training
18-26 Red Ribbon Week
21
Town Hall meeting to
discuss deacon
retirement issues
24-26 Deacons and wives
retreat
25
Zacchaeus House Benefit
Luncheon
26
Mass for persons with
mental illness
November
11
14
16
22
27
Diaconate Council
meeting
TEND presentation
St. Francis Day Dinner
Preaching workshop
Thanksgiving
Request for help
The Women's Center, 5116 N.
Cicero Ave., Chicago, is in need
of deacons for our Adoration
Program. Mass is said daily at
noon and adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament takes place from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Is God calling you to the pro-life
movement? This is one way you
can become involved in saving
the lives of the unborn. Please
pray about this request and if you
feel called to volunteer a few
minutes every week or every
other week for either exposition
or reposition call Betsy
Christensen at (847) 437-4127.
Know that you and your family
will be in many prayers and
Masses often and a Mass will be
said yearly for your intentions.
Numbers to know:
Office of the Diaconate
816 Marengo Ave.
Forest Park, Ill. 60130
(708) 366-8900; fax (708) 3668968
Father Michael Ahlstrom,
Vicar for the Diaconate Community
email:
[email protected]
Dcn. Dennis Colgan,
Assoc. Director
Email:
[email protected]
The Chicago Deacons Web site:
www.chicagodeacons.org