On Saturday 1st November, 16 Permanent Deacons of the diocese renewed their vows as part of a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent in Westminster Cathedral.
The Deacons promised again to be faithful in their service to the Church and to the priests and bishops to help them in their parish communities.
In his homily, Cardinal Vincent reflected on the psalm of the Mass, which spoke of the soul yearning for God and how St Paul had written about this longing for God in his letters. He praised the work of the Deacons as symbols of the desire to serve God, ‘a Sacrament of us all’, and as the sign and effector of service that characterises us all in the Church each day.
Permanent Deacons serve the Church in three ways: the Ministry of Charity, to serve the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised, the Ministry of the Word, to proclaim the Gospel and sometimes preach at Mass as well as presiding and preaching at funeral and burial services and the Ministry of the Altar, offering service at the altar at the Mass assisting the Bishop or Priest.
To find out more about the Permanent Diaconate, please contact Deacon Anthony Clark.
