Vestments once worn by a beloved deacon of St. Rita in Dundalk over five decades of ministry have been gifted to a new generation of deacons at the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley.
Following the February death of Deacon George Evans – one of the first permanent deacons ordained in the United States – his family offered to give his dalmatics to another parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Joyce Evans, Deacon Evans’ widow, felt that her husband’s symbolic vestments should be handed on, just like the ministry itself is handed on.
The Hunt Valley parish took up the family on the offer.
“I was filled with joy when I looked into the sacristy and saw the dalmatics and stoles in different liturgical colors inside the closet,” said Deacon Felix Mmuoh, a transitional deacon serving both the Hunt Valley parish and the nearby parish, Our Lady of Grace in Parkton. “My heart was filled with hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God.”
Later when Deacon Mmuoh learned from his pastor, Father Kevin Farmer, that the vestments had been donated by Evans’ family in memory of their husband and father, and that Deacon Evans was part of the first class of permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, it meant even more.
“I felt humbled and honored to be sharing this ministry with Deacon Evans in a more special way,” Deacon Mmuoh said. “I remember I said back to Father Kevin, ‘God bless Deacon Evans.’”
A dalmatic is similar to a chasuble, but the dalmatic has sleeves in contrast to the open-sided chasuble. It is visibly worn by deacons who assist at liturgies, but there are times when a bishop or pope may wear one as well, often under their chasuble. No matter who wears it, it is a sign of service to God and to others and a dedication to the Gospel.
“Dad was very passionate about the diaconate,” said Deacon Evans’ daughter, Clare Morris. “Despite his age, he was active in his ministry right up to the time that COVID hit.”
Deacon Evans died at age 88. Initially his responsibilities as a deacon were limited to assisting at Mass and helping with religious education, but once he retired from his full-time job, all of that changed.
“He did everything then,” Morris recalled. “He went into it with the knowledge that there would always be different things coming up. He took it to heart that the word diaconate means being of service, and the beauty of all this is that he always managed it.”
Deacon Evans was the last surviving member of the first class of deacons in the archdiocese.
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