Permanent Diaconate Formation - preaching workshop.

I've got a preaching workshop at our residential weekend in February. We have to prepare and give a 5 minute homily suitable for a parish Mass on Ash Wednesday. What would you want to hear? I'm thinking the Last Four Things.......what about you? What would you preach about?

New website on Catholic Social Teaching.

New website on Catholic Social Teaching - check it out. At some stage we gotta get off our knees and live out the, 'ite, missa est !'

http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk

Formation Update

Here's a straight cut and paste from the update going out in our parish newsletter this Sunday...........


Formation Update from Brian McMahon

Brian McMahon is in the second year of a three year formation and discernment programme, leading to ordination as a permanent deacon in the archdiocese of Westminster in the summer of 2012. Here he updates us on his progress.

It’s been a couple of months since I last wrote an update and I remain as busy as ever. Discerning the real nature of vocation takes a lot of thought, prayer, discussion, time – and essays! I feel immensely privileged to be in this formation process. The path to a fulfilled life is to know God’s will and do it. As I’ve said before I’ve never worked so hard, for so consistently long, at something for which I don’t get paid! A couple of people have said to me that I’m just over half way through the formation programme. It was only after I looked at my formation timetable that I realised time was passing very quickly and indeed I am just over half way through.

The more I reflect, the more I really feel that the Church and society need the ministry of deacons. Priests are essential, but deacons are necessary, because the job of a deacon is to represent Christ the Servant, whereas the priest represents Christ the Priest. That’s a little bit of an over simplification, but I think you can see what I’m getting at. However, I’ve never been quite happy with that word ‘servant,’ because when you think about it, even being a ‘servant’ can imply status, especially if you’ve had time to watch programmes like Down Town Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs over the last few months. Status is precisely what the vocation to the permanent diaconate is not about. If I had wanted status I would have gone into politics!

I much prefer the term ‘slave’ to that of ‘servant.’ I think there’s a justification for using this word. When the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament were written, they were written in Greek, and the word ‘servant’ is one translation of the Greek word ‘doulos,’ which can also be translated as ‘slave.’ So there it is – I’m in formation to become a slave! At the Last Supper Jesus acted as a slave by washing his disciples’ feet. When the archangel Gabriel visited Mary as a young girl, of perhaps not much more than fifteen years of age, she described herself as the ‘slave’ of the Lord, though it usually gets translated as ‘handmaid’ of the Lord. A bit to dainty for me and fails to express the radical nature of what Mary did when she said ‘yes’ to God, just as Jesus did when he washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus and Mary put themselves at the bottom of the pile – they were not status seekers. Jesus was crucified – a form of Roman execution reserved for slaves.

The expectation of the Church is that permanent deacons will spearhead service (slavery?) within their communities and help take the Church out to the wider world. That’s why at the end of Holy Mass the deacon gives the final dismissal, ‘Go, the Mass is ended.’ That means we all go off to love and serve (slave for) the Lord during the week until we come to Holy Mass the following Sunday. There’s something to think about there.


You will notice that over the next few months I will be proclaiming the first reading and psalm at the 11 am Mass. As I’ve been instituted as a Lector (reader) the Church expects me to exercise this ministry for a reasonable period before I am instituted as an Acolyte in the summer. This is all part of my formation for ordination. After a few months we’ll go back to rotating readers for the first reading, just as we currently do for the second reading. I thought I’d mention this just in case you wondered why I seemed to be reading every time you come to Mass. Normal service will resume and it is not part of my plan for world domination!

I have a blog called, Cursor Mundi. Just enter cursormundi.blogspot.com into your web browser and read my updates and leave a comment. You can pick up links from there to network with me on FaceBook and follow me on Twitter and Foursquare. You can also email me at brian_mcmahon@ymail.com if you have any questions about my formation for ordination as a permanent deacon, which you as a parishioner are part of, or you need some help or would like me to pray for you or an intention. I have to do a lot of praying so do ask if you need prayer! Thank you to everyone who is supportive with prayer and encouragement – that means you! I remember you and your intentions at Mass during each Formation Day and when I pray. Brian.

Rule of Life

If you're looking for some structure to develop your spiritual life, here's a good starting point:

http://www.cts-online.org.uk/acatalog/Rule_of_Life.pdf

Permanent Diaconate: Formation Day 08/01/11

If you're interested as to what the timetable for our monthly formation days at Wonersh looks like, here's the one for next week. All three years come together and are streamed into the appropriate lecture for their formation year. I'm in my second year so stream 202 is me. Wives attend on an optional basis. We each take a turn at various liturgical activities as well as serving coffee and putting out chairs, plugging things in and then putting back chairs etc . The day is a bit of a sprint but we have good opportunities to build community, friendship and have some fun along the way! The Diocesan Hour at 2pm is when we get together in our own diocesan groups (I'm archdiocese of Westminster) with our diocesan formators and discuss local business etc.


Formation Day

Saturday, 8th January 2011

09:00 am Coffee(Rigo Logier: Paul Priestley: Phil Richardson)

09:30 Lauds (UCR)
(Ant: Matthew Manoharan; Reader: Adrian Burnett)

10:00 First lecture
FP103: Seminar (Fr. Robin Gibbons)
FP202: Spiritual Direction (Fr. Peter Edwards)
RT383: Political Theology (Fr. Ashley Beck)

10:50 Coffee

11:10 First lecture continues

12 noon Mass in Chapel (Offertory – James and Chris Bannan)
(AC1: Don Hopkins; AC2: Paul Vooght; Thurifer: Jolyon Vickers; Cross Bearer: Jonathan de Kretser; MC: Michael Smith; Reader : Alfred Banya; Intercessions: John Bell; UL : Neil Mercer; UR : Klaus Reidel)

1:00 pm Lunch followed by Coffee

2:00 Diocesan Hour

3:00 Second lecture
FP103: Liturgy & Vatican II (Fr. Robin Gibbons)
FP202: Diaconal Spirituality (Fr. Ashley Beck)
RT312: Marriage (Joanna Hale)

3:45 Coffee

4:00 Second lecture continues

4:45 Vespers in Chapel (Ant: Simon Kirkdale; Reader: Brian McMahon)

17:00 Hit the road!