Answering the Call: How God Transformed the Lives of Nineteen Catholic Deacons

by Michael J. McGrath, Michael Cooper

Overview

Answering the Call is the story of nineteen Catholic permanent deacons from the Diocese of Savannah (Georgia) whose lives underwent profound transformations as they embarked upon a journey of self-discovery which revealed to them both the awesome power of God and the holiness of everyday life. When these deacons, who come from vastly different spiritual, professional, and educational backgrounds, responded to God's call, they soon became aware of the profound impact their decision would make on their lives as husbands, fathers, and, most of all, servants of God. Any person who experiences a crisis of faith or wants to deepen his or her relationship with God, will find the theological, pastoral, and spiritual aspects of these essays informative as they will inspire further reflection and discernment. Each of the essays can be read as a guide to ministry that provides personal and experiential advice about how to minister in a God-centered and healing manner. A person considering a religious vocation, or any man discerning God's call as a permanent deacon, or is a candidate or a deacon now, will appreciate the honesty with which each deacon describes the expected and unexpected stages of his journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498271905
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Deacon Michael J. McGrath serves at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Statesboro, Georgia, and he is a professor of Spanish literature and culture at Georgia Southern University. He is the author of more than forty publications, including the book Religious Celebrations in Segovia (1577-1697) and articles on religious drama in seventeenth-century Spain.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

List of Abbreviations xiii

Contributors xv

Introduction xix

Deacon J. Brian Bergeron 1

Deacon John Blaha 5

Deacon Tirso A. Castillo 12

Deacon Jerry Clark 26

Deacon Don Coates 38

Deacon Kerry Diver 45

Deacon Tom Eden 61

Deacon Peter Falkenhausen 71

Deacon Richard Halbur 79

Deacon Dave Hayden 83

Deacon Bob Kepshire 88

Deacon Ken Maleck 101

Deacon Michael J. McGrath 107

Deacon Patrick Mongan 114

Deacon Reinaldo Morales 123

Deacon Bienvenido Perez, Jr. 131

Deacon James Roberge 142

Deacon Joseph S. Soparas 151

Deacon Albert Sullivan 158

Epilogue 163