Catholic Diocese of Toledo, Ohio
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Diocese of Toledo Welcomes Four Permanent Deacons Print E-mail

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DIOCESE OF TOLEDO WELCOMES FOUR PERMANENT DEACONS

September 17, 2008 – Toledo, OH – On Saturday, September 20th at 11am, The Diocese of Toledo will ordain four men as permanent deacons. The Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo, will ordain the men at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral at 2535 Collingwood Boulevard, Toledo. The Mass is open to the public.

Serving the diocese since 1973, permanent deacons are considered clergy of the diocese and are ordained to service in the diocese. Deacons are assigned by the Bishop and exercise the ministry of the Church in three specific ways: 1) the Ministry of Charity/Justice, 2) Ministry of the Word and 3) Ministry of Sacrament. The following four men will join 201 other permanent deacons in the Diocese of Toledo:

  • Phil Avina, Bowling Green, St. Aloysius Parish. Phil has been a member of St. Aloysius for 35 years. He and his wife Ann have two daughters and seven grandchildren. Phil says he was lead to the diaconate by the encouragement of several Deacon role models and the encouragement of his family and friends.

  • Mike Eier, Findlay, St. Michael Parish. Mike has been a parishioner of St. Michael’s his entire life. He and his wife Karen have been married for 27 years and they have three children. Mike says he was drawn to the diaconate, “by the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit urging me to see how blessed my life has been and how I need to share my gifts and blessings in serving and building our Church.”

  • Trevor Fernandes, Toledo, St. Joseph Parish. Trevor has been a member of St. Joseph for the past 13 years. He and his wife Tamara have been married for 17 years and they have 5 children. Trevor said that he was drawn to the diaconate because he “kept hearing the persistent voice of the Lord to discern a Sacramental service in His household.”

  • Joe Malenfant, Maumee, St. Joseph Parish. Joe has been a parishioner of St. Joseph for 21 years. He and his wife Marcia have 4 children (ages 21, 20, 71 and 2) and a fifth child due in February. Joes says he was drawn to the diaconate by the concept of service that characterizes the deacon’s ministry.

The four newly ordained deacons will learn of their parish assignment on Saturday at the ordination Mass.For more information on the men to be ordained or the diaconate ordination ceremony please contact Deacon Alfredo Diaz at 419-244-6711.

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 306,532 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

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