NH Bishop Ordains 10 New Deacons

MANCHESTER, NH — On Saturday, Rev. Peter A. Libasci, Bishop of Manchester ordained 10 men to the Permanent Diaconate – to serve as deacons – in parishes around New Hampshire. The new deacons are Kevin Cody, of Manchester, assigned to serve at Saint Marie Parish in Manchester; Karl Cooper, of Manchester, assigned to serve at St. Joseph Cathedral Parish in Manchester; Joseph Dion, of Manchester, assigned to serve at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Derry; Leland Fastnacht, of Salem, assigned to serve at St. Matthew Parish in Windham; Richard Hilton, of Wolfeboro, assigned to serve at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Alton; Stephen Kaneb, of South Hampton, assigned to serve at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Hampton; