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Gulf Pine Catholic

July 28, 2017

Deacon’s faith strengthened by ministry to the sick

BY DEACON WARREN GOFF

Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg

I have been involved with this

ministry for all of my 24 years as a

deacon for the Diocese of Biloxi. It

actually began many years ago with

two members of our prayer group in

Pascagoula deciding to go to the

hospital on Sunday mornings

between masses.

I will never forget that first visit.

It was Bragg Moore, EddieWilliams,

and myself. We were so nervous. We

sat outside the hospital for quite awhile trying to work

up a little courage. I even remember the first room we

entered. It was Mrs. Buffet, Jimmy Buffet’s grand-

mother. She broke the ice with her faith in God and

appreciation of our visit

It has truly been a blessing over the years to have

the honor of bringing the Eucharist to so many people.

My faith has been strengthened by the faith of those I

have visited and it continues each day of my ministry

to the sick. Many of our people are facing a life chang-

ing sickness and still others are preparing for the ending

of their life’s journey. Seeing their faith through those

trying times has an effect on you.

I have been involved in many ministries over the

years and the ministry to the sick has been one of the

most fulfilling, especially as I serve the People of God

in the Hattiesburg area. The parishioners of Sacred

Heart Parish here in Hattiesburg have been such a great

gift to Nancy and me

Next year I will be ordained twenty five years. As

long as my health holds up I plan to continue with the

same ministry that started so many years ago with two

friends standing outside Singing River Hospital trying

to get up enough nerve to go in.

I hope that with God’s blessing and continued good

health, to try to live up to one of the heroes in my life,

Deacon Bob Everard, who is still ministering to the

sick at the young age of ninety years old. It is his

example that defines the Ministry of a Deacon on their

life’s journey. Seeing their faith through those trying

times has an effect on you.

Goff

Deacon Karl

Koberger, of St.

Joseph Parish in

Gulfport, visits a

hospital patient.

Hospice ministry enables deacon to

be ‘instrument of Christ̕s mercy and

companionship’

BY DEACON MICHAEL SAXER

Imagine that you had an opportunity to help a fam-

ily through one of its most trying moments. Imagine

that you are invited to become a temporary member of

a household of faith. The moment you enter the house

you can feel the faith. People are sad, but they are

strong. They are ready; they are hungry for the love and

support of the Church and for the sacramental Presence

of our Lord. He is indeed present in their faith. Imagine

that you are asked to become the embrace of the

Church for her children at such a difficult moment as

the passing of a loved one. That is the reward that I get

from being a deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi.

Diaconal ordination has blessed me with the opportu-

nity to become an instrument of Christ’s mercy and

companionship through hospice ministry with Notre

Dame Hospice, a ministry of the Archdiocese of New

Orleans. Through this ministry, Christ fulfills his prom-

ise: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

(John 14:18)”

I was first introduced to this ministry by Father

Mike O’Connor during the last year of diaconal forma-

tion. I went into it thinking that it was a great opportu-

nity to prepare myself for the passing of my own par-

ents. Little did I realize I would be able to help so many

people, not just for myself and for my family. I am able

to strengthen and encourage people by reminding them

of healing power of Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum,

and then facilitating a timely visit by

their pastor to administer these

Sacraments (Catechism of the

Catholic Church paragraphs 1516

and 1524). My father, Deacon

Robert Saxer, MD, passed away

recently, and I experienced a pro-

found sense of assurance and calm

even as I comforted my mother and

my siblings. Because of this minis-

try, I knew how to speak words of comfort to my loved

ones, remain strong in my faith, and was thankful that

the Holy Spirit gave me the grace.

Another wonderful result of this ministry is that

when people are suffering, they become open to the

Good News that our Catholic Faith has to offer. I have

witnessed how God can use the death of a loved one to

make people feel the love the Church has for them.

Once they feel this, they are eager to wrap themselves

in its embrace.

I am grateful to God for having called me to this

ministry and thankful to Bishop Louis for allowing me

to continue to serve in this ministry that I have come to

love. I am also thankful for the support of my wonder-

ful faith-filled wife Janet, and the encouragement of my

pastor Father Michael Marascalco, the people of St.

Clare Parish, and the team at Notre Dame Hospice. If

anyone is interested in hospice ministry, contact Deacon

Mike Saxer at (228) 216-4365.

Saxer

“I’m so pleased to hear that Bishop Kihneman has

approved a new formation program for permanent dea-

cons in the diocese and I sincerely hope that men who

desire to serve the church and God, will answer the call

of a vocation to this ministry.”

A native of Hattiesburg, Deacon Finnegan and his

wife have been blessed with three grown children:

Kenneth, Natalie and Darren, and six grandchildren:

Talia, Kelly, Andrew, Isabelle, Lucy and Georgia.

Permanent Diaconate

From page 12

Msgr. Flannery remembers Father Quinn as a

visionary.

“He could look at any situation and know how best

to approach it,” he said.

“During his time there, the city quadrupled in size.

It went from 400,000 to 800,000 people. Part of that

was caused by drugs in the mountain villages. If you

lost a crop for two years in a row, you had nothing. You

had no seeds to sow. So, people moved at that point and

a lot of them became squatters on the side of the moun-

tain. A lot of the growth happened to be at Perpetuo

Socorro (Perpetual Help). He responded to that need.

He could see that people were living in cardboard

boxes. So, he started this program of building cinder-

block homes and he ended up building 2,250 of them in

his time.”

Msgr. Flannery came back to Mississippi in 1974

and ministered to the poor in the Mississippi Delta. He

retired from active ministry in 2014 and currently

resides in Madison.

He continues to visit Saltillo on an annual basis.

Saltillo Mission

From page 9