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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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THIRTEEN MEN TO BE ORDAINED TO THE
PERMANENT DIACONATE FOR
THE DIOCESE OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE |
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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NEW YORK, (May 10, 2005) - Bishop
William Murphy, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville
Centre, will ordain thirteen men as permanent deacons
for the Diocese of Rockville Centre at an ordination
Mass on Saturday, May 21 at 11 a.m. at St. Agnes
Cathedral here.
Those to be ordained and their parishes are:
Geoffrey R. Anisansel - St. Joseph, Babylon
Michael A. Aprile - St. Martin of Tours, Amityville
Francis X. Bice - St. Dominic, Oyster Bay
John J. Blakeney - St. Raphael, East Meadow
Richard D. Brunner - St. James, Seaford
Joseph F. Connelly - St. Aidan, Williston Park
Anthony S. D’Auria - St. Thomas the Apostle, West
Hempstead
John J. Failla - St. Elizabeth, Melville
John H. McGonigle - Holy Family, Hicksville
Michael Montelione - Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary,
Centereach
Vincent Pozzolano - St. John the Baptist, Wading River
Thomas F. Reilly, Jr. - St. Edward the Confessor,
Syosset
Dominique Silien - Saint Boniface, Elmont
The diaconate is a permanent vocation and is not a step
in preparation for the priesthood. Like priests, deacons
receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and are members of
the clergy.
The men ordained this year will be able to administer
the Sacrament of Baptism and preside at weddings. They
can officiate at prayers for the Commendation of the
Dead, wake and burial services as well as other forms of
liturgical prayer, including Benediction of the Most
Blessed Sacrament. They can also sometimes preach the
homily at the direction of the priest celebrant. They
cannot celebrate Mass or administer the Sacraments of
Penance, Confirmation or the Anointing of the Sick.
While a permanent deacon can be married or single, many
are married. A widowed or single man who is ordained a
permanent deacon makes a life-long promise of celibacy.
A married deacon whose wife dies cannot marry without a
dispensation.
The majority of deacons continue in their secular
occupations and serve in their ministry during their
free time. Some, however, are full-time members of
parish staffs or institutions. The 232 deacons currently
active in the Diocese of Rockville Centre minister in
100 parishes as well as serving in hospital and prison
ministries.
Short biographies of those who will be ordained in the
Diocese of Rockville Centre follow.
Geoffrey R. Anisansel, a retired turbine and ship
repairman, is involved with the St. Vincent de Paul
Society and Ministry of Praise at his home parish of St.
Joseph, Babylon. As a deacon, he looks forward to
working with families in all aspects of ministry. He
lives in Deer Park with his wife Lorraine. They have two
sons and two daughters.
Michael A. Aprile is mechanical engineer who
looks forward to working with parish outreach and the
disabled community in the church. Currently he serves as
a Lector and Extraordinary Minister of Communion at his
parish, St. Martin of Tours, Amityville. A graduate of
Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx who attended
City College, the Air Force veteran enjoys fishing and
playing tennis and golf in his spare time. He and his
wife Elizabeth live in Amityville. They have a son and a
daughter.
Francis X. Bice holds a Master of Arts degree in
Theology from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
as well as a Master of Arts degree in Religion from Yale
University. A financial advisor and former teacher, Bice
serves on the Board of Directors of St. Ignatius Retreat
House and Tuesday’s Children, a group dedicated to
helping children who lost parents on September 11, 2001.
He also coaches lacrosse and basketball. A resident of
Oyster Bay, Bice looks forward to working with the
spiritual formation of adults as well as ministering to
families at St. Dominic’s. His wife, Elizabeth, has two
daughters.
John J. Blakeney is a tax audit manager who
chairs the Finance Committee at his parish of St.
Raphael, East Meadow, which he expects to continue as a
deacon. He currently is the coordinator of the parish
pre-Cana program and is a member of St. Raphael’s youth
advisory board. A graduate of Cathedral Preparatory
Seminary in Elmhurst, Blakeney holds an M.B.A. in
taxation from St. John’s University. He lives in East
Meadow with his wife, Terese. They have two sons.
Richard D. Brunner was baptized into the Catholic
faith in 1996 and serves as a lector and Extrordinary
Minister of Communion at his parish, St. James, Seaford.
He is also involved with the RCIA and Baptismal programs
at the parish. A self-employed heating contractor who
enjoys gardening and reading in his spare time, Brunner
holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the
New York Institute of Technology. The father of two
daughters, he lives with his wife Marguerite in North
Massapequa.
