Celebrating 25 Years

Twenty-five years seems to be a magic number that many people strive for - 25 years of life - 25 years of marriage - 25 years of work.  Recently I celebrated 25 years of ordination to the diaconate - twenty-five years of active ministry as a Roman Catholic deacon.  A ministry shared with my spouse and children - with family and friends - with my parish family.  On October 8, 1988 - twelve men were ordained as deacons by Bishop Joseph Imesch at the Cathedral of Saint Raymond in Joliet, Illinois. It was an exciting day - a terrifying day - a day of perpetual commitment - to serve the people of God - the people of the Joliet Diocese.  All twelve of us were originally assigned to our home parishes - many to be moved later to other assignments - as some relocated - as parish needs changed. We were ordained for the Church - as assistants to the Bishop - as his eyes - ears and hands - to minister faithfully to his people. Twenty-five years later - four of us have been born to eternal life - the remaining eight still in active ministry.  We have preached thousands of homilies - baptized approximately  five thousand babies - witnessed hundreds of marriages - donated over one hundred and fifty thousand hours as unpaid ministers - spent thousands of hours involved in youth ministry, RCIA, bible study, nursing homes, food pantries, bereavement, wakes and funerals, missions, retreats and dozens of other ministries - all in the names of Jesus. Many people question why any man would become a deacon - considering the investment of time and money out of our own pockets - taken away from our families - from our personal interests - without any compensation.

Dcn Dick-Dcn Chuck-Dcn Jim-Dcn Dale-Bishop Imesch-Dcn Leon-Dcn Tom-Dcn Tom-Dcn Paul 

To a man - all of us joyfully serve - to honor that call from God - to make our election and commitment to serve His people - as men of God - permanent - to be role models and examples of ordinary men - called to do extraordinary works - in the name of Jesus. Unlike those who serve for a time - then move on - our commitment is a life long one - serving day in and day out - not as perfect men - not as great men - but as ordinary men who listened to God and through His grace - serve him in charity and humility. Our reward is the smile on the faces of the parents and babies we baptized - the thank yous received - the heartfelt handshakes and hugs freely given. To my brother deacons - to my family and friends - I say thank you for allowing me to enter into your lives - for accepting me as I am - an ordinary man.

God Bless
Deacon Dale 

Take It Back

All of us have made comments - said things - that we later regretted - wished we had not said - realized that with new information - our initial comment was not accurate.  Sometimes the comment was hurtful - spoken in anger - others spoken without full knowledge of the subject - later realizing - spoken prematurely. When preparing to walk The Way of Saint James - both my wife and I said we could not understand how so many people who had walked The Camino - seemed obsessed and returned - time after time - to walk it - again and again. We stated - once is enough - when completed our thoughts will focus on other things. On our last day - walking the final 20 kilometers into Santiago - we repeated those very sentiments - nearing the target of the Camino.  We finished our Camino much earlier than anticipated - two weeks early to be exact - two weeks of downtime - two weeks of nothing to do - so we returned home early. Happy to be home - happy to see our family and dog again - happy to be sleeping in our own bed. Two days later - looking at each other - with dismay on our faces - together we spoke those words we promised we would never say - "I miss the Camino".  For five weeks walking the Camino - for eleven months preparing for that walk - we had promised we would never say those words - yet - we did. Take it back - take it back - and we did.

When many people first come to accept Jesus into their lives - they are filled with excitement - hope - joy - pleasure. When they realize that being a Christian takes commitment - offers challenges to worldly things - is difficult at times - they want to say - take it back.  Making a commitment to be a disciple of Christ is a serious decision - that everyone has to contemplate - make - honor.  When faced with frustration trying to honor the Christian lifestyle - they want to give up - reject their new found faith. In those moments Jesus comes to each of us - to remind - to encourage - to strengthen - He offers His love and constant help. For those who have become weak in their faith He says - I am here for you - please - take it back.

Deacon Dale 

I'm A Believer

It is obvious - as a Roman Catholic Deacon - I am a believer. I believe in God Almighty - I believe in Jesus Christ His son - I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus - I believe in the Holy Trinity.  I also believe in people - people of God - who are believers - people of God - who are not believers. On my recent adventure in Spain - walking The Way of Saint James - with my wife - Arlene - we had the opportunity to meet and talk with many different people - who were very quick - to tell us - they were not religious - as if it was a bad thing if they were. Most claimed to be spiritual - acknowledging - a higher power - a force of the universe - something mystical.  We detected in those conversations that many were not completely truthful - that they were religious - but were compelled to deny it - as if walking The Camino as a religious person made you a religious fanatic or worse.  In everyday life - many people do the exact same thing - deny their religious life - their affiliation with organized religion - their spiritual side. It is a shame that in this day and age - belonging to a church is seen as a sign of weakness - or fanaticism.

