Report from Office of the Permanent Diaconate

REPORT FROM OFFICE OF THE PERMANENT DIACONATE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PRIESTS

2016

1)It is a relief, I’m sure, for both you and me that this year I am reporting primarily

on one ministry rather than the previous four:

---Renewal Congress. The Implementation Team, co-chaired by Fr. Andrew Boyd and Cecile Miller, is about the Pastoral Plan.

---Priests’ On Going Formation is under the direction of Fr. Duaine Devereaux

---Lay Formation and Ministry is now the Lay Formation Program with Cecile Miller responsible.

Those co-ordinators will now report to you on those ministries in the Diocese. I thoroughly enjoyed and worked hard at those aspects of diocesan ministry. I can only hope that I did some good.

2)Our second Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Program started up in September of 2015 with 16 candidates. 23 were interested; 16 applied. 13 were accepted and 4 left the program for various reasons. These 9 candidates and their spouses meet once a month for a teaching weekend (Bethany or Mabou) and an additional Saturday per month (St. Joseph, Port Hawkesbury). Ours is a 4 year formation program for discernment. We follow the Diocesan Manual for Deacons which you have all received.

3)Candidates include: Bigley, Shawn(Barbara), St. Anne, Glace Bay; Boivin, Fernand(Joan), Stella Maris, Pictou; Burke, Sander(Minnie), St. Mary, Lismore; Lewis, David(Doreen), St. Joseph, North Sydney; MacDonald , Bryan (Cheryl), St. Leonard,. New Waterford; McMaster, Duncan(Wanda), Stella Maris, Inverness; Miller, Barry (Ramona), Stella Maris, Inverness; Sylliboy, Tom (Frances), Holy Family, Eskasoni; and vandeWiel, Henry(Minnie), St. Andrew, St. Andrews.

We minister, as well, to the spouses of our candidates. Mrs. Jessie Guthro (Deacon Berkley) and Mrs. Viola Penney (Deacon Leo) meet with the spouses twice on the weekends to reflect upon issues specific to their needs

4)Teachers included: Fr. Anthony O’Connor, Mr. Wayne Yorke, Fr. Colin MacKinnon, Fr. Vincent vanZutphen, Bishop Brian Dunn, Sr. Claire MacNeil, CSM and myself. Presentations on various subjects of interest were given by Ms. Theresa Riley, Fr. Charles Cameron, and Dr. Ken Bryson. The Four Year Program of Studies was emailed some time ago but I will email the revised program shortly.

5)A Diaconate Formation Team helps the program work well. We meet approximately 4 times a year to discern all aspects of the process and the candidates. The Team includes: Bishop Dunn, myself, Fr. Duaine Devereaux, Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Berkley and Jessie Guthro, Mrs. Gladys MacDougall, Fr. Colin MacKinnon, Fr. Paul McGillvray, Rev Mr. and Mrs. Leo and Viola Penny, and Mr. Wayne Yorke. I am very grateful to them for their wise input.

6)The annual retreat for our candidates and spouses will be facilitated by Fr. Charles Cameron at Mabou Renewal Center, June 10-11-12.

7)Before Lent we sent out a notice to all parishes asking Pastors to encourage those interested in diaconate to contact me. One has seen me. I cancelled our planned meeting for those interested until we might get a few more. If you know of any or can nudge a few, please let me know and I can approach them with some information. Otherwise, we cannot start another class in the next several years.

8)Concerning our present nine deacons: pastors and parishioners give positive evaluations of their ministry. They include: Rev. Mr. Coleman, Robert(Debbie), St. Marguerite Bourgeois and ministry at CB Correctional Center; Rev. Mr. Doyle, Michael(Susan), St. Anne et al, Guysborough with ministry to hospital sick and shut-ins; Rev. Mr. Guthro, Berkley (Jessie), St. Joseph, Port Hawkesbury and ministry to St. Martha Hospital and sick and shut-ins; Rev. Mr. Ivany, Walter (Charlene), St. Michael, Baddeck with ministry to Nursing Home and Hospital; Rev. Mr. MacNeil, Lorne (Cheryl), St. Anne, Glace Bay with ministry to youth faith formation, sick; Rev. Mr. Murphy, Greg (Florence), Holy Family, Sydney Mines with ministry to Northside Hospital and parish sick and shut-ins; Rev. Mr. Penny, Leo (Viola), St. Leonard, New Waterford with various ministries to Homes, Hospital, sick, etc. ; (Rev. Mr. Riley, Art (Thersa), St. Peter, Tracadie, with ministry to R K MacDonald Guest Home and sick; Rev. Mr. Smith, Roy (Viola), St. Joseph, North Sydney with ministry to hospital.

9)Deacons and spouses have their own personal ongoing-formation plan as well as formation provided by the diocese. They meet for a weekend with special speakers and topic. We also get reports from the director and deacon who participated in that years’ National Association of Deacon Directors Conference. We also review the Manual of Policies. This year they meet on Friday and Saturday, June 24-25 and on Sunday, June 26, they join up with the candidates for Sunday Eucharist at St. Anne, 11:15am Mass followed by a BBQ for deacons (spouses)and candidates (spouses). The deacons’ Annual Retreat is Sept. 23-24-25 at Mabou Renewal Center with Rev. Mr. Gerald LeBlanc of Halifax as the facilitator.

10)The program goes well and is enjoyable and rewarding. We have diminishing resources and so we are negotiating with AST concerning a Diploma in the New Evangelization. We are also studying the resources from Newman College, Edmonton, who has recently proposed a four year studies program via distance education with the discernment/formation left to the diocese. Interesting and maybe necessary if other classes in the future can be arranged. A thought!

I am truly grateful to all those who support the Diocesan Permanent Diaconate: Bishop Dunn, Formation Team, pastors, parishes, teachers and presenters, the Renewal Centers and staff, the deacons , candidates, spouses and families. May you become even more aware of how God blesses you in your own ministry. Merci Beaucoup. Fr. Bedford Doucette