As the Feast of Our Lady of Gaudalupe winds down and we prepare for the Feast of St. Lucy I am reflective and thankful on this chilly December evening. Tomorrow, December 13th, will be the third anniversary of my ordination as a Permanent Deacon in the holy Catholic Church. Three years ago I received the gift of Holy Orders as the Archbishop laid hands on me and I prostrated on the floor with my brothers as the Church lifted in prayer the litany of the Saints. When the liturgy was over I processed out of St. Louis Cathedral as Deacon Mike Talbot, called to serve God and His Church by serving the people of God in and of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
I still remember, quite vividly, the events and emotions of that day as well as the entire weekend when I assisted at Mass and preached for the first time at St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church in Abita Springs, Louisiana. I still remember my first time baptizing a baby and witnessing the vows at my first wedding. I remember too my first funeral. I remember the first time I pronounced a blessing on a sacremental(religious article) and I truly remember my first night marching in to Rayburn Prison as the Deacon for some 75 men.
And as the 3rd anniversary approaches I am struck by the unforseen changes in the ministry as I was transferred from my home parish, St. Jane's, to Most Holy Trinity about 8 miles down the road. New and different opportunities to serve God and His people have presented themselves at MHT! Looking back 3 years ago little would I suspect that my service would be requested as a mentor and a facilitator in the diaconate formation program. My love for preaching God's Word has afforded me the blessed opportunity to assist with homily preparations for two classes of candidates.
Since my ordination I have witnessed from the inside the ordination of 10 brothers in 2010 and we are preparing two additional classes of men for ordination, one in 2012 and another in 2015.
As a Deacon I have witnessed the changing of the guard as Archbishop Aymond became New Orleans' Archbishop, replacing retiring Archbishop Alfred Hughes, my ordaining Bishop. And I sat in St. Louis Cathedral as an ordained minister as we said goodbye and laid to rest the amazing Archbishop Philip M. Hannan.
On this eve of my 3rd anniversary I am reminded again that as a Deacon it is who I am, not what I do that truly matters. Even though I continue to work a full time job and am married and a father, I am always a Deacon of the Church. I need to remember this more strongly when cheering on both LSU and the Saints.
Once our ordination date was set I looked to the church calendar and realized that every ordination anniversary will be shared with the feast of St. Lucy. She has become for me one of my patron Saints. I look forward to praying with and through her tomorrow on my 3rd anniversary.
I am thankful and grateful to God almighty for calling me to the ministry of Permanent Deacon. I am thankful for everyone who played a role in my formation; formation that took six years because of the unwelcome visit of Hurricane Katrina. All my instructors, mentors, directors and so many others who played a role will never be forgotten. Of course my wife was instrumental in my formation as was my youngest child, Elizabeth.
So tomorrow I will pause, among a busy day that will be dominated by the normal routine of work, and remember and give thanks. And I will continue to minister as a Permanent Deacon in His one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
St. Stephen, Deacon & Martyr, pray for us...
St. Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr, pray for us...
St. Lucy, pray for us...
Deo Gratias
Deo Gratias
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