A day of service to visit area senior citizens. Times for reflection in the seasons of Advent and Lent. The blessing of throats on the feast of Saint Blas\u00e9.<\/p>\n
These were just a few of the occasions Deacon Russell Davis was blessed to spend with the students of Saint Mary School, Vineland, last year, ministering and guiding the young pupils on their faith journey. It didn\u2019t hurt that two of his grandchildren attend the school, either.<\/p>\n
In the Diocese of Camden, ministerial duties for the permanent deacons have included liturgical functions in parishes, presiding at wake services, and visits to hospitals, nursing homes and prisons. Now, the duties of Deacons Davis (from All Saints, Millville) and Richard T. Sampson (Saint Padre Pio, Vineland) have extended to Saint Mary School, and its principal, Steve Hogan, couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir ministry is another dimension of faith formation for the students, which has been enhanced and strengthened by their presence,\u201d remarked Hogan.<\/p>\n
The collaboration came about after Deacon Davis reached out to Hogan, asking the principal if he could provide assistance in any way.<\/p>\n
After the blessing of the Diaconate Office and the pastors of the school\u2019s sending parishes (Saint Padre Pio, All Saints and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Newfield), Deacon Davis and Deacon Sampson went to work, becoming a presence at school Masses, on days of reflection for Advent and Lent, and even parent\/teacher conferences, as a means of support and witness for the entire school community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a parent\/teacher conference, a student\u2019s mother shared with me that she wanted to receive Communion when her son was confirmed, and I helped her to enroll in the RCIA process,\u201d Deacon Davis said.<\/p>\n
\u2026Father Robert Sinatra, pastor of Saint Padre Pio Parish, calls the deacons\u2019 work at the school \u201canother opportunity for us to evangelize.\u201d<\/p>\n
Principal Hogan is excited for the impact the deacons are making and hopes \u201cthat it continues to be a part of our school culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne student came up to me, and said \u2018the deacons have made me close to Jesus,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read it all.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A great story about an initiative in the Diocese of Camden: A day of service to visit area senior citizens. Times for reflection in the seasons of Advent and Lent. The blessing of throats on the feast of Saint Blas\u00e9. These were just a few of the occasions Deacon Russell Davis was blessed to spend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":205873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-mind"],"yoast_head":"\n
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