PROVIDENCE—The Diocese of Providence rejoiced in the ordination of seven men to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate on Saturday, Oct. 24, in a Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul by Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. Bishop Emeritus Thomas J. Tobin, D.D., joined Bishop Lewandowski for the ordination, as did a number of priests and deacons from throughout the diocese.
“I first became interested in becoming a deacon because of my involvement with the Cursillo movement,” said Deacon Javier Eduardo Perez Sanabria, who will serve his home parish of SS. John and James in West Warwick. “One day, I just felt the Lord calling me very strongly during Mass. When I later spoke to a man who was currently serving as a deacon, he told me that his own experience had been very similar.”
For Deacon Jimmy Rommer Aybar Santiago, joining the diaconate represents an opportunity “to show people the face of Jesus and help them grow in holiness and faith.” Deacon Santiago will serve at St Patrick’s Church in Providence, as will Deacon Aquilinio Antonio Luna Diaz.
In his homily, delivered both in English and Spanish, Bishop Lewandowski remembered the example of Deacon Alejandro Buco, one of the early deacons of Hispanic descent to serve the American Church, who responded to every question asked of him by saying “Yes, with the help of God.”
“As you serve your own communities, you will always need God’s help first, as St. Paul said,” explained the Bishop, naming each of the candidates individually. “But you will also become the instruments by which God’s help can come to the people of your community.”
Father Daniel J. Sweet attended the Mass as the pastor of Holy Family Church in Woonsocket, where Deacon Leo Thomas Fontaine will be assigned. “Well before becoming a deacon, Leo has been involved with our parish’s music ministry and with the Father Marot Youth Center,” said Father Sweet. “Leo’s new vocation really feels like a natural progression of his desire to serve Christ and to serve others, and he has incredible skills for leadership and ministry that will make him an excellent deacon.”
For his own part, Deacon Fontaine thanked his family for the role they played in his growth in faith and said his interest in the diaconate was inspired in part by a recent trip to the Holy Land.
Father David T. Orique, O.P., is the director of the Latin American and Latina/o Studies program at Providence College and helped instruct the five new Hispanic deacons in homiletics.
“We talked about ways to build a good homily by putting a little of oneself in there, helping the community see themselves in the message of the Gospel, and also giving a clear theological or spiritual proposal,” he said.
“It’s important that we strengthen our deacons to engage with immigrant communities in Rhode Island, because that is the fastest growing and, in many ways, the most dynamic part of the diocese,” Father Orique said. “It’s also good to get Spanish speakers from as many different areas as possible. Just as there are differences in English pronunciation between someone from America, someone from the UK, someone from Nigeria, and someone from India or Sri Lanka, so too are there differences between Spanish speakers from Mexico and Guatemala and Columbia and the [Dominican Republic].”
Also ordained were Deacon Emmanuel Adolfo Cabrera Carpio, who will serve at St. Ann Parish in Providence, Deacon Sean Vincent Magiera, who will serve at St. Kevin Church in Warwick, and Deacon Felix José Rodriguez Almonte, who will serve at St. Bartholomew in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Providence.
