The Ottawa Citizen
23 June 1990
Eleven married men were ordained a week ago as permanent deacons to serve Roman Catholic parishes in the Ottawa area.
They’re the first permanent deacons to be ordained in the anglophone section of the archdiocese in 10 years. In the last year, four permanent deacons have also been ordained in the francophone section of the archdiocese. They were the first in about 11 years.
Most of the new deacons work full-time at other jobs, and include public servants as well as such men as Derek Smith, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at Carleton University, and a retired RCMP officer, John O’Brien.
Brendan O’Brien, auxiliary bishop of Ottawa, supervised the four-year training course for the deacons. He says the new deacons are expected to serve the archdiocese for about 10 hours a week.
Deacons are able to preach and to baptize, but cannot celebrate mass. O’Brien said that deacons are expected to serve others, particularly those with special needs, such as the handicapped, those in jail, and those who attend soup kitchens.
“We hope they’ll encourage others to be involved in these ministries,” said O’Brien.
The appointments of the new deacons take effect July 1 and are included in the annual list of appointments of clergy within the archdiocese of Ottawa.
The deacons and their new parishes or ministries are: Gregory Curtin, Our Lady of Fatima; James Heffernan, St. John the Apostle; Norman Levesque, St. Ignatius; George McCarthy, Blessed Sacrament; Moran McMahon, Divine Infant; John O’Brien, St. Augustine’s; Robert Probert, Ottawa University campus ministry; James Scheer, St. Clement’s Community; Derek Smith, Newman Chaplaincy at Carleton University; William Svab, Resurrection of Our Lord; and Edward Webster, Annunciation of Our Lord.
Other clergy appointments generally take effect Aug. 1 and include: Rev. Dennis Hayes, Our Lady of Russell; Rev. Daryl Kennedy, St. Catharines, Metcalfe and part-time at the Ottawa Ecclesiatical Tribunal; Rev. Joseph Leclair, St. Leonard, Manotick; Rev. William Penney, St. Michael, Corkery and St. Peter Celestine in Pakenham; Rev. Jacques Pilon, St. Bernard; Rev. Thomas Riopelle, Holy Cross; Rev. Donald Tuori, St. Philip, Richmond and Dwyer Hill; Rev. Andre Fortin, assistant judicial vicar at the Ottawa Ecclesiatical Tribunal; Rev. Francis Frankovich, administrator at St. Mary; Rev. Roland Lafleur, administrator of St. Margaret Mary; Rev. Michael Schneid, administrator of Holy Family; Rev. Robert Bedard, assistant pastor, St. Mary and moderator of tthe Companions of the Cross; Rev. Roger Vandenakker, assistant pastor, Divine Infant; Rev. Joseph Vayalil, sabbatical leave.
Appointments of priests to French parishes include: Rev. Jacques Faucher, Ste-Jeanne d’Arc and Christ-Roi; Rev. Serge Faucher, St. Bernardin and St. Bernard; Rev. Raymond Fortier, St-Benoit-Labre, Wendover; Rev. Louis-Germain Levesque, Notre-Dame de Lourdes, Cyrville; Rev. Gaetan Ouimet, Notre-Dame de Lourdes, Vanier; Rev. Jacques Poirier, sabbatical leave; Rev. Roch Saint-Laurent, administrator, Clarence Creek; Rev. Gerald Baril, chief chaplain General Hospital; Rev. Jean-Louis Gosselin, chaplain General Hospital, Hawkesbury and pastor at Vankleek Hill; Rev. Daniel Lavoie, chief chaplain at the St. Elisabeth Bruyere Centre; Rev. Marcel Ranger, assistant chaplain, St. Elisabeth Bruyere; and Roch Charbonneau, to St. Joseph for pastoral training.
Similar changes have been made in clergy appointments in the Catholic archdiocese of Kingston, and take effect July 12. They include Rev. C.D. Cummings, as pastor St. Patrick, Lansdowne and St. Brendan, Rockport; Rev. J.H. MacGillivray, St. Francis Xavier, Brockville; Rev. K.O. Clemens, St. Francis de Sales, Smiths Falls and Blessed Sacrament, Lombardy; Rev. T.F. Shea, St. Mary, Morrisburg, and St. Cecilia, Iroquois; Rev. S.B. Amato, associate pastor, Smiths Falls and Blessed Sacrament, Lombardy.