A Catholic Man

Six and a half years of diaconate formation culminated in my ordination at St. Mary’s Cathedral on December 14th, 2019. Since then, diaconal ministry has been a whirlwind of activity and new challenges. I am blessed to be assigned to the parish my family and I have worshipped for over 25 years, the Church of the Littel Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. I am also blessed to have a new pastor, Father Manny Alvarez, who is an all-out supporter of the diaconate ministry. That support is also seen with our parochial vicar, Father Luis Flores and our great group of priests in residence. They include Fathers Fidelis Uko, Steven Saawuan and Juan Escamez.  Our former pastor, Father Micahel Davis, was instrumental in my formation with his support until his re-assignment.

One of the pleasant surprises of my new ministry is the opportunity to preach. Sometimes I am allowed to preach two or three times during the week in morning Masses and every now and then at the 5:30pm Mass on Sundays, where I am assigned to. I believe with my whole being that preaching for me is a calling within a calling. Each homily takes a lot of research and prayer, but in the end, the Holy Spirit utilizes my ministry to reach the faithful via the spoken Word. Each opportunity to preach makes me nervous because of the unique opportunity to work with the Spirit to reach a person that may need to be reached that day. And on a personal level, it is incredibly enriching.

This coronavirus outbreak has turned the world upside down, including my ministry. My wife and I participate in Emmaus retreats in Cuba. It is a wonderful ministry bringing the Good News to those that have spent a lifetime without ever knowing about the Risen Christ. We have been to retreats in Havana, Camaguey, Santa Clara and Santiago. We were supposed to be at the third retreat in Havana this weekend but it was postponed because of the virus.

My ministry was also upended by the cancellation of Masses and other liturgical events. It was a prudent move by our Archbishop. I have to admit though I felt a bit lost the morning I woke up and did not have a Mass to serve at! A group of parishioners joined me in replacing 8am mass with the Holy Rosary.  What a beautiful experience we had praying together this morning. We hope to continue that until normalcy is returned to our faith life.

In the days to come, I will periodically utilize this forum to offer a short reflection, on the day’s readings, as I would when preparing for a daily homily.  It is a small token on my behalf to keep us focused on our walk during this special time of Lent. We need to stay united as we journey towards the most important weekend in mankind!

In these tumultuous times, we can count on one thing, Jesus Christ Has Risen! He has Risen Indeed!  May the peace and blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ descend upon all of us. Go in Peace. Deacon Jorge

The diaconate formation experience has exceeded my expectations. I was told time would fly but could never have imagined how fast.  My last blog was posted after completing my first semester of the first year.  Now I am completing the second semester of the second year!

We are blessed to have a wonderful group of God loving men going through this journey together.  This group includes the 4th year “seniors” moving into their final year in preparation of ordination. These five men have been a great example of holiness and reverence for our group.

Our group, soon to enter the third year of the five year program, numbers 12. Godincidence? We come from all walks of life and have established a camaraderie that will last a lifetime.

When the diaconate was re-established, after the Second Vatican Council, it was designed as a three year program. Later it was changed to a four year program and recently moved to five years. A Masters in Theology was added in addition to more pastoral/practical education.  We will be truly prepared and educated to serve our assigned flock if we are given the blessing of ordination!

Our school year includes classes every Wednesday evening and one Saturday a month at the St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami. In addition we have one full weekend a month at the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. There we are joined with Palm Beach candidates. During our weekends we start and end the days with prayers, with classes sandwiched in between.  What a beautiful and moving experience to hear 40 men praying and singing acapela in a small chapel!

As a teen I felt the calling to the priesthood and actively explored it.  I remember telling my father I was considering the calling and remember when I told him I didn’t think it was for me.  About 20 years ago I explored a calling to the diaconate but was told at the time I was too young.  That thinking has changed allowing men with young children to take part in diaconate formation. I tried again a few years ago and was told the program was being updated from four years to five and no enrollments were being accepted at the time.

So as we hear many times, it is all up to God’s timing and plan and not up to ours! I am blessed to have the support of my wife and my two daughters. Without their support this program would be impossible to complete. My pastor, along with my Emmaus and Knight brothers have also been prayerfully and financially supportive.

I pray every day that other men in my parish join me in this wonderful journey. Work in the ministries was important and rewarding – but this is an awesome experience. The professors are out of this world qualified and inspiring. Our prayer consciences have achieved levels we never thought possible. And we are learning so much more about our faith.

If you know of someone that you feel in your heart will make a good candidate for diaconate formation, have them contact their pastor.  A new class enters this Fall and that only happens once every two years!

Left to right:  Ismar, Luis, Steve, Victor, JC, Dr. Brian, Sister, Jorge, Mesmin, Me, Ernie, Dr. Jose and Enrique.

This is our group along with Sister Margarita.  She has taught at the seminary for 28 years and just announced her retirement.  What a blessing for us to have had her as a professor!

Please pray for us and our families as we continue the discernment process. We will do the same for you!