Bishop McManus to Ordain Seven Permanent Deacons

May 28, 2015 WORCESTER, MA – On Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 am at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Worcester, Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, S.T.D. will ordain seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Worcester. The seven men are Christopher Finan, Bryan Lagimoniere, David Lajoie, Thomas Marshall, Van Nguyen, Paul Reuter, and Thomas Varney.
All are welcome to the ordination Mass. The liturgy will be delay broadcast on Charter TV3 (Ch. 193) on Sunday, June 7 at 1:00 pm and Wednesday, June 10 at 9:30 am.
Ordination is also referred to as Holy Orders and has three grades. The first grade is deacon, or the diaconal order. Ordination to the diaconate confers the clerical state upon the ordinand, or one who is ordained. At that time he is also incardinated into (belonging to) the particular diocese or religious institute, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law.
Transitional deacons are those men preparing for the priesthood, (the presbyteral order). Men who are later ordained bishops (episcopal order), are ordained “in the fullness of orders” of the priesthood according to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, and share in the apostolic mission going back to the first apostles.
Permanent deacons share the same diaconal functions as transitional deacons but may be married or not. They do not continue on to priesthood. It was restored in 1968 by the Bishops in the United States following a reestablishment of the Order by Vatican Council II the previous year. For centuries prior to that time, the Order of Deacon had been reserved to a temporary status on the road to priesthood.
Diaconate comes from the Greek word diakonia or service. Since all Catholics are called by Baptism to be of service to their brothers and sisters, why have an ordained ministry of service? Though this is a very complex question, which has generated much discussion, two important points must be stressed. Service to the community is the primary role of the deacon and by bearing witness to the ministry of service in a parish, he assists the whole community in becoming more aware of that aspect of their faith. Secondly, the order of deacon sacramentalizes service. The deacon as an ordained servant of the community is more than a functionary but bears witness to that aspect of Jesus and his ministry in apostolic times.

Shared Ministry as Deacons
By virtue of their ordination, transitional deacons and permanent deacons assist the priests and bishops in the celebration of the Mass as ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, in proclaiming the Gospel, and by preaching. They also assist at and bless marriages, can preside over funerals and wake services, and are dedicated to various works of charity in living out their call to service.
Biographies

Christopher Robert Finan resides in Auburn and is a member of St. Joseph Parish in the same town. He is the son of MaryLou and the late David Finan. He attended Littleton Jr./Sr. High School, UMass-Amherst, and Boston College (M.A.) and is enrolled in the Anna Maria College Master in Pastoral Ministry. He is a High School History teacher in Framingham. He and his wife Cynthia have three children. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Sunday, June 6 at 4:30 pm at St. Patrick Church, Whitinsville with Fr. Tomas Borkowski as celebrant.

Bryan Peter Albert Lagimoniere resides in Athol and is a member of Our Lady Immaculate parish. He is the son of Gertrude and the late Wilfred Lagimoniere. He attended Athol High School, Greenfield Community College, Mt. Wachusett Community College, East Coast AeroTech and is currently enrolled in the Anna Maria College Masters in Pastoral Ministry program. He is self-employed as a Martial Arts instructor. Bryan served in the Army and received the Combat Infantry Badge for service in Vietnam. He and his wife Nancy have two children and 2 grandchildren. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Sunday, June 7 at 11 am at Our Lady Immaculate Church with Fr. Richard Jakubauskas as principal celebrant joined by Fathers Edwin Montaña and Krzysztof Korcz. Homilist will be Deacon Scott Colley.


David Origene Lajoie resides in Leicester and is a member of St. Ann Parish in North Oxford. He is the son of the late Gerald and Violet Lajoie. He attended Leicester High School and is currently enrolled in the Anna Maria College Masters in Pastoral Ministry program. He is a self-employed carpenter. David and his wife Mary have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated at St. Ann Church on Sunday, June 7 at 11 am with Fr. Michael Lavallee as celebrant.


Thomas Edward Marshall resides in Rochdale and is a member of Sacred Heart parish in Gardner. He is the son of the late Richard and Mary Agnes Marshall. He attended Lyman High School in Wallingford, CT, Frederick Community College, Strayer University (BS and MS in Computer Info. Systems) and Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville (MA in Catechetics and Evangelization), He is employed as a systems analyst by the Department of Defense. He and his wife Tara have two children and two grandchildren. Thomas served in the Navy in the U.S., Italy and the Gulf of Oman. Masses of Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Saturday, June 13 at 4:30 pm at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Gardner and on Sunday, June 14 at 8 am at Sacred Heart Church, Gardner with Fr. Brain O’Toole as celebrant.


Van X. Nguyen resides in South Grafton and is a member of St. James Parish. He is the son of Hao Bui and the late Tinh Nguyen. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he attended William Hull H.S. in W. Hartford, CT and Central Connecticut State Univ. in New Britain. He is currently employed as a Risk and Control Specialist for Citizens Bank. He and his wife Hanna have two children. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated on June 7 at 10:30 am at St. James Church with Fr. Ed Hanlon as celebrant.