Finisterre, Spain - "The End of the World"

Jesus came into this world that we might experience life to the fullest - He places no restriction on how we accomplish that.  As a true believer - we are called to stand firm in our faith - in the face of those who would ridicule or belittle us for believeing. Jesus died - for you - for me - the least we can do is confess our belief in Him - just as He believes in us.

Deacon Dale 

Eres Mia

Eres Mia - You are Mine.  It doesn't matter what language it is spoken in - when God tells us that we are His - we feel loved and accepted. Last night we attended the pilgrims Holy Mass in the Chapel of Saint Tecla at the Cathedral in Burgos, Spain. Of course the Mass was entirely in Spanish so we didn't understand a lot of what was said. I did pickup up enough to know the priest was referring to Saint Augustine and to pilgrims. I could also tell from his facial expressions and delivery and smile that he was encouraging each of us on our walk to Santiago. Mass ended with a special pilgrims blessing - the crowded chapel dismissed with the simple form - "Go - in peace".

Walking in peace is not always an easy thing to do - too many distractions - too many things to do - too many things on our mind. To walk in peace means to step back - to walk away - to a place of solitude - where you can empty your mind and open it up to God. In that time of quiet He will speak to you and you will hear - Eres Mia - You Are mine.

Deacon Dale 

Waiting

Waiting for anything can be an ordeal - the anticipation of what is to come - will it be on time or late - will there be any obstacles - will I experience or receive all that I expect - what if I don't? All of us have gone through a period of waiting - waiting in line - waiting to be selected - waiting to be served - waiting to arrive. It is normal for us to experience the full range of emotions as we wait. It is only a few days before we leave for our Camino walk in Spain. There are so many parts of this adventure that the waiting game will get every opportunity to surface. The airport - the flights - the connection mid-way - the arrival in Spain - waiting for the train - arriving at the starting point - all involve periods of waiting.

When we first made the adult decision to commit our lives to Christ - we waited.  Waited to see what would happen - waited to see if our lives would change - waited to see Jesus reveal Himself to us in a new and wondrous way. We waited - and waited - and then He acted - often in ways we didn't expect. Jesus is there for all of us - we only have to ask Him into our lives and wait - He will come.

Deacon Dale 

Mustard Seeds

In Luke 17:6 Jesus declared that if one had the faith the size of a mustard seed they could perform miracles - tiny faith - small faith - minuscule faith.  Not faith on a grand scale - not faith that would burst seams - nor tip the scales of a balance.  Just everyday day - old - small faith. How would this be possible - how can a little faith have such drastic affects?  Simple - faith is faith no matter how large or small.  It comes down to what one really believes - is your faith wishy - washy - feeble - weak - of little substance - or does your faith have "legs" - does it move you and others - to a true deep belief  that God will definitely hear and answer your prayers? Do you speak or pray your intention and "hope" that God will act - or do you know - without a doubt - that He listens to you - hears what you say - and acts on it - with true - unyielding faith.

True faith is knowing that God really listens - really hears - really acts in your life. The secret is patience - because the answer is not always - or rarely - immediate. One has to simply believe - and trust that God will act in His way - in His time - according to His will - not ours. Jesus promised that He would be with us until the end of time - and sitting right next to Jesus is God - the Father - acting in all matters of faith.

Deacon Dale 

17 on 17th

Today was an interesting day for the Diaconate Community in the Joliet Diocese.  This morning at the Cathedral of Saint Raymond - Bishop R. Daniel Conlon ordained seventeen men to the order of deacon.  The ceremony took two hours - praising God for His gift of life and ordained ministry.  I find it interesting that 17 men were ordained on the 17th day of the month.  Perhaps something special will come from this new group of deacons.  Watching this ceremony reminded me of my own ordination - almost 25 years ago. 

