Bishop Michael Mulhall has recently accepted Timothy Andrew Foster as a new candidate for the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program in the Pembroke Diocese. Tim and his wife Sue have been married for 30 years and have 4 adult children. Tim has worked for 25 years for the OPP and is presently a detachment commander. They reside in Astorville, and have been active members of the Parish of St. Thomas Aquinas for over 20 years. He has been involved in many Parish and community charity functions and sporting activities for young people.

Tim has felt the call to the permanent diaconate for several years and has always tried to place himself at the service of others. Several other men, including his Parish priest and neighbouring deacons, saw evidence of his diaconal vocation and approached Tim about it. After considerable prayer and discussion with Sue, Tim applied to the Diocese, went through a rigorous review process, and was accepted by His Excellency, Bishop Mulhall, at the end of 2008. Tim will now undertake a demanding program of formation and ongoing discernment for a number of years, hopefully culminating in ordination to the diaconate.

Welcome this good man in your hearts and please keep him, his family, and all the deacons and their families in your prayers. As does every deacon in our Diocese, he will try to live the words of Jesus: "I am in your midst as one who serves" (Luke 22:27, the motto of the deacons of Pembroke Diocese).

There are still "White Knights" riding to the rescue of Churches in need! Many vestments for clergy at Paroisse Sacré Coeur Parish were fading and in need of replacement after 20 years of continuous use, some for thirty years. There had never been any vestments for deacon-clergy, although it is most appropriate for the priest-celebrant and the deacon at the Mass to wear matching vestments. Father Jean Marc Raymond and Deacon Frank wrote a letter to the the local Council of the Knights of Columbus requesting funds to purchase vestments for the priest at our parish. We also explained that for the past 10 years the parish has been served by a deacon as administrator, and no proper deacon vestments are available.

The local council 6664 of the Knights of Columbus graciously agreed to give the parish the necessary funds to purchase four new priest's chasubles and four deacon's matching dalmatics with stoles in all four liturgical colors. The new, matching vestments were worn by both deacon and priest on the First Sunday in Lent March 1, 2009.

Thank you, Knights of Columbus!

Deacon Frank Martel and Fr. Raymond, Paroisse Sacré Coeur.