On June 15th, we attended our last diaconate formation class for this year at Valyermo (aka St. Andrew’s Abbey) in the high desert near Palmdale.
OK, so this was our last meeting, what are we going to write? Fellowship is the answer.
When we are in a van for two hours or at an Abbey, there was time to talk and share with our fellow classmates. Yes, we know that we have completed our first year of formation together and are sure that there have been opportunities for fellowship before. We have talked during lunch and breaks. However, for the most part, the time for fellowship was very limited.
This was the end of our first formation year together. We were able to talk and share about where we were when we started this journey and where we are now. We did not end our first year together being glad that it had completed (well, we were a little glad), rather it was ended in prayer and then an hour drive home.
If anyone thinks that, we now get three months of leisure, we do not. Over the summer, we are to read and be able to discuss three Encyclicals as well as two chapters in our book on the New Testament.
We look forward to not being Aspirants, but being accepted as a Candidate Couple in Candidacy Year I. Although we will start the fall in the Candidacy Year I class (our second year in formation), we are not candidates. Jay will need to write (not types) a letter to the Archbishop requesting to be a permanent diaconate candidate. Once he receives approval from the Archbishop, he will be a candidate. Candy will need to write a letter to Deacon Craig, the Head of Deaconate Formation, saying that she supports Jay in his request for candidacy.
We will become formal candidates on November 2nd in Mission Hills, when we go through this Rite of Acceptance with Bishop Salazar.
This year could not have been possible without the support and prayers of our Holy Family community for which we are extremely thankful!
If you are interested in becoming a Deacon Couple, please contact:
Diaconate Formation Office
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241
213-637-7383
Alternatively, attend one of the following information days:
· Sunday, July 21, 2013 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at St. Jerome Parish, 5550 Thornburn St., Los Angeles, 90045
· Sunday, October 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Incarnation Parish, 214 West Fairview Ave. Glendale, 91202
If you have any questions about the Diaconate, please ask us or send us an e-mail to wyb@wyb.com. We greatly appreciate your prayers and support and will continue to keep you informed of our journey.
Candy & Jay Krueger,
Candidacy Year I, Diaconate Formation Couple