Diocesan deacon elected to national leadership

Deacon Timothy McAuliffe, co-director of Diaconate Administration for the Albany Diocese, has been elected president of the National Association of Diaconate Directors (NADD).

The election came during the NADD's recent convention in St. Louis, where 234 diaconate directors gathered from dioceses in all 50 states.

He will serve a three-year term that begins with a year spent as president-elect, when "I will be learning what the tasks of the office are," he told The Evangelist.

He will then spend one year implementing what he has learned and a final year guiding his successor. That "allows for a smooth, problem-free transition of tasks from one person to another," he said.

New document

As president-elect, his new duties have already begun. Next month, he and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, along with deacon directors and regional representatives from throughout the U.S., will attend a meeting of the American bishops' Committee on the Diaconate. The purpose is to finalize the new "National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Deacons in the U.S."

According to Deacon McAuliffe, preparation and completion of this directory has been in process for several years. It contains the protocols and procedures of their ministry.

Once the new directory has been approved by the bishops at their June meeting, it will be sent to Rome for final approval by the Vatican.

Coordinator

His job also requires that he coordinate the activities of all the regional diaconate directors. There are 14 regions in the nation; the Albany Diocese is part of Region 1, which includes all the dioceses of the New England states.

There are approximately 14,000 deacons in Catholic dioceses in the U.S.

When asked how working on the national level would affect his local ministry, he replied, "For any deacon, myself included, it is vitally important to stay involved and be as grounded in their ministry as possible. I know all that I have learned in my own ministry will be utilized and can only improve what I can do for the ministry on a national level."

Influences

Deacon McAuliffe's life as a deacon has been influenced in particular by two clergymen.

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard "is one of the greatest influences in my ministry," he said. "He has a broad vision of social justice. It will be my pleasure to bring this vision to the board of the NADD and to other deacon directors."

He also credited the late Rev. Michael Malone, associate pastor at Christ the King parish in Westmere when the McAuliffe family moved to the community.

"He was one of the strongest influences on my ministry," Deacon McAuliffe explained. "When our family first moved to Albany from Tupper Lake, we joined Christ the King parish. One day, Father Malone came to my home and said, 'We need a deacon at our parish. Could you help us out?' He was very persuasive. He had the gift of hospitality and could build community like no one I have ever met."

Laity and deacons

He has also been impacted by laity and other deacons.

"I have learned so much from working directly with people from all walks of life and in all situations, people that have deep faith, knowledge and education," he said. "They have taught me the true meaning of the diaconate."

He calls his fellow deacons in the Albany Diocese "among the best prepared in the entire country."

Finally, he noted an influence that undergirds his ministry: "My study of the Scriptures [over the years] has been instrumental in allowing me to find a more thorough understanding of Jesus Christ.

"St. Augustine of Hippo wrote that 'our hearts are ever restless until we rest in God.' In the early days of my ministry as a deacon, my pastor from Tupper Lake quoted those words to me. They've stayed with me ever since. They define my ministry."

(Timothy McAuliffe was ordained a deacon in 1983 for the Ogdensburg Diocese. He, his wife Maureen and their two children subsequently moved to the Diocese of Albany. In 1986, he was assigned as diocesan co-director of Deacon Administration. He has served at Christ the King parish in Westmere and Holy Cross parish in Albany.)

(5/29/03) [[In-content Ad]]