January 18, 2014 we continue our diaconate journey…
At the end of today’s class, we will have completed half of the classes for this year. Or, to put it another way, we have only three and a half years to go. It reminded some of us of when we were younger, when that half of a year truly made a difference in your age. In March of this year, it will be three years since we started to discern and pray about the diaconate.
We continued with bereavement training this class and this is the topic of our blog.
The speaker today was Monsignor Liam Kidney, the Pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades and who has been involved in bereavement ministry with Deacon Sam for over 25 years.
An aspect of bereavement that we discussed was the glass that everyone’s sees his or her life through. Imagine, when you are born, that there is a piece of glass that you see the world through. It starts out as very clean and unobstructed view. So clean, that you have to touch it to make sure that it is actually there. As you go through your life, things splat on the glass. Good things, bad things, and neutral things. Everything we experience will affect the way we approach a situation and people, some are positive some are negative, even those life lessons that do not seem to leave an impression can affect all of us in different. Not all of us leave an event with the same impression, we each see the event differently because of our individual life experiences. Sometimes there is a sandstorm that will etch the glass in such a way that it will never be as clean as it was when you were born. Turbulent and traumatic events will mar the glass and leave visible marks, happy and joyous events will leave the same marks, the imprints on our glass makes us who we are at this moment.
Therefore, as you go through life, you look through your glass. This is how you see the world and others.
When you meet someone, they are looking through their glass as you looking through yours. No two people see the world in the same way. Each glass has been exposed to their unique experiences. Experiences can be family, faith and flag of origin. Family experiences are those that come to you not only through your immediate family, but those through your extended family and community where you were raised. Faith experiences are those that come to you through your interaction with God. Flag experiences are those from not only your country but also the culture or cultures of that country.
The experiences on your glass are something that you have to remember as you are working in the bereavement ministry. Each person’s approach to death is unique. How you, a bereavement minister, will be perceived is unique to those you encounter during their time of grief and sorrow.
Your glass and the glass of others impact not only bereavement, but all aspects of your life.
If you are interested in becoming a Deacon or a Deacon Couple for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, please contact:
Diaconate Formation Office
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241
213-637-7383
Diaconate Information Days – Called To Be A Deacon?
Prospective applicants and their wives are invited to attend an Information Day presented by the Office of Diaconate Formation. Here you can meet the formation staff and learn more about the formation program.
Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, 5801 Kanan Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91362.
If you have any questions about the Diaconate, please ask us or send us an e-mail at wyb@wyb.com. As we complete this calendar year’s classes, we would again like to thank all of you. Thank you for your continued prayers. Thank you for your continued support. Lastly, thank you for the occasional question on how that deacon thing is going.
Candy & Jay Krueger,
Candidacy Year I, Diaconate Formation,
Holy Family Church, South Pasadena, CA