The Deacon's Bench
When Archbishop Gregory Aymond ordains men as permanent deacons, he always is careful to identify what the church sees as the deacons’ primary responsibility: They are to serve.
That call to service has resonated with Deacon Ray Duplechain, director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of New Orleans since 2010, who recently was elected director of the National Association of Diaconate Directors (NADD), an umbrella group representing the 18,000 permanent deacons in the United States.
In addition to coordinating the ministry of 160 active deacons in the archdiocese – along with another 77 deacons who are retired – Deacon Duplechain will, for the next two years, be the deacons’ liaison to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
Deacon Duplechain says the NADD has no set agenda other than trying to fulfill the ministry goals of bishops, each of whom has specific needs in his own diocese.
But his election comes at an important time in church history because in 2018 the permanent diaconate will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its revival, which was called for by the Second Vatican Council. New Orleans will host the 50th anniversary national conference of deacons in 2018. “It’s important for us to be able to understand the mission, vision and vocation of the permanent deacon, because this is only 50 years old,” Deacon Duplechain said. “Each diocese has a bishop who has particular challenges and needs, so the diaconate serves to fill those challenges. What happens here doesn’t necessarily happen in different dioceses.”
Photo: New Orleans Clarion Herald
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In