IT was something that Paul Ryan kept coming back to after he first heard that the Diocese of Cork & Ross was looking for people to apply to be permanent deacons before the pandemic. And now more than five years later the Clare native finds himself to be the fourth person in the diocsese to be ordained to the permanent diaconate having recently been ordained by Bishop Fintan Gavin in his home parish church in Timoleague in front of his proud family, friends and neighbours.

It’s been an interesting journey for the dad-of-two to get to the final stage, which involved a prepatory year of reflection and discernment and three years of academic study and a period of practical training. While it’s something new for West Cork, deacons have been helping at the altars across the Diocese of Cork & Ross since the first ones were ordained in 2017 in city parishes including Mayfield, The Lough and Dennehy’s Cross.

Paul said it was a special moment to have been ordained in his own parish church. While he admits it was a bit daunting going into his ordination things ran very smoothly on the day. ‘Fr John and the community here were excellent in preparing for the day and they organised refreshments outside the Parochial House afterwards in glorious weather,’ said Paul. The Clonakilty family of parishes was also involved.

Speaking at this ordination, Bishop Gavin said that a deacon ‘brings the need of the people to the altar and carries the charity of Christ from the altar back to the people.’ Addressing Paul during the mass, Bishop Gavin acknowledged that a vocation grows and is nourished during a person’s own growth.

‘Paul, your vocation has been shaped over many years: by your parents, by your early life in Clare, by your family life with your wife Bríd, by your children Anne and Tomás, by your work in UCC, by your community here in Timoleague, by the people who have encouraged you and by the many experiences of faith, service and prayer that have brought you to this day.’

He also reminded the congregation that the ministry of the deacon in the Church is a ‘ministry of service: service of the Word, service at the altar and service of charity.’ Originally from Doonbeg, Paul, his wife Bríd and their two children, Tomás and Anne, have been living in Ballinscarthy  for the past 25 years. His background is in human resource management and industrial relations, having worked in Dublin for many years before getting a similar role in UCC and only retired last summer.

‘I was at mass in Clonakilty one day about eight or nine years ago when Monsignor Aidan O’Driscoll was giving out information about deacons. In Ireland it’s a more recent thing with deacons only being introduced within the past 20 years.’ This indeed piqued his interest and he began his own research into it and whether it would be right fit for him.

‘It was something that will still on my mind for a while. I checked it out on the diocesan website and made contact with Fr Bernard Cotter, who was the diocesan director of  formation for diaconate vocations at the time and has been a great support to me over the years. We had a few meetings and he was waiting for the next round of the deacon course to come up. That involves a preparatory year where one gets exposed to the various aspects of the role and whether it’s suitable for you.

However, the pandemic delayed proceedings and it wasn’t until  2021 that he got called for an interview by the diocese. ‘Thankfully I was accepted and completed a preparatory year. This involved attending the Nano Nagle Retreat centre in Killavullen in North Cork five or six weekends in the year. We were exposed to the various aspects of being a deacon and had presentations from priests, lay people and those involved in various aspects of the ministry.’

A three-year period of academic study at Maynooth College followed where Paul attended in person six  weekends per year and also has online lectures one evening a week. The more practical  and pastoral part of the course took place in Nano Nagle in Killavullen over five weekends  per year. Prior to his ordination, Bishop Gavin instituted Paul as an acolyte, the final step before his ordination to the permanent diaconate, with Bishop Gavin describing it on the day as a ‘moment of readiness, of deepening commitment and of trust in the call that has been unfolding in his life.’

Family support is very important to Paul and he said they knew this was something very important for him to do. ‘A pastroal element to the course saw me assigned to a parish outside of my own one. In my case I got to experience parish in Kinsale Parish, where Fr Robrert was an excellent mentor. It was busy enough and I was also busy in UCC too.’

Paul will receive an appointment from Bishop Gavin to ministry in the diocese as a deacon. ‘The role of a deacon can be broad and varied and fundamentally it’s a ministry of service: service of the word, altar and charity. It involves proclaiming the Gospel, generally assisting a priest at mass on the altar and also involvement in parish pastoral work. A deacon too has can have a role in dealing with the poor and vulnerable.’

Interestingly enough, as well as preaching during the Mass, deacons baptise and officiate at funerals and wedding and help with much of the pastoral work conducted in parishes. They are called to serve the poor and serve at the altar while many deacons coordinate the parish’s ministry to the poor through St Vincent de Paul and other groups. Paul certainly expects to be kept very busy in his new role and is looking forward to being assigned to his new parish.

Tomás, Paul, Bríd, Bishop Fintan Gavin  and Anne at Paul’s ordination. Below: Bishop Gavin and Paul  Ryan. (PHOTO: BGM Media)

(PHOTO: BGM Media)