www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Invitation to Subdeacon Lance's Diaconal Ordination

The family of
Lance D. Weakland
requests the honor of your presence
at his Ordination to the Diaconate
by Metropolitan Basil
for ministry in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
Divine Liturgy and Ordination on
Sunday, the twenty-sixth of October
Two Thousand and Three
at three thirty in the afternoon
St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church
166 East College Street
Canonsburg Pennsylvania

Dinner Reception
immediately following Liturgy
St Michael's Church Hall
166 East College Street
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Please respond by private message on or before
October 10, 2003

Dear Lance,

I just received your kind invitation to your ordination!

While I won't be able to make it, may I have a mailing address for you?

October 26th is also the feast of St Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons in England.

Many years to you in service in the Vineyard of Christ!

Alex

Axios! Axios! Axios! I won't be able to come but my prayers and the prayers of my family will. You get my "virtual" Axios!

Alex,

Clear some space in your mailbox and I'll private message it to you.

Dear Lance,

Because I've been messing around with my profile, it is now locked.

My e-mail, which will be changed in a couple of weeks anyway, is:

edited out

God bless,

Alex

Dear Lance,

Got it, SD!

You can edit it out now!

Alex

Dear Subdeacon, warm congratulations and heartfelt prayers on your forthcoming ordination to the Sacred Diaconate. Sorry that I can't be with you that day in person, but my prayes will assuredly be present. Incognitus

Dear Subdeacon Lance,

An anticipatory axios!

As one who is also in minor orders at the same level as you currently, and one contemplating next steps, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on progressing to the diaconate, and especially whether you view this as a transitional state or not. Perhaps that is more personal than you wish to be, in which case ignore my insolence--or reply in private mail if you wish.

Adam, subdeacon and sinner

Dear Fr. Deacon to be Lance,

Thank you for the virtual invitation to your ordination. How like you to think of us in this time of your joy.

The physical distance between us on that day will be great as I cannot make the trip at this time.

There will be no distance on that day as I join you in prayer for your ministry and your family and friends on that day. May their love and ours help to sustain you in the work that the Lord has called you do undertake.

May Stephen, the Proto-martyr and deacon intercede for you now and for all of your days.

Steve

Thank you all for prayers and kind thoughts.

Subdeacon Adam,

I do not view the diaconate as transitional or permanent, if that makes any sense. I am perfectly content to be a deacon and do not discern a call to the presbyterate. The Church needs deacons as well as priests. However, just as a priest may be asked to become a bishop and he must discern this call, a deacon, at least in the Eastern Churches, must at least consider the possibility that his bishop may in the future ask him to continue formation and become a priest. How likely that possibility is in the Pittsburgh Metropolia, I don't know. Probably not likely. If that would occur, however, I would hope that people don't think that the man's time as a deacon was wasted or that he should have been a priest from the beginning. Anytime spent in any order is a call unto itself and if called to a higher order that time should be considered time well spent in preparation for the higher order.

In Christ,
Subdeacon Lance

Dear Lance,

You bring up an interesting and important point, SD!

When our Bishop Filevich of Saskatoon ordained a married deacon to the priesthood some time ago, he did so because he needed him and also because the deacon had become indispensable to the people after years of service in the diaconate.

It was, as I understand, his work as a deacon in our Church that made the Bishop realize that he would make a great priest and that he was needed to the people as such to serve them more fully etc.

And so he ordained him.

Many RC priests called Bishop Filevich to congratulate him on going ahead in this endeavour without asking Rome's permission - or indeed fearing repercussions.

I knew Bishop Filevich when he was the parish priest at St Josaphat's in Toronto.

I never would have though that he would have taken on such an initiative in Western Canada where they didn't like ordaining married priests.

But go figure!

Alex

Dear Lance,

That makes ENORMOUS sense actually! I was relieved when I read it, in fact, because it confirmed a 'theory' (inchoate at best) I've had for a while but have not seen elsewhere and so thought perhaps an overly eccentric or idiosyncratic idea of my own. This is, indeed, very much how I have been approaching vocational questions of my own, and I think you for sharing this wisdom!

Again, be assurred of our prayers for you...

Adam

Dear SbDn Lance,

May the Lord protect, bless, and guide you!

May the All-Holy Theotokos intercede for you!

May the the Great Martyr Demetrios and Martyr Nestor be examples to you by their faithful manliness!

I wish you many, many years of health and joy in your family and honorable service in the sacred Churches!

With love in Christ,
Andrew