April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERMANENT DIACONATE
Deacons reminisce as they mark 25th anniversary
He's almost right: Two of the classes that preceded his turned out a few more deacons, but numbers haven't even come close since then.
Classes today average between two and six candidates - fewer than the number of deceased and retired deacons. The average age of the active deacon in the Diocese is 59.
As Deacon Grigaitis and his peers celebrate the 25th anniversary of their ordination to the permanent diaconate, they are reflecting on the purpose and changing face of the ministry.
Newer deacons are more involved in parish administration, they note, which might take away from social ministries in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and more. They add that deacons can no longer bet on being assigned to their home parishes, but are more accepted and integrated into parish communities than in the past.
They say recruits now undergo more education, but miss out on some of the fellowship and learning that earlier classes experienced at weekend retreats during their formation.
Those retreats "formed a community of people," said Deacon John Crane, who serves at St. Joseph's parish in Scotia. "It's quite different. I trust that God knows what He's doing."
His wife, Shirley, who spent weekends with other deacons' wives during formation, chimed in: "I think the Church has changed in its needs. We were basically servant people in the parish. And I think [deacons] are being sent forth in different directions" today.
Deacon Crane observed that eight deacons in the Albany Diocese died this year, no new ones will be ordained next year, and postponed retirement has changed the way that deacons give time to the Church. Indeed, half of the Diocese's newest deacons have young families.
"The only thing we can do," Deacon Crane offered, "is be witnesses as to who we are."
But who they are is still largely misunderstood, Deacon Grigaitis claimed: Catholics may "think that you might be a mini-priest."
Deacon Grigaitis is retired, but still active at St. Edward the Confessor parish in Clifton Park. He and his wife have been liaisons to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement in the Diocese for 25 years.
In a quarter-century, he's learned a thing or two about ministry.
"Priests and deacons are just as human, with human failings, as you and I," Deacon Grigaitis said. "Cut them some slack."
When disputes arise in a parish, "Keep the relationship open and try to repair it," he added. "Call upon the Lord."
Deacon Michael Donnell of Sacred Heart parish in Sidney said he's learned in his ministry to let God "run how you think and what you do."
Deacon Donnell, a retired farmer, serves a rural area and says his ministry is less defined than urban ones. He does what's needed - even presiding over services at Protestant churches in Franklin.
A deacon is "called upon constantly to give himself, to put them in priority over himself," he said. "He can witness to the fact that he can sustain the values of the Gospel in the world."
Deacon Peter Manno serves at St. Joseph's parish in Dolgeville and St. John the Baptist parish in Newport. He spent years working with homeless and runaway populations, volunteering at food pantries and soup kitchens and serving on a hospice board of directors. He served at a Hispanic Apostolate in Amsterdam and other parishes.
Being ordained 25 years ago was "exciting," Deacon Manno said. "Where I am in Herkimer County, there was only one other deacon at the time."
The permanent diaconate, which ended in the fifth century, was restored after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. In the decades that followed, Deacon Manno considered the priesthood but didn't find it to be a lifestyle fit.
"I remember in the beginning when there were people who wouldn't even receive communion from you," he said. But "the parish became my family."
He defines the deacon's role as "a bridge between the people and the official Church. The people always seemed to find it easier to come to me" with marital and other problems, he said.
Deacon Frank Yankowski of St. Michael's parish in Troy has had similar experiences. Couples often ask if he can celebrate their weddings, perhaps because he's a husband (now widowed), father and grandfather.
In the 1950s, Deacon Yankowski studied for seven years to become a priest, but struggled with the celibacy requirements. Besides, deacons were just as needed.
"I realized how much there was a need to go out into highways and byways and preach," he said.
He ministers at three nursing homes in the Troy area and celebrates funeral liturgies.
In the early days of his ministry, he said he felt misunderstood - until he read an inspiring article by Blessed Pope John Paul II. "He says, 'I know deacons feel rejected and ignored, but so did Jesus.' After I read that, I said, don't be a whiner or a griper. Go about what you have to do and do it."[[In-content Ad]]
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