Over 4,000 permanent deacons from around the world were at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City Feb. 23 as Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, ordained 23 men to the diaconate. It was the spiritual climax of the Jubilee of Deacons, which took place at the Vatican from Feb. 21-23.
Among the 4,000 were eight men from our diocese: Deacon Fred “Bubba” Allen, Church of St. Thérèse, Chesapeake; Deacon Edwin Francisco Anleu Sandoval, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News; Deacon Joe Badalis, St. Joan of Arc, Yorktown; Deacon Michael Carlucci, Sacred Heart, Richmond; Deacon Charlie Giovannetti, St. Bridget, Richmond; retired Deacon Jim Greer,; Deacon Robert Kruse, St. Olaf, Williamsburg; and Deacon Victor Valle, Church of the Epiphany, Richmond.
“It was such a powerful experience,” said Deacon Valle. “It was really uplifting to know that we’re not alone.”
“We’re working in our own worlds in our parishes, but it was wonderful to visually see that we’re part of something larger, something greater, something sacred,” he continued. “It was such a moving experience to see that the Spirit is alive, and this was proof.”
Deacon Giovannetti took a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee of Deacons during 2016, the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. At that time, he was a diaconal candidate. This time, as a permanent deacon, he said, “It was meaningful being able to more fully participate in the Mass.”
Of the Rite of Ordination, Deacon Giovannetti said, “It struck me how universal the Church really is.”
“I remember thinking, that was exactly like a diaconal ordination at the cathedral,” said Deacon Carlucci. “At the same time, you’re walking three inches off the ground, because of the magnitude of the event, the number of people, and the space that you’re in.”
Along with the eight deacons, 31 lay men and women joined the pilgrimage from our diocese.
‘A journey full of life’
The group landed in Venice Feb. 16 for the first leg of the journey through Italy.
“On the first full day, I found a side door to St. Mark’s Basilica,” said Deacon Carlucci. “During the day, St. Mark’s is a madhouse with tourists. But at that time, they had cleared out the basilica, and it was entirely dark except for the side altar, where some priests were singing evening Vespers.”
“There were only three people sitting in there besides me,” he continued. “That’s a moment that stands out for me personally.”
Deacon Giovannetti and Deacon Valle, meanwhile, were in a gondola with their wives. Deacon Valle said they were enjoying the dulcet tones of a singer in another gondola, but when it rowed away, they decided to make some music of their own.
“We entertained passersby with ‘That’s Amore,’” said Deacon Valle.
Before long, their tour guide had them on the bus to Padua, then to Florence, then to Assisi, before finally arriving in Rome.
Deacon Carlucci lived in Milan for five years and speaks Italian, but the trip was “like seeing Italy for the first time,” he said.
“Padua was a surprise. St. Anthony’s Basilica was a surprise,” he said. “I stuck with Deacon Joe Badalis – he was the valedictorian of our cohort. I call him ‘the professor,’ because he’s a walking encyclopedia.”
When he lived in Italy, said Deacon Carlucci, “I knew Italy was beautiful, I recognized the beauty of the art, the architecture, the people.” But he didn’t know, for example, that St. Anthony’s jawbone and tongue were incorrupt because he was such a great preacher, or that the bones of St. Matthias the Apostle were in the Abbey of St. Justina in Padua.
In Assisi, Deacon Valle was inspired by the sight of the original San Damiano Cross, the Romanesque crucifix beneath which St. Francis heard the voice of God saying, “Rebuild my Church.”
“That is the same cross that hangs in our church, Church of the Epiphany,” said Deacon Valle. “It reminds us of our mission to build the Church in whatever situation we’re put in.”
“That, for me, struck a very personal chord,” he continued. “Sometimes, we need to take a step back and refresh our spirits in order to continue our mission. It shouldn’t be something that’s done in a mundane spirit. It should be a lively mission, a journey full of life.”
The trip came at an unusual time, as Pope Francis was hospitalized Feb. 14 and did not leave the hospital for the duration of the deacons’ pilgrimage.
But strangely, said Deacon Carlucci, the group experienced a sense of closeness with the pontiff throughout the journey.
“Everyone we encountered on the trip – the taxi driver, the guy at the hotel lobby, the waitress – everybody was concerned about the pope, and everybody was talking about it,” he said. “Everybody seems to be really united to this pope in a unique way.”
Limitless love
The deacons processed through the Holy Doors at the major basilicas in Rome: St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
When the deacons were vested and ready for Mass Feb. 23, Deacon Greer led them through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, holding the cross aloft.
“It gave me goosebumps,” said Gerry Mancuso, registrar and coordinator for the permanent diaconate in our diocese, who organized the trip. “We went up the Via della Conciliazione together as pilgrims, for the jubilee, with the cross, into St. Peter’s, up to the altar, and it just doesn’t get better than that.”
“In the presence of all this beauty, it felt like you were experiencing heaven on Earth,” said Deacon Valle. “It transported you into a different realm and was so inspiring.”
Gazing up at the dome of St. Peter’s, said Deacon Valle, “I pause to think how we mere human beings in all our imperfections can create such beauty by the power of the Spirit. There’s no limit – there’s no limit to beauty, and there’s no limits to God’s love. It was transcendental.”