Off to Formation

I am preparing to leave for this month's Deaconate Formation weekend, the one I wrote about last week as being somewhat anxious about because several of us have been laboring our way through St. Thomas Aquinas' Treatise On Human Nature. Not only do we hope that Father Bede Aboh-who will be our instructor in the Philosphy section which comprises this month's classes-will give us heavy guidance through these choppy intellectual seas, but I'm quite sure that many of us are hoping that as he does this, he will allow the same latitude that our initial instructor in Sacred Scripture, Father Ragan Shriver, also allowed-for his lectures to be recorded.

My Brother Aspirant Scott Maentz has thus far done all of his brothers a great service in allowing his notes to be shared, commented on, and thus used as a tool of study within Google Documents. He also recorded Father Ragan's lectures on introductory Scriptural material over two months worth of sessions and made them available to the rest of us for use in our studies. Scott has a passion for using modern technology for the advancement of the Church and the Kingdom of God, and his contribution to our collective study in the form of legible notes that we can add to through comments and recorded lectures has helped many of us get the most out of our studies so far. If Father Bede is so kind as to allow his lectures to be recorded, we can continue to use the material to help master, by God's Grace, what has been put before us.

Before putting my bags outside in preparation to leave for formation, I have to print out my paper that is due this month for Father Ragan's second Introduction to Scripture weekend from last month-an exegesis of five verses of our choosing from the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). I chose vs. 51-55 for my written study of this important passage of Scripture, which is recited daily at Vespers throughout the Catholic world.

If you live in the Diocese of Knoxville, there is a collection this weekend to support those of us who are in formation for the permanent diaconate. Normally, I wouldn't dream of speaking for all of the other Aspirants, but only for myself. However, I am sure all of the men in formation would join with me in thanking our brothers and sisters throughout the Diocese for generously assisting all of us in the formation process.

Above all, pray for us-we all need your prayers.