Joseph F. Connelly plans to retire in June after
33 years of working in human resources so he can focus
on completing his Master of Arts degree in theology at
the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. He looks
forward to working as a deacon with the Baptismal
program at his parish of St. Aidan’s in Williston Park.
A former Village Trustee and Mayor of the Village of
Williston Park, Connelly enjoys traveling, reading and
is a fan of the Mets. He lives in Williston Park with
his wife, Mary. They have a son and a daughter.
Anthony S. D’Auria is involved with the pre-Cana,
Antioch and RCIA programs at his parish of St. Thomas
the Apostle, West Hempstead where he also serves as a
lector and Extraordinary Minister of Communion. He looks
forward to working with the St. Vincent de Paul Society
and ministering to the homebound as a deacon. D’Auria,
who works in IT management, holds a Master of Arts
degree in Philosophy from St. John’s University. He
enjoys surf fishing and cooking. He lives with his wife
Rosemary in West Hempstead. They have five children and
six grandchildren.
John J. Failla, who is active in several
ministries at St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Melville and a
member of the Board of Governors for the Seminary of the
Immaculate Conception, has worked in the financial
services industry for 31 years. An Army veteran, Failla
holds a B.B.A. degree from the University of Georgia and
a Master of Arts in Theology from the Seminary of the
Immaculate Conception. His hobbies include music, travel
and gardening. He and his wife Margaret live in South
Huntington. They have one son.
John H. McGonigle is active with the Ministry of
Consolation program at his home parish of Holy Family,
Hicksville and received the Pius X medal for more than
ten years of volunteering with the parish religious
education program. He looks forward to working with the
Outreach, pre-Cana and Prison Ministry programs as a
deacon. A Navy veteran who retired after 29 years as a
telecommunications engineer and 14 years as a
horticulturist, McGonigle’s hobbies include amateur
radio, gardening and traveling. He has four children and
lives in Westbury with his wife, Virginia.
Michael Montelione is an associate court clerk
whose ministries include serving as an Extraordinary
Minister of Communion at St. Charles Hospital and his
home parish of Assumption of the Blessed Mary Virgin,
Centereach. He looks forward to working with the
Baptismal Preparation program and Bereavement Ministry
as a deacon. A graduate of Fordham University,
Montelione holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Mathematics. He lives with his wife Louise in Centereach.
They have two sons and a daughter.
Vincent Pozzolano is a retired New York City
police officer who currently works with security at a
Suffolk County hospital. He looks forward to working in
several ministries as a deacon, including an Annulment
Advocate, at his parish of St. John the Baptist, Wading
River. A member of the Knights of Columbus who collects
sports memorabilia and enjoys playing golf, Pazzolano
has two children. He lives in Wading River with his
wife, Anna Marie.
Thomas F. Reilly Jr. grew up in the Syosset area
and married his wife Sharon almost 25 years ago in their
home parish of St. Edward, Syosset, the same church
where Mrs. Reilly was baptized. Reilly, who participates
in fund raising and the Pastoral Council at his parish,
looks forward to working with the pre-Cana and Public
Policy Education Network programs as a deacon. An
executive who has worked in media for over 20 years,
Reilly enjoys playing softball and golf as well as
cooking. He has two daughters and lives in Huntington.
Dominique Silien, a medical doctor specializing
in family practice, is an active member of the Haitian
community and ministry at St. Boniface Church in Elmont.
He is multilingual; speaking French, Spanish, Creole and
English. He enjoys sports in his spare time. The father
of two, he lives in West Hempstead with his wife
Marlene.
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About The Diocese of Rockville Centre
The Diocese of Rockville Centre was formed in 1957 and
covers 1,222 square miles in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties. The diocese serves approximately 1.4 million
Catholics (total population in both counties is
approximately 3.3 million). There are 134 parishes in
115 towns. Last year over 20,000 baptisms, 18,000
confirmations, 20,000 first communions and 5,000
marriages took place in the diocese. There are 2,137
students in Catholic kindergarten, 23,825 in primary or
elementary school, 12,628 in secondary school and 3,300
in higher institutions. There are 76 Catholic elementary
and high schools and one Catholic college in the
diocese. Catholic Health Services of Long Island
consists of five hospitals, three nursing homes, two
home-care agencies, two senior housing complexes, a
community-based home for those with special needs and a
hospice. Last year, Catholic Charities assisted more
than 80,000 individuals who are poor, vulnerable and
disadvantaged on Long Island. For more information,
visit www.drvc.org
For more information:
Sean P. Dolan
sdolan@drvc.org
516-678-5800, ext. 625
Cell: 516-510-0473 |
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