The 2020 Deacon Congress
On Saturday March 7th, the 2020 Deacon Congress was hosted by Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville, Texas. A couple of hundred Deacons and their wives from the Dallas Diocese were in attendance as keynote speaker Deacon Paul Lavellee (see below) addressed the attentive audience on the topic of Spirituality of the Deacon in his Ministry and Daily Life. At the same time in the adjacent dining room, Mr. Gabriel Hernandez was giving the same talk to the Spanish speaking audience.
For the Deacons and their wives the day started bright and early at 7:30 AM with a full breakfast provided by Knights of Columbus Council 8157, who started their own morning a bit earlier in order to prepare scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, biscuits, fresh fruit and coffee for the couple of hundred expected guests. Under the leadership of Church Activities Director James Smith, and the participation of some of our most reliable and experienced knights like Dan Murphy, Allen Reitmeier, Jack Ramsden, John Espree, Jim Russell, Keith Archer, Wendell JeanPierre, Jim Stavinoha, Carlos Limones, Eric Conner and Jorge Ruiz, both the great quality of the food and its timely delivery were a foregone conclusion.
The four Deacons from Holy Spirit Parish were in attendance including, Deacon Al Evans, Paul Wood, Charlie Ruelas, and Gene Freeman, all were accompanied by their wives.
The event culminated at 3 PM after a mass given by Bishop Kelly at Holy Spirit’s main sanctuary, where the recently added Corpus of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was on display in its full glory.
About Deacon Paul Lavellee
Deacon Paul Lavallee is an ordained deacon from the Diocese of Austin, Texas. He has been a deacon for almost 20 years and has been an active retreat giver for 13 years. He is an approved Spiritual Director for the Diocese of Austin, and has been assisting in spiritual guidance for over 30 years. He is presently part of the Austin Diocese Diaconate Formation Program assisting men in discerning their call to the Diaconate and helping the men develop a deeper Catholic spirituality. He served on the Diocesan Liturgical Board for 25 years. He is active in his own parish in Marble Falls, Texas where he serves as a deacon, is involved with the St Vincent de Paul Society, and is active in and a board member of the Kolbe Prison Ministry.