Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • May 31, 2019 6 Eight men to be ordained permanent deacons on June 22 Eight men will be ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop Louis F. Kihneman, III, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral. The ordination Mass will be live-streamed on the diocesan web- site, www.biloxidiocese.org . The new deacons, who have completed a four-year formation process, will raise the number of permanent deacons serving in the Diocese of Biloxi to 48. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), deacons are ordained “as a sacramental sign to the church and to the world of Christ, who came ‘to serve and not to be served.’ … The deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant church.” All ordained ministers -- bishops, priests and deacons -- are called to the three functions of Word, sacrament and charity, but bishops, priests and deacons exercise these functions in various ways. “As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach and teach in the name of the church,” the USCCB says. “As ministers of sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness mar- riages, and conduct wake and funeral services. As ministers of char- ity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then mar- shaling the church’s resources to meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs.” The Second Vatican Council restored the diaconate as a “perma- nent” order of ministry, open to men over the age of 35. Dr. Sean D. Fink of Hattiesburg and his wife, Judy, have been married for 30 years. They have four children -- Josh, Megan, Dylan, and Ashleigh. He is a member of St. Thomas Aquinas where he currently serves as an acolyte. Fink attended Jim Hill High School in Jackson, Mississippi College, and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine before completing residency at Keesler Air Force Base and fellowship training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He served as a physician in the US Air Force for eleven years, and is currently a specialist in gastroenterology at the Hattiesburg Clinic. “Diaconal formation has deepened my understanding that God created and redeemed each of us out of an immense love for us and continues to work in our lives. Without God, we can do nothing. I am not giving my life to God as a deacon. I am merely surrendering what is already His.” Mardoqueo Magana is a native of El Salvador, married to his wife Graciela Magana, and has three children, Monserrat, Michelle and Eduardo; and six grandchildren. He came to the United States in October of 1990. He has been in the construction business for about 20 years. He is a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Biloxi, and since I was instituted acolyte he has been serving the altar of the Lord. “With the grace of God, my commitment is to serve the altar of the Lord and his people as well.” Norman J. Cantrelle , a native of Arabi, LA, has been married to his wife Dori for 21 years. They are the parents of five children and five grandchildren and have been parishioners of Most Holy Trinity in Pass Christian since moving to Diamondhead in 2014. Cantrelle attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, LA. He later received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Following his service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Cantrelle began a career in indus- trial chemical sales and sales management. He is currently employed by Suez Water and Technology Solutions as a Senior Regional Engineer for the Gulf Area. “After finally saying Yes to God’s call to the diaconate, I have put total confidence in His plan for me and have not looked back. With the graces of ordination, I trust that He will give me the humility, the wisdom, the fortitude and the courage to do His will and serve His flock.”