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On May 28, Stephen Lape will be ordained a permanent deacon for the Albany Diocese during a ceremony at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. He'll then be assigned to parish ministry by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard.

Wherever he serves, though, it won't be his first experience with helping those in need. For Mr. Lape, the diaconate is the fulfillment of a career already spent in that pursuit.

Mr. Lape is a licensed social worker with St. Peter's Addiction and Recovery Center's Second Avenue clinic in Albany. He works with community residents and homeless shelters.

He has been with SPARC for 10 years and at the clinic for the last five years. However, he said he wanted to go further by studying to be a deacon.

"My job is to help those who don't have a voice," he said. "As a deacon, I want to help the marginalized, too."

Permanent deacons were an outgrowth of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, noted Deacon Frank Berning, director of formation for the diaconate and of the Office of Pastoral Planning for the Albany Diocese.

Deacons' "primary focus is outside the walls of the Church. Their lives exist in the community," said Deacon Berning.

"The diaconate is a very different calling than priests," Mr. Lape affirmed. "There are administrative roles [deacons] may take over, but not necessarily. This is not why I'm going into it; I like the service element."

There are more than 13,000 deacons in the U.S., and 110 in the Albany Diocese. The Diocese has had deacons since 1976, when Bishop Edwin Broderick ordained its first class of 27 permanent deacons.

Today, deacons are assigned to various ministries in the Diocese, from parishes to prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and diocesan agencies.

"I've had a push and pull in this direction for some time. I thought about it a few years before applying," said Mr. Lape of his diaconate studies. "The Church is a fundamental component of my life. I am drawn to serving the Church in this way."

After about six years of study and a practicum at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Helen's parishes in Schenectady, Mr. Lape is eager to move forward in his ministry. He noted that many Catholics still aren't sure about the responsibilities of a deacon - and that many don't realize deacons are not paid unless they take on a position such as a parish life director.

Mr. Lape attends St. Joseph's parish in Scotia along with his wife, Melissa, and their children, seven-year-old Gabriel and two-year-old Michael. He said his wife has been very supportive of his decision to become a deacon.

"It's had its challenges, but the challenges are filled with grace because of the people we have journeyed with," said Mrs. Lape, who also has a degree in social work. "The journey has been a gift and the diaconate has been a gift. They have helped keep us focused on Jesus Christ."

Mr. Lape noted that, while deacons are ordained to serve in a more formal sense, lay Catholics are also taking on more active roles in the Church.

"We are called in our baptism to be in the Church and be an active member," he observed.

The soon-to-be-deacon said his future will be determined by his parish assignment.

"When I am assigned to that parish, I want to take an active part in parish life," he said.[[In-content Ad]]

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