Answering the Call: How God Transformed the Lives of Nineteen Catholic Deacons

by Michael J. McGrath (Editor), Michael Cooper (Preface)

Answering the Call is the story of nineteen Catholic permanent deacons from the Diocese of Savannah (Georgia) whose lives underwent profound transformations as they embarked upon a journey of self-discovery which revealed to them both the awesome power of God and the holiness of everyday life. When these deacons, who come from vastly different spiritual, professional, and educational backgrounds, responded to God's call, they soon became aware of the profound impact their decision would make on their lives as husbands, fathers, and, most of all, servants of God. Any person who experiences a crisis of faith or wants to deepen his or her relationship with God, will find the theological, pastoral, and spiritual aspects of these essays informative as they will inspire further reflection and discernment. Each of the essays can be read as a guide to ministry that provides personal and experiential advice about how to minister in a God-centered and healing manner. A person considering a religious vocation, or any man discerning God's call as a permanent deacon, or is a candidate or a deacon now, will appreciate the honesty with which each deacon describes the expected and unexpected stages of his journey.

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, Benedictine Oblate, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, Benedictine Oblate, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, Thomas O'Meara - Theology of Ministry, END. Let's just say it was sometimes painfully obvious in what manner these deacons were formed. It would have been nice to read a book in which 19 different deacons had a different formation, rather than reading 19 different interpretations of the same exact formation. It was probably only two stories in the book that was not based on the writings of Thomas O'Meara. I'm sure it's a great book, but it might be problematic to structure your whole understanding of ministry on one book, especially when said book is directly quoted about 10x more than Scripture. Some good nuggets of advice were in the book certainly, but overall it was disappointing.

[Gil Michelini · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are not so much the deacons' stories as they are them preaching on various subjects.