Permanent deacons celebrate anniversaries with special Hispanic Mass
On Father’s Day, June 18, a special anniversary was celebrated at the Sunday Mass for the Hispanic community at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. Fifteen deacons who were ordained to the diaconate were present, with some being ordained 25 years ago and others 20 years ago.
The cathedral was full of parishioners who typically attend the 10 a.m. Spanish- speaking Mass. But there were also relatives, from near and far, who attended. Some of the deacons who used to serve the Hispanic community here have moved with their families to warmer places like Florida or Georgia, but they continue to serve their community there.
With expressions of joy and gratitude on their faces the deacons began the entrance procession, followed by some priests and Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R,. the Archbishop of Newark, who presided over the Mass. The men were met with familiar smiling faces in the assembly, who recognized the work that these men carry out daily in the parishes of the Archdiocese.
Service. That was the word that came most frequently from the lips of these men who, with their stoles crossed over their chests, serve at the altar, or in the most diverse fields where there are brothers in need.
They are grateful for the call received from the Lord and the opportunity to have been able to do the most varied services during all these years.
“Serving the Lord and his people during these 25 years has been a privilege and a blessing. Also for my family, which has been transformed,” said Deacon Frank González, who served in the parish of Saint Paul the Apostle in Jersey City all his years.
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin put into context for all present the mission we are all called to carry in the Synodal Church as baptized members. He ended by saying that we must be “a Church of happy people, and carriers of mercy and fidelity that will reach all generations.”
The cardinal made special mention of the wives and families of the deacons, expressing his gratitude because during all these years they have accompanied the ministry of their husbands with their unconditional support.
It was undoubtedly a very special day for these deacons and their families. “A unique celebration and a Father’s Day out of the ordinary,” said Deacon Ricardo Flores of St. Joseph and St. Michael Parish in Union City.
There was gratitude for everyone. “These 20 years of diaconate have been the greatest miracle of life that the Lord has given me. I am grateful to him for having called me and to my wife for her constant support,” said Deacon Cecilio Polanco, from St. Michael Parish in Newark.
For Jesús Aristy, from Saint Michael Parish in Palisades Park, “this ministry has helped me see the goodness of God around me, with so many people who have touched my life.”
At the end of the Mass, in the same sanctuary years ago where they had ascended upon hearing their name to be ordained as deacons for the Archdiocese of Newark, they received the special blessing of Cardinal Tobin, who recognized the work carried out by them and encouraged them to continue being faithful to their mission.
Photos by Julio Eduardo Herrera
Featured Image: Hispanic deacons celebrate their 25th or 20th anniversary of ordination, accompanied by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, on June 18.
