DIACONAL CONVOCATION

ON HOLISTIC MINISTRY

            Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., of Boston and Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wis., will be the keynote speakers at a convocation of permanent deacons of the Diocese of Brooklyn at the Legionnaires of Christ Formation House, Thornwood, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 20.

            The speakers will address the theme: “To Serve the Lord with Gladness: a Holistic Approach to Ministry.” Archbishop O’Malley will speak in Spanish and Bishop Morlino in English.

            Msgr. Frank J. Caggiano, director of the diocesan Diaconate Office, said the speakers will address “the importance of maintaining a joyful ministry of service through ongoing holistic formation that includes a healthy prayer life, continued theological study, a holy marriage and ongoing fraternity.”

            Bishop Thomas V. Daily will celebrate the closing Mass.

            The program will include four workshops, each to be presented in English and Spanish, Msgr. Caggiano said.

            Father Gerald Fitzsimmons, provincial of the Montfort Fathers, and Redemptorist Father Terrence Moran of the Paterson Diocese will speak on prayer in English and Spanish respectively. Dr. Joanne Heaney-Hunter of St. John’s University (English) and Rudy Vargas of the Northeast Hispanic Catholic Center (Spanish) will speak about marriage.

            Msgr. Thomas G. Caserta, director of the diocesan Ministry and Life of Priests’ Office, and Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete of the Archdiocese of Washington will address the topic of theological study and reflection in English and Spanish respectively.

            The subject of fraternity and community among deacons will be discussed in English by Msgr. Neil H. Mahoney, director of the diocesan Cluster Planning and Collaboration Office, and in Spanish by Vincentian Father Joseph Agostino of St. John the Baptist Church, Bedford-Stuyvesant.