I remember lying face down on the cold tile floor during the Litany - wondering what I was doing - how I had gotten to that place - if I really was the right man for the job.  Twenty-five years later I still ask myself - am I the right man.  I may never know.  I left the Cathedral and went home and later in the day celebrated the validation of a marriage with a young couple - I shared this privilege with a brother deacon - it was solemn - it was enjoyable - it was fun.  Maybe I am doing something right - only God knows for sure.

Deacon Dale 

Martha Martha

We heard that phrase this Sunday at Holy Mass - in the Gospel - when Jesus was trying to get Martha to relax and not be so concerned about Mary sitting at His feet - rather than helping prepare the meal.  For the most part - Martha has been portrayed as a bad person - ignoring the fact that Jesus was in her house - tending to mundane activities of preparing a meal.  Upon closer inspection - one has to realize that Martha had her hands full - in more ways than one. Most likely Martha was the head of the house - the leader in the family - the one expected to see that things ran well as expected. She is the one who ran out to meet Jesus when he first came to see what had happened to her brother Lazarus - and today - she is the one focused on treating her guest properly - seeing that preparations are being made to see to His comfort. She is also the one - who like Peter - called Jesus to task - "why didn't you come sooner and save my brother from death" - and - "tell Mary to get up and help me" - a bold action - one expected from the person in a position of responsibility. It was not only Jesus who she was concerned with - He did travel with His disciples and some women - Martha had a house full - about twenty people to feed and make comfortable. Her house had to be packed - room and seating stretched to their limits - and Martha attempting this huge task alone. Placing ourselves in her situation - we can easily see her concern.

Jesus was well aware of what was going on in Martha's mind - He knew the issues at hand - still His first thought was that Martha should not worry about earthly needs - rather that she should stop to focus - on that which was really important - allowing her to place herself in His presence - to allow Him to feed her - with His words - His love. He knew - as Mary had realized - the concerns of the world would take care of themselves - that worrying about what to wear - what to eat - who to invite - when to meet - how to do - would all be taken care of in due time. To be aware that you are in the presence of the Divine - to recognize a "God moment" when it is happening - to bathe yourself in all that God has to offer - is far better than anything else. God calls each of us to be both Martha and Mary - to see to the needs of others - to offer ourselves when needed - to stop what we are doing - when those God moments happen - to allow ourselves to touch the Divine. Those moments happen often - Jesus calls us constantly - it is up to us to stop and hear His call.

Deacon Dale 

Shrink Wrap

Shrink Wrap according to wikipedia - is a product made of a polymer plastic film that has many uses in industry.  The most common form of shrink wrap that most of us would encounter is that used in the food industry - to protect and preserve food items.  It is flexible and durable and conforms to almost any shape you desire. Depending on the thickness - it can be easily pierced or pierced only by sharp instruments. One of its best characteristics - is that it is transparent which makes it desirable for the food industry. Numerous food items are safely displayed - and on open display for all to see and touch.

Not everything in life is transparent or easy to see through. People are not transparent - many hide their real selves behind masks or identities that defy detection.  Many prowl about among the population looking for easy "marks" - those gullible enough to fall for scams and schemes that quickly separate them from their money and valuables.  Luckily for us - most people are honest - and transparent - in who they are - what they do.  Jesus was that way - what He said -He meant - what He did - was real - what He proposed - was life. There was no masking Him or His intentions.  He was open and honest - completely transparent - in all His actions.  He said that He came that we might have life - He meant it.  He said He forgave sinners - He did.  He promised to be with us always - He is. Jesus is not shrink wrapped - He is approachable and touchable - He waits for you - for your touch - your embrace - to experience for yourself - His divine presence.

Deacon Dale 

Forty!

Forty years ago we welcomed our first born son into our family - it was a very special day for us - first time parents - first time fears - first time joys. In what feels like only a few years - our son has grown into a fine young man - educated - well liked - honest - straight forward - a pleasure to be with.  With time - many changes have taken place in our lives and in his - learning - growing - understanding - coping with issues - rising above disappointments - succeeding. As parents we are very pleased with our son - and he pleased with our growth as well. We are friends - as well as parents - not always the case in some families. We are separated by miles - but connected by our mutual love for each other. Our relationship best described as steadfast.

When God sent His Son to us - he knew that there would be times of trials - times of separation between His people and His Son. In time His people grew to understand just who Jesus is. As in any family - the love steadfast - pure - true.  For all people - for all ages - Jesus is the best birthday present you will ever receive.

Deacon Dale