Son to vest his father at diaconate ordination

I received the following e-mail yesterday from the Diocese of Arlington:

I wanted to be sure you had our new release about the permanent diaconate ordination that will take place this weekend in Arlington, Va. We are very excited for the eleven men. I also thought you would enjoy hearing that one of the men, Ralph Goldsmith, will be vested as a deacon by his son – Father Goldsmith, a priest of the Diocese of Richmond.

Bishop Loverde to Ordain Eleven Men to the Permanent Diaconate

(ARLINGTON, VA) On January 17, 2015, the Most Reverend Bishop Paul S. Loverde will ordain eleven men of the diocese to the permanent diaconate. These men will serve the diocese in three primary ways: by proclaiming the Word of God to the faithful, by serving at the altar and by ministering to the poor, the lonely, the sick and the troubled.

Father Tom Ferguson, Episcopal Vicar of Faith Formation, who leads the formation program remarked, “Our diocese will surely be blessed by the ministry of these men who, like the very first deacons, are filled with the Spirit and with wisdom.”

Since Bishop Loverde reinstated the diaconate formation program ten years ago, 43 men have been ordained bringing the total number of permanent deacons incardinated in the diocese to 76. The ordination will take place at 11:00 am at St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington, VA.

Wonderful news! You can read the biographies of the men over at the Arlington Catholic Herald.

Watch this space for more news and pictures next week.