"Just as the Eucharist makes the Church, so the priesthood is central to the life of the Church. Engage yourselves personally in forming your priests as a body of men who inspire others to dedicate themselves completely to the service of Almighty God. Have a care also for your deacons, whose ministry of service is associated in a particular way with that of the order of bishops. Be a father and a guide to holiness for them, encouraging them to grow in knowledge and wisdom in carrying out the mission of herald to which they have been called."
-- Pope Benedict XVI, September 16, 2010
You may read more about this at: http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2010/09/pope-have-a-care-also-for-your-deacons.html#ixzz0zkexlaj4
Interesting in light of the recent musings on this blog about deacon as servant that the Holy Father chose from among many titles to designate us by the word "herald", sent to proclaim the Gospel and announce the Kingdom like St. Philip in Acts. How wonderful that he acknowledges the importance of our ministry of the Word as a vital mission of our vocation.
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