Nine men were installed as lectors at a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge at St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington Feb. 1.
The nine men are candidates to the permanent diaconate: Matthew Chapman, Andres Colón, Michael Evans, R. J. Levin, Arturo Matus, Geoffrey McGarrigle, Kelly McKeague, Victor Mendez and Christopher O’Connor. Candidate Thomas Malenga will be installed at a later date.
The role of a permanent deacon is to assist a parish and its priests. Permanent deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach homilies, conduct funeral services, prepare couples for marriage and witness marriages, among other duties. They may be celibate or married. If a permanent deacon’s spouse dies, however, he may not remarry without special permission, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB requires that the minimum age for ordination to the permanent diaconate is 35, in accord with Canon Law.
The Rite of Lector is one of several steps during a six-year process for men desiring to enter the permanent diaconate. Last year, Bishop Burbidge admitted the 10 men as candidates to the permanent diaconate. They had spent the previous two years in aspirancy, a stage of discernment and study.
“The Rite of Lector brings the candidate into a greater intimacy with the Word of God as found in Scripture,” said Father Paul D. Scalia, diocesan episcopal vicar for clergy. “This is more than just doing readings at Mass. They are now to fashion their lives more and more according to Scripture and have a special responsibility to it.”
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge commended the men for continuing to pursue and discern the vocation of the permanent diaconate.
“I have called you forth today to be instituted into the ministry of lector. This is a day of great joy and freedom because the Lord is speaking through his church. He’s affirming your vocation as you continue your discernment,” he said.
As the men receive their new responsibility to proclaim the Word of God, Bishop Burbidge said, “you must be ever convinced that it is he, the Word made flesh that we proclaim, not ourselves.”
Bishop Burbidge added that, “We must proclaim the Word of God in all of its beauty and without compromise, always with love, but never compromising.”
Following the homily, Bishop Burbidge prayed over the candidates, “Bless our brothers who have been chosen for the ministry of lector. Grant that as they meditate constantly on your word, they may grow in its wisdom and faithfully proclaim it to your people.”
Each candidate then approached Bishop Burbidge, who held out a Bible. “Take this book of holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people,” Bishop Burbidge said. The candidate took the Bible in his hands and replied, “Amen.”
Following the Mass, the candidates and their friends and family mingled in Burke Hall for a reception.
O’Connor, a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, said that he first felt the call to the permanent diaconate as a child. While attending Catholic school, O’Connor was told by a religious sister that “if we were married, we could not receive ordination. I remember hearing, ‘That door will open.’ I did not understand that message. and I did not think about it much after that for many years,” O’Connor remembered. “I knew I was called for deeper service; I just did not know what that service was supposed to be.”
In 2009, O’Connor realized what that vague message meant. “My wife and I attended an informational meeting on the diaconate. We were told at that meeting that I would have to wait until the children were grown. So, when our youngest was a few months away from high school graduation, I applied to the chancery, and through God’s grace, I was accepted into the program,” he said.
Victor Mendez, said that a desire to serve the church grew over the years. “It was through prayer and dialogue with my family that I was able to discern more clearly this path,” he said. “In dialogue with priests, deacons, with the support of my loved ones and a deep spiritual reflection, I made the decision to take this important step, feeling that it was the time to commit myself to serve God and the community in this very special ministry.”
As a full-fledged lector, Mendez said he looks forward to further study sacred Scripture. “I want to deepen my knowledge of the scriptures so that I can live them more fully and transmit them more authentically,” he said, “in addition to continuing living my sacramental life in a more committed way, especially sharing it with my family, since they are a fundamental pillar in my spiritual life.”
Over the course of this next year, the candidates will continue to study and serve as lectors before next year’s rite.
“The next rite is that of Acolyte, at which the men are brought closer to the altar by being entrusted in an official manner with serving the priest at Mass,” Father Scalia said.
The men will continue to discern, study and serve until their anticipated ordination to the permanent diaconate in 2028.
This article has been updated.
