Newly ordained deacon performs first liturgical ministry at St. Stephen's

WARWICK — At the beginning of the June 21 Sunday Mass held at the R.C. Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, Pastor Rev. Jack Arlotta explained to the congregation that the reason there were so many priests and deacons on the altar that day was that it was a special occasion:

It was the first liturgical ministry as a deacon for the Rev. Mr. Daniel Byrne who had just been ordained.

The ordination of Byrne, a longtime member of the parish, had been performed the day before by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Byrne and seven other deacons who were ordained that day had been preparing and attending theological classes at night after work for the past five years.

A deacon's portfolioIn the Catholic Church the deacon's liturgical ministry includes various parts of the Mass proper to the deacon, including being an ordinary minister of Holy Communion and the proclamation of the Gospel.

Deacons, like priests and bishops, are also ordinary ministers of the sacrament of Baptism and can serve as the church's witness at the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

There is a difference between transitional deacons, who plan to be ordained to the priesthood, where they will take a vow of celibacy, and permanent deacons. Permanent deacons generally live in the world and support themselves financially by working in ordinary jobs, like the laity.

Thus they may be married and outwardly appear to be laymen, while they are in fact members of the Catholic clergy.

Byrne and his wife, Teresa, have been active members of St. Stephen's Parish for 34 years. They have four adult children and two grandchildren

Family man and engineerByrne and his wife, Teresa, have been active members of St. Stephen's Parish for 34 years. They have four adult children and two grandchildren.

Byrne spent 38 years in engineering services as a design/drafter and CADD manager. He worked for engineering and architectural firms, providing construction documents for power plants, transit facilities, municipal needs and medical devices.

He also worked freelance and was a technical drawing teacher.

For the last three years, Byrne has been working in the crisis department at a special needs school.

'God calls ...'"God has been gently tugging at my heart, calling me for more than 29 years," he said. "My ongoing transformation process has been more like a slow cooking crock pot rather than an instant-on microwave. I am not so different from the next guy. I just responded to the Lord's call. Frankly, I'm a good example of the statement, 'God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies the called.'"