Bob Marben, a beloved and active member of the St. Teresa's community in Valparaiso, had discerned the next step for his life was to answer the call to serve as a deacon, which culminated in his ordination to the diaconate on that day 10 years ago, along with several other men.
When I found out not too long before that day about the Mass, I decided, almost on a whim, to attend.
I rode the South Shore Line from downtown Chicago to downtown Gary, which meant catching the early morning departure from the Millenium Station at 8:40 so I could be in time for the Mass.
Once I arrived in Gary about an hour later, I waited for Dan and Ann Ruggaber to pick me up at the station and take me the rest of the way to the Cathedral of the Holy Angels. While waiting, a car pulled over on the street by me, and a window rolled down. My initial thought was that someone was going to ask me for directions. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to hear the greeting of Father Kevin from inside the vehicle, who was on his way to the ordination Mass.
A few minutes later, Dan and Ann arrived, and we made our way there.
It was a hot summer day, and the sanctuary was the one part of the Cathedral's facilities that wasn't air-conditioned, which made it feel like my home parish at Ascension during the summer months.
Notably, I had just been at this Cathderal exactly 6 months prior for the ordination Mass of Father Ted. Much of the music was the same, with prayerful lyrics speaking to God's calling in our lives. Father Ted was also there, and during the communion procession, he helped direct the flow of attendees toward the Eucharistic minister stations.
One part of the rite of ordination for deacons includes the line: "Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach."
Father Matthew Spencer discussed this line on his program St. Joseph's Workshop on Relevant Radio. One major idea of his discussion was that these words apply to all the baptized: We are called to read the Word and come to a life-giving belief in it, and then to hand it on to others while also putting into practice the very Words of God. God has brought life by speaking His very Word to us, and we're called to be transformed by that Word to be a blessing in the world.
I heard another deacon, Lendell, once remark that a deacon's role is to be an icon of Christ, which manifests itself in how the deacon assists at Mass in proclaiming the Gospel reading and during the Eucharistic prayer, along with other acts of service in the community.
The St. Teresa's community is so blessed to have Bob Marben. And so it was an even greater joy that he discerned this next step to serve the community in a more involved way.
Thinking of Deacon Bob brings me a sense of joy. Whenever I go back to St. Teresa's, when he sees me, his face lights up as he greets me with words like, "Paul, the beloved apostle!"
It was just like during my time as a ValpU student. Often, he would commend me for the way I offered my services to the community, especially as a lector.
I'm glad I was there to be part of this important moment in his life of faith, as yet another example of how meaningful it has been to be part of the St. Teresa's community, whose people have truly revealed God and His kindness to me in profound ways. I'm thankful to God the church has Bob as one of many faithful servants functioning as deacons.
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