Deacon News Diocese of Davenport Winter 2016

From the Diaconate Office:

Deacon Terry Starns, Director of the Diaconate

Hello Diaconate Community, Candidates and Friends,

It’s a busy time for all of us as we approach Christ-

mas! Don’t we busy people sometimes wonder how

get as much done as we do? And yet, we don’t seem

to get nearly as much done as we would like. I have to

sometimes remind myself that we are given 24 hours

a day, not 34, so we must make the 24 work!

We continue to pray for our diaconate community as

some of our deacons are facing surgeries, illness and

the ailments. If you or if you have someone you want

us to pray for, let me know and I will share it with the

community. Please be sure that we do have the per-

son’s permission before we share the information.

Please note following in this issue, the calendar of events coming up. Take special

note of the Spring Retreat at Benet House on February 25/26, 2017. and the 50

Year Anniversary of the Diaconate in New Orleans from July 23 thru 26, 2018.

Registration is now available for both. It is important to register early for the 50

year reunion so that the planning committee can know how many to expect. They

are guessing between 500 and 800 deacons! The planning is extremely important

so they know how many sessions to have at a time, how many rooms to guarantee, etc. It also should assure

you of a room closer to the Conference Center.

Lastly, please let me know if you have ideas for a retreat master for next year’s retreat or what learning oppor-

tunities you might like for the fall convocation. We have to plan far in advance so it is not too early to pick

speakers and topics not. May you be blessed this Christmas with good tidings and joy, Deacon Terry

Heavenly Father, since the time of the Apostles

you have inspired the Church

to commission certain mem-bers to assist in a special way

in the pastoral mission of Christ.

Bless the deacons and all other ordained

and non-ordained ministers

that they may be humble and faith-inspired in their ser-

vice. We ask this through Christ,

our Lord.

__________________

Inside this issue

From the Director

Calendar of Events

Spring Retreat

50 Year Anniversary

Deacon Cosgrove

Know Your Deacons!

Deacon Formation

Retreat Registration

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Deadline for Spring Retreat Registration — Friday, Feb. 10, 2017

Spring Retreat — February 25 - 26, 2017 — Benet House — Deacon Alfred Mitchell (See Registration Pg)

Deacon Ordination — Saturday, July 8, 2017 — 10:00 AM

Fall Deacon Convocation — October 21 - 22, 2017 — St. Vincent Center

50th Anniversary of the Diaconate in New Orleans — July 23 - 26, 2018 — Register in January, 2017!

Page 2

Deacon Retreat – February 25-26, 2017

For wives, deacons & deacon candidates Benet House Retreat Center - Sisters of St. Benedict at St. Mary Monastery

2200 88th Avenue West, Rock Island, Illinois 61201-7649

2017 Davenport Diocese Deacon Retreat

Deacon Alfred Mitchell

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STORIES, STORYTELLING INSTRUCTION AND SEMINARS, BIBLICAL STORIES; RETREATS FOR DEACONS AND WIVES, PARISH RETREATS

AND DAYS OF REFLECTION

Please see registration and bio attached.

Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of the renewal of the

Diaconate in the United States. The 2018 Congress dates are

Sunday, July 22 through Thursday, July 26, 2018

in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Objectives of the 2018 Diaconate Congress: • To celebrate the fifty years of the renewal of the Permanent Diaconate

• To document the journey over the past 50 years

• To share the experiences of those involved in the various aspects of the

journey

• To envision the future of diaconate ministry

The 2018 Diaconate Congress is preparing an outstanding program

and slate of presenters:

• The Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans; Con-

vention Host

• His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

• The Most Reverend Frederick F. Campbell, Bishop of Columbus

• Rev. W. Shawn McKnight; Former Executive Director of CCLV

• Deacon William Ditewig; Former Executive Director of the Bishops Committee on the Diaconate

• The Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Diocese of Tucson

• Deacon James Keating; Institute for Priestly Formation; Creighton University

Cost: $250 per person is the target fee which is the cost of attending the program; Wives of deacons are just $99!

All transportation, lodging, meals and entertainment are extra.

Registration opens in January 2017 http://deacon2018.org/

Page 3

Know Your Deacons!

St. Vincent the Deacon

Feast day: January 22

Deacon and martyr. Born at Huesca, Spain, he became a deacon and served St, Valerius at Saragossa until their martyrdom at Valencia during the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). St. Valerius was exiled, but Vincent was cruelly tortured because he would not surrender the holy books. He converted the warden of the prison and then died. He was honored by Sts. Augus-tine, Pope Leo I, and Prudentius, and is considered the patron saint of vinedressers in some regions of Spain.

Deacon Bill Cosgrove

We remember our brother Deacon Bill Cosgrove. Deacon Bill passed away at his

home in Keokuk on Saturday, December 17 at the age of 92 years. His wife

Rosina preceded him in death in 2006. Bill also lost a son and a daughter in re-

cent years. Bill was just recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but continued

ministering to others as long as he was able. I had a nice conversation with Bill

recently and he was still quite active and taking Communion to the home bound

and ministering to the congregation in any way he could. Bill was always a fine

example of being a deacon. He served in a humble, quiet way, just wanting to

serve others. May you rest in peace, good and humble servant.

A reminder from the

Diocese of Davenport Deacon

Handbook of Policies and Procedures

Ministry Agreement Active deacons who are incardinated in the Diocese of Davenport and extern deacons ministering within the Diocese of Davenport shall complete the ministry agreement in consultation with their pastor or priest supervisor. The ministry worksheet should be reviewed by the deacon and his priest supervisor annually. If there are no signifi-cant changes in ministry, the review section of the worksheet should be signed, dated and mailed to the chancery. If there are changes in ministry or a change in pastors, then a new worksheet should be completed with the new pastor or priest supervisor and sent to the chancery.

Page 4 DEACON FORMATION UPDATE

Class VII

The nine men in Class VII are entering into their final semester of formation; this is great news for our dio-

cese! Of these, seven will also earn the MPTh from St. Ambrose. If you are interested, here is a list of the

capstone projects from the seven candidates and two other students (marked with a *) who will be earning

their degree this coming year:

Ordination is scheduled for 10am on Saturday, July 8; mark your calendars! While we have reserved the Ca-

thedral, the ongoing construction there may make it necessary to move ordination to a different venue. There-

fore, we have also reserved St. John Vianney in Bettendorf as an alternative site. We’ll make the call early in

the new year and let you know.

Back Row (left to

right): Steve Barton, Tom Hardie, Dan Freeman, Joe Rohret, John Jacobsen

Front Row (left to right): Joe Welter, Lowell Van Wyk, Chris Kabat, Mike Snyder

Class VIII

Since last September, we have hosted eight Inquiry sessions for men interested in the diaconate and their

wives. Six of these sessions (one in each deanery) were held in English; for the first time in the history of our

diocese two of these sessions were held in Spanish – thanks to the hard work of Miguel Moreno and Anna

Shambaugh in our Multicultural Ministry office.

Overall, 11 men attended the sessions in Spanish and 22 men attended the sessions in English. So far, I am

beginning to receive application material from 4 potential aspirants.

Interviews will begin in the spring with the Bishop making final decisions regarding admission in June or

July.

Steve Barton Poverty

Dan Freeman Prayer

John Jacobsen Domestic Church

Chris Kabat How to address issues such as pornography in marriage

Adam Kemner* Role of the Deacon in the Byzantine Catholic Church USA

Joe Rohret Adult catechesis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Tammy Rohret* Communal Anointing of the sick as a witness for the com-

Michael Snyder Catechesis on the Liturgy for the parish

Joe Welter Continued formation for marriage after the wedding

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