Seven Men Answer the Call to Service
September 23, 2020 •

“Deacons share in Christ’s mission and grace in a special way. The sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character”) which cannot be removed, and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the “deacon” or servant of all.”

–The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1570

Seven men answered the call to be permanent deacons in the Diocese of St. Augustine at the Rite of Admission to Candidacy last weekend. Bishop Felipe Estévez formally accepted David Allen, José de Jesus Garcia, Bernard Graleski, Jr., Richard Hay, Jr., Ramon Molano, Miguel Ortiz and Raymond Stiles to be candidates for Holy Orders at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche on Saturday, Sept. 19.

This is a major milestone on their journey towards ordination in 2022. Stay tuned for the November/December issue of the St. Augustine Catholic magazine which will take a deeper dive into the permanent diaconate.

Photos by St. Augustine Catholic/Woody Huband.