Doug Moore who is studying to be a permanent deacon has reached Acolyte Status

As many of you know, our Business Manager and Religious Education Director, Doug Moore is studying at Mount St. Mary Seminary to be a permanent deacon. We are happy to share with you Doug’s recent accomplishment. Doug was recently installed as an “acolyte” as the next step in his journey to ordination as a permanent deacon. You may notice he is doing a few new tasks as part of assisting Father McCarthy during the liturgy. But what does it mean? The term, acolyte, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, comes from the “Greek akolouthos; Latin sequens [meaning he who] comes, a follower, an attendant.” In the past it was exclusively part of “minor orders,” one of the steppingstones to become a priest. In 1973 Pope Paul VI abolished “minor orders” with the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, but kept the role of acolyte, calling it instead a “ministry.” There are duties entrusted to the acolyte, such as distributing Holy Communion,
purifying vessels, serving, and lectoring at Mass. It is a beautiful and sacred role in the Catholic Church, one that comes with much
responsibility in assisting priests and deacons during the celebration of Mass. Please pray for Doug and his classmates as they continue on the path to the diaconate in April 2022.