Remembering those who have gone before, Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the annual Memorial Mass for deceased Deacons and their wives on Nov. 9, 2024, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice.
The Mass is held in November to coincide with the Month of All Souls. In addition to Deacons and their spouses, also present were members of the Permanent Diaconate Formation Classes of 2025 and 2028 and their spouses.
“The Month of November is dedicated to those who have gone before us,” Bishop Dewane said. “As men and women of God, we are called to keep in mind the members who have served as Deacons and their wives who serve as an example for all of us. Remembering the dead should remind us of who we are as men and women of God and who we strive to be. It is also a reminder to us of our own mortality – that we too will die – it is the human condition. Death is something we want to be part of, because it is in that we will be reunited with Christ.”
Bishop Dewane reminded the Deacons and their spouses that we are taught that baptism is when our death with Christ begins.
“From that point, we go forward and respond in our lives with the presence of God working at the very roots of our being,” the Bishop continued. “Our baptism into the Lord changes our trajectory on how we are to live our life.”
The Memorial Mass brings together those Deacons, and their wives, serving today while honoring the memory of those who have served in the Diocese of Venice since its founding, building it up. While the Diocese is blessed to have Deacons who were ordained here, the Bishop noted that there are many transplants to the area. No matter their origin, each Deacon and their spouse offers their own talents and gifts in service to the Lord. The Bishop expressed his gratitude to all for answering the call of the Lord in a precise way.
“I appreciate all of you for the good works that you and your spouses do for the Church in the Diocese of Venice,” Bishop Dewane said. “Go forward and continue to serve the people in the way the Lord has prompted, as you continue to respond to His call in your lives – to become more that man or woman of God you are called to be.”
As part of this annual tradition, during the Prayer Intentions, the names of those who have passed away during the previous year are solemnly read as candles are lit in their honor.
Deacon David Reardon, Director of Diaconate Personnel, said this annual Memorial Mass is a great consolation for the Deacons and their wives as it is one of the few times they can gather to reflect on friends and colleagues who have gone before.
Today, there are more than 65 Permanent Deacons, many seasonal, living and serving throughout the Diocese of Venice.
