Prison Ministry Having been a high school religion teacher for 18 years, I was in diaconal formation when my second high school was closed and I was jobless. At a retreat for deacon candidates and lay ministers on Ender’s Island, I was mulling over where I would do my six-week ministry rotation. I believed that deacons needed to go where no one else would go and where the need was great. One of the lay ministers I had met was a deputy warden at JB Gates. So I asked him about doing something at his institution. After teaching a class called, “How to M...

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  On October 4, the Church commemorates the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Francis, we know, is a very popular and beloved figure worldwide. He has inspired the hearts and minds of so many people, both religious and non-religious alike.  Founder of the Franciscan Orders of the Friars Minor, this thirteenth century man from Assisi and son of a merchant abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christ after reportedly hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty. What does Saint Francis&rsqu...

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An integral part of a seminarian’s priestly formation is his summer assignment. Each summer, upon returning home from the seminary, our seminarians are assigned to different parishes in the Diocese for eight weeks of pastoral work and experience. This time in the parish is important for them. It serves to assist them in developing pastoral competency, it teaches them about pastoral leadership, and it provides opportunities for collaboration with others. Most of all, it helps them become true shepherds after the heart and example of Jesus Christ. Just before returni...

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diocese of norwich

Bishop Cote confers the ministry of Acolyte on five men who are candidates for ordination to the permanent diaconate, on Sunday, October, 2, at the Church of the Holy Family, Hebron. The role of an acolyte is to aid the deacon and to minister to the priest. It is his duty to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass. The ministry of Acolyte is one of the last steps in the five-year process of diaconate formation, and if all goes well, God willing, these men will be ...

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diocese of norwich