9/15/2020 11:16:00 AM The culmination of a seven-year process
Rob Miller, ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester on Sunday, Aug. 23, poses with his wife, Patty. Miller thanked Patty for her support as he worked to become a deacon. “A real emphasis was on having the wives involved,” Miller said. “This was not a calling within a vacuum.”
In the sixth chapter of the Book of Acts, Jesus's 12 apostles encourage their Christian brothers and sisters to choose seven men to help distribute food to Jewish widows. "We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word," the apostles say. The group chooses the seven, including Stephen, the first Christian martyr. After the apostles pray over them and lay their hands on them, those seven men become the first deacons of the Church. •••••••••••• On Sunday, Aug. 23, Rob Miller of St. Bernard's of Stewartville and Terry Smith of St. Bridget's of Simpson joined nine others as ordained deacons of the Catholic Church for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Bishop John Quinn presided. The ordination was the culmination of a seven-year process during which the 11 candidates studied Scripture and the seven Catholic sacraments, learned how to deliver a homily and focused on the importance of prayer and adoration centered on the Eucharist, Jesus's body, blood, soul and divinity. At the ordination, Miller, Smith and the other nine candidates lay face down on the floor, a symbol of their willingness to give themselves over completely to God... For more on this story pick up your copy of the Sept. 15 Stewartville STAR.
