Bishop Jugis: Deacons exemplify love of God and neighbor through their ministry
CHARLOTTE — Dozens of permanent deacons from across western North Carolina gathered in Charlotte for a special Mass Aug. 14 to reaffirm their love of the Lord and their commitment to the Church.
The Diocese of Charlotte’s annual Mass in which deacons renew their ordination promises was offered at St. Patrick Cathedral and livestreamed on the diocese’s YouTube channel.
The reaffirmation of promises “is short – it lasts only a minute or so,” Bishop Peter Jugis noted, “but it is the sincere interior devotion of the heart which will carry it forward day by day, so that it does not last but a moment, but is refreshed, renewed and affirmed every day.”
The deacons’ ministry is inspired by the love of God and love of neighbor, the bishop said, reflecting in his homily on the readings of the day from 1 Jn 3:14-18 and the Gospel of John 15:12-16.
The readings for the Aug. 14 memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe illustrate the saint’s “selfless love for God and his selfless love of neighbor,” Bishop Jugis told the deacons, and “serve as an inspiration for you, who are ordained for the ministry of service.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, was martyred at Auschwitz in 1941 after volunteering to die in place of a stranger who had been selected by the Nazis to starve to death.
“Love of God and love of neighbor (are) the extraordinary witness of St. Maximilian’s life and also the witness of your life in ministry,” Bishop Jugis said.
“As ordained ministers of the Church, you deacons give an important witness of Christian service to the faithful of your parishes, and that witness you give inspires your parishioners in their service to the Lord in whatever paths the Lord has called them to follow,” he said. “I can truly say that all the deacons I know, in fact, do inspire the imitation of God’s holy people by the example of their lives.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
'As ordained ministers of the Church, you deacons give an important witness of Christian service to the faithful of your parishes.' — Bishop Peter Jugis