July 2, 2025
On June 22, Bishop Terry R. LaValley blessed and commissioned 24 new lay ministers. The commissioned individuals completed the two-year Formation for Ministry Program. The commissioned individuals are listed with their parishes, pastors and ministries.
Commissioned for ministry By Darcy Fargo “It’s something I did to learn more about my faith and find ways to give back,” said Beth Carlin of Holy Cross Parish in Plattsburgh, one of 24 individuals commissioned to lay ministry by Bishop Terry R. LaValley on June 22. “And I want to help the Church, my local church and the diocese, and through my ministry, I hope to help bring others to God.” The 24 individuals commissioned will serve the Church in faith formation ministry, ministry to the sick and elderly and liturgical ministry. They completed a two-year Formation for Ministry program that included both online coursework and gatherings for retreats/workshops. They also worked with their pastors for further opportunities for discernment, reflection, discussion and growth. CALLED TO MINISTRY “They do so much for the Church,” she said. “I felt that draw to do (the Formation for Ministry program) for myself, to learn more about the faith and to grow in my service to the Church. I wasn’t raised Catholic. I felt the urge and desire to learn more about the faith so I can share the faith more effectively.” Lance Bombard, a parishioner of the Roman Catholic Community of Cape Vincent, Rosiere and Chaumont, said he felt called to grow his faith and grow in ministry. “It’s all about learning,” he said. “Once you stop learning, you stop living. My ministry to this point has been being a good husband and a good father to our four children. My children are older now – the youngest will be 17 in August. I’ve worked with Tony Marra in our RCIA program, and he suggested I think about Formation for Ministry. I looked into it, and it was a good time for me to do it.” Bombard said he’s discerning a vocation to the diaconate, and he completed the program with that in mind. “Growing up, there was a deacon at our parish, and he and his wife invited me into their home,” he said. “It was such a peaceful place. I remember feeling safe there. The light they reflected to others really stood out to me. God has been calling me, I think, to the diaconate. This is the first step.” Sarah Towler of St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam said she participated in the program to help her be more effective in her primary ministry as cantor at her church. “I pick all the hymns for Mass,” she said. “I wanted to have a better understanding of the Mass and of liturgy to be able to do a better job picking out hymns that would enhance the liturgy, and deepen worship and prayer for the congregation.” Towler completed the youth ministry tract of the program. “I help out with the catechetical program at our parish,” she said. “I don’t know where that will lead. We have a new pastor coming in. It depends on what he wants and where he wants me to go. I’m open to doing what I can to help. I’ve been an educator for 18 years, I love working with children, and instilling a love of faith in them brings me a lot of joy.” GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE, FAITH “I enjoyed the subject matter,” said Carlin. “Some of it was tricky and made me feel like I didn’t know anything at first. But it was nice to explore the variety of topics. I especially enjoyed learning about Church history.” “You get a little of everything,” Towler added. “You may not get to go very deep into every category, but you get a sample of it, and you get exposed to ideas or topics you may want to explore more through reading or research on your own.” While he said he enjoyed the coursework and growth he experienced there, Bombard said he also learned a lot about himself through the program. “Part of the program is doing reflections with your parish priest,” he said. “I met with my pastor, Father Ray Diesbourg (a Missionary of the Sacred Heart). We talked about forgiveness. That was hard. I had to actually reflect on my past, including some pain I’ve experienced over the years. A lot of emotions came up with that. There were conversations with others I had to have, and we spent time talking about forgiving myself. I got past that forgiveness of others, but I struggled more with forgiving myself. I sat with Father Ray and went to confession for the first time in a few years. That was a big thing I took out of the program – that personal growth.” While Bombard said he enjoyed the online format for much of the coursework, Carlin and Towler said there were aspects of it they enjoyed and aspects they found challenging. “It made it accessible for me to do as a father and husband and while working,” Bombard said. “It was nice meeting people online first and then meeting them in person at the retreats. As far as the training and the collaboration with classmates, I really enjoyed that. It was nice getting to meet people and talk about our faith. That’s not something we often get to do. The online format worked great for me.” Carlin said she appreciated the flexibility the online program offered, and that flexibility enabled her to participate through unexpected life events, but she also found aspects of the online program challenging. “I understand and appreciate the convenience, and it was convenient for me, as well,” she said. “But I’m a people person. I understand a topic better if I hear someone talk about it, and if I hear people ask questions and get answers. I found it challenging to not have that.” Towler echoed those sentiments. “In the beginning, I found the online aspect to be very attractive, mostly because I’m extremely busy,” she said. “I liked being able to do the work on my own time. Going through the courses, I missed having more opportunities to interact with my classmates. I think the online courses gave us a nice variety of courses, but I would’ve liked more opportunities for dialogue, deepening relationships and learning from each other. We might post about what we took from a video or a reading, but we didn’t have conversations.” MOVING FORWARD “I’m really hopeful and prayerful that the people who took this course can move forward in ways that reflect Catholicism and God’s love for everyone,” she said. “I hope they can meet people where they are, that they can be open minded, and that they can have honest conversations but come from a place of love.” Carlin said she looks forward to using the skills she’s obtained working with confirmation students in her home parish. “I also sit in with (Deacon) James (Carlin) when he teaches OCIA,” she said. “I feel like bringing my background – not growing up Catholic – into that can be helpful. In the past, I’ve sometimes felt apprehensive and worried I couldn’t explain what different parts of Catholicism mean or why they are the way they are. Now, I’m a little less nervous to say, ‘I can help with that.’” “I hope to work on an outreach program with my son,” added Bombard. “We share a passion for our faith. We want to go out and reach others and get them to the Church or back to the Church – to go out into the community and make disciples.” Bombard said he’d encourage others to pursue the Formation for Ministry program. “As Bishop (LaValley) mentioned at commissioning, this isn’t graduation,” he said. “We’re supposed to take this out into the world and tell people about it. It takes sacrifice and work to get through the program, but it’s been a great experience for me, a great spiritual journey. Just growing in my understanding of the Eucharist – the true body and blood of Christ – has made Mass take on new meaning for me.” “It’s a starting point to learning more and feeling more comfortable in helping in ministry,” added Carlin.
|
||||
|
|||||||||
