Post on 15-Apr-2020
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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