This is a very special weekend for us at Christ the King as we celebrate the ordination of parishioner Andy Oross as a Permanent Deacon. You’ve been seeing his picture in the bulletin for the last few years (and praying for him during this time, I know) as he’s gone through an intensive formation process, and now at last that process has led us to this joyful weekend. Andy’s ordination took place on Saturday January 7th, and on Sunday January 8th he will assist and preach his first Mass as a deacon here at Christ the King. We are very excited to share that special Mass with Andy and his family.
The other good news is that Bishop Rhoades has assigned Deacon Andy here to Christ the King. He’ll serve in much the same capacity as Deacon Joe has for these last several years, assisting at weekday and Sunday Masses as well as preaching, and being involved in various other activities throughout the parish. The ministry of deacon is a ministry of service; in fact, the word deacon comes from a Greek word that means “service”. We first see ordained deacons appear in the Acts of the Apostles, charged with serving the poor (see Acts 6:1-7), and today’s permanent deacons continue this important ministry in the Church. We are very grateful for his presence and all who will be blessed by his diaconal ministry.
Please join me in congratulating Andy (and Teresa, Hannah and Catie) and praying that his ministry will bless our parish for years to come.
P.S. I know that many of you are aware that last weekend was Jessica’s last weekend as our Director of Music and Liturgy. We have interviewed some good candidates and expect to extend an offer soon. In the meantime, we have substitutes arranged through the end of January, so our music at Mass should be uninterrupted until we have the new Director in place.