Four of our deacons and their wives – Deacon Juan and Lita Aquino, Deacon Leonel and Rosa Mancilla, Deacon Raúl and Virginia Mendoza, and Deacon Don and Sandy Sifferman – and Sylvia Alvarez, the widow of Deacon Sal Alvarez, attended the 2018 National Diaconate Congress in New Orleans on July 22-26.
The Congress was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the renewal of the permanent diaconate in the United States. In attendance were 1,500 deacons and their wives, over 8% of the 18,000 deacons in the U.S. The presiders for the Eucharistic Liturgy each day were: Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S.; Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark; Bishop Frederick Campbell, Bishop of Columbus; Archbishop Samuel Aquila, Archbishop of Denver; and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and USCCB President.
Other speakers included Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans; Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City; and Bishop Gerald Kicanas Emeritus of Tucson. It was a wonderful opportunity to listen to insightful speakers, and to share experiences with other deacons and wives from across the U.S.