Diocese to welcome nine new permanent deacons at ordination Mass at Cathedral on Saturday, June 30

The Diocese of Sacramento will welcome nine men into the permanent diaconate with their ordination by Bishop Jaime Soto on Saturday, June 30. The bishop will preside at the ordination Mass at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament at Eleventh and K Streets in Sacramento.

Photos of the ordination will be published in the September-October issue of Catholic Herald Magazine. The men to be ordained are: Alfredo Anguiano, who will be assigned to St. Philomene Parish in Sacramento; Gilberto Coss of St. Christopher Parish in Galt; Ruben Fuentes, who will be assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Colusa; Moises Guadarrama, who will be assigned to St. James Parish in Davis; Rafael Moreno, who will be assigned to St. Joseph Parish in Marysville; Antonio Ponce of St. Joseph Parish in Sacramento; Daniel Rangel, who will be assigned to St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova; Alberto Vargas of St. Dominic Parish in Orland; and Jorge Villalobos of St. Anthony Parish in Winters.

A 2009 survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (at Georgetown University) for the U.S. Catholic bishops estimated that more than 16,000 permanent deacons serve in active ministry in dioceses across the United States. About 150 deacons minister in the Diocese of Sacramento.

As ministers of word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach and teach in the name of the church. As ministers of sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services. As ministers of charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshalling the church's resources to mee those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs.

On the Web: http://www.scd.org