Arlington celebrates first ‘harvest’ from its Hispanic diocesan diaconate program

ARLINGTON, Va. (OSV News) — After completing the two-year aspirancy stage of the Diocese of Arlington’s Hispanic Permanent Diaconate Program, the first group formally presented themselves as candidates ready to continue their formation process, which is expected to culminate in four years with their ordination as deacons.

These six men were recognized in a joyful Mass for the Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders, celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington Feb. 1. The Mass at St. Thomas More Cathedral was attended by hundreds of parishioners, including family and friends of the candidates for the permanent diaconate.

“Know of my prayerful support and confidence in you. I trust your sincerity and your intentions as you come forward today and resolve to form your mind and heart for faithful service to the Lord and his Church,” said the homily written by Bishop Burbidge, which was read in Spanish by Father Joel D. Jaffe, who leads the diocese’s Hispanic diaconate program.

“May God who has begun this good work in you, bring it to fulfillment,” wrote Bishop Burbidge.

During Mass, the six candidates affirmed before the bishop their intention to complete their formation to be made “ready to undertake ministry in the Church” as permanent deacons in due course.

Father Jaffe, who also serves as pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling, Va., told OSV News that this program was designed to respond to the growth of the Spanish-speaking community in Arlington.

Members of this program follow a curriculum designed for Hispanic men, with courses in Spanish and the support of bilingual priests who assist in their formation.

“It is a joy for me to see six men listening to God’s call to serve at another level and to sacrifice a lot for the community, for the Church and for the mission of our diocese. I am very happy about that,” Father Jaffe said.

After the Spanish-language Mass, Bishop Burbidge told OSV News that the candidates — Javier Aguilera, José Amaya, Miguel Correa, Marco Orozco, Rodrigo Ponce and Roberto Silva — are “very dedicated, and they’re working hard.”

“They are taking very seriously their formation, which is intellectual formation because they have to grow in their knowledge of the faith,” he said. “They have to learn the tools on how to teach it and preach it.”

Javier Aguilera, who was accompanied by his wife, Norma, and other members of his family, originally from El Salvador, described the Feb. 1 Mass as “unforgettable.”

“All Masses are beautiful, but this one has been very special for me, it has touched my heart deeply,” said Aguilera, who had double reason to celebrate, as it coincided with his 58th birthday.

For her part, Norma said that faith has been strengthened within her home. “I feel that I have learned a lot from what he is doing, and I am doing other things that I didn’t do before, such as Lauds and Vespers,” she told OSV News.

For Bishop Burbidge, the spiritual life of these men is undoubtedly a fundamental part of the success of their formation process.

“We just don’t need deacons. We need holy deacons. And so a big part of the formation is helping them to become disciples and help them in their prayer and in their relationship with the Lord, because they can only give what they have,” he told OSV News.

As the bishop stated in his homily, amid their studies and obligations, the candidates’ “highest priority must always be their spiritual life and their growth in holiness,” underscoring their commitment to the call to the permanent diaconate.

Referring to the Sunday Gospel, in which Jesus “conveys to all of us how to grow in all holiness as he teaches us the Beatitudes,” the bishop warned that holiness is “more than simply following the Ten Commandments.”

“You are promising to form your mind and heart for faithful service. You are to be a dedicated learner so you may be formed in the truth and the faith you are preparing to teach, proclaim and preach,” the bishop said in his homily, read by Father Jaffe.

Bishop Burbidge, who urged the candidates to trust fully in the Lord, in his grace and mercy, without forgetting to seek the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, affirmed that by giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus “radically turns upside down worldly values and standards and teaches us the virtues and spiritual practices that serve as the perfect guide for how best to be disciples of the Lord, to follow his ways, to grow in holiness, and to be counted among the ‘blest.'”

In his homily, the bishop also expressed his gratitude “for the support and encouragement they receive from their spouses, children, family members, fellow parishioners and formators,” referring to Father Paul D. Scalia, episcopal vicar for clergy and director of the Formation Program for Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Arlington, and Father Jaffe.

Father Jaffe, who has worked with the Hispanic community throughout his priesthood, told the Arlington Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, that “being able to help the bishop create and lead this program, and then help all these men feel inspired to serve as deacons, is a joy.”

After Mass, in an interview with OSV News, Bishop Burbidge highlighted the Hispanic community’s willingness to serve in his diocese.

“We are so blessed in the Diocese of Arlington in the vibrant growth of our Hispanic communities — and their spiritual and pastoral needs must continue to be met. But as we grow, we need assistance. And deacons from the Hispanic community would provide wonderful ministry to an ever-growing community,” he said.

According to the bishop, considering the rigor of the formation program for deacons, they thought “it would be best to have a cohort where they could support each other, learn in their language, and pursue the coursework that would be most meaningful to the ministry that they’ll be doing, God willing, one day as deacons.”

Bishop Burbidge said he was pleased to have a strong group of deacons, although he anticipates that they will need more and more Hispanic deacons. “We thought this program could be inviting for other men to consider, but we started small because this is new for us, and God willing, it will continue to grow,” he added.

Joel De Loera, director of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Arlington, said that this “is a historic moment” for the diocese “because it is the first time this program is being offered in Spanish, and it is in response to the great need in our Hispanic community and demonstrates Bishop Burbidge’s great pastoral care for the Hispanic community.”

“They have the opportunity to fulfill their calling, their vocation to the diaconate, and it is a great blessing that our bishop has responded to this impulse, which I think is from the Holy Spirit, especially in these times when we are experiencing so much difficulty and anxiety in our Hispanic community,” De Loera said. “It is a prophetic sign of hope for our times and for our diocese.”

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