The Diocese of Honolulu will begin its seventh formation class for permanent deacons in the fall of 2009. Information sessions will be offered on several islands this fall for active Catholic men, 30 and older, who feel called to this particular vocation. The Hawaii Catholic Herald will be publishing articles by deacons this summer to re-introduce readers to this special ministry.

By Tommy Contrades | Special to the Herald

I was ordained a deacon on Jan. 13, 2007, at St. Catherine Church in Kapaa, Kauai, by Bishop Larry Silva. At the ordination, it didn’t register in my consciousness that my life, my wife’s life and my children’s lives were about to change forever.

We (this calling is shared by the entire family) entered the deacon formation program unsure if we were truly being called or if we wanted to answer the call. The first weekend of formation my wife Jackie and I gathered with 22 other candidates and their spouses at St. Stephen Diocesan Center to begin a year of discernment and prayer.

Strangers to everyone except for our fellow candidates from Kauai, we were excited but very apprehensive as we met the other candidates. We were led by a core team of deacons and their spouses who would become our mentors, confidantes, friends and part of our family. The first year of our journey was spent in prayer, in soul searching, and in learning about ourselves. It was a time of looking deep into our minds and hearts to decide if this was truly the path that we were being called to and that we wanted to walk.

Time went by quickly and before we knew it, we were beginning our second year. The second and third years of formation were adjustment years. I say that because most of us had been out of school for a long time and now we had classes, homework, lots of reading and reports to write. It was a tremendous challenge because we had to balance our work responsibilities, our family responsibilities, our church responsibilities as well as keep up with our formation studies. There were many times when doubts set in and we questioned if we belonged in formation. Counseling from members of the core team, sharing our feelings with our fellow candidates and prayer, prayer and more prayer got us through years two and three. Then we began our final year of formation.

The final year was exciting. Homiletics became our focus and involved a tremendous amount of time in research, reading, studying, writing and rewriting. It also meant learning proper delivery, enunciation and even proper posture at the ambo. Year four also meant learning the duties of a deacon when assisting at Mass. We learned about marriage and preparing couples for marriage. We learned about performing baptisms. There was so much to learn and the time was winding down.

Soon we were looking through catalogs for our albs, stoles and dalmatics. As December 2006 approached there was anxiety and joy, sorrow and happiness. December marked the last class of our formation program. We had become a family. We had shared the joy of the birth of grandchildren and the sorrow of the death of loved ones. We knew each other’s children and grandchildren. We knew each other’s birthdays and anniversaries. But, once again our lives were going to change and we wondered if we were ready.

Ordination day was spectacular. The church was full of love and the Holy Spirit. I must speak for myself because I cannot speak to what was going through my wife Jackie’s mind and heart. I was nervous until I saw my family and all my friends who had come to be with me on this very special day. The one moment that I must share with you, however, is the moment that Bishop Larry laid his hands on my head. It was as if I was on a cloud floating on air. I was awed by what was happening but also filled with such joy and happiness. Words really cannot explain the emotions I was experiencing, but I was now a servant of God’s people.

These past 18 months following ordination have been very busy. Although I am assigned to Immaculate Conception Parish in Lihue, I also help at St. Raphael’s in Koloa. There have been baptisms, weddings and many funerals. My daughters have helped me at weddings and I wish I could explain to you what it is like to preach at Sunday Mass and see your own children in church listening to your words. Every single day of these past 18 months has been a blessing and I thank God every day for his call to Jackie, our children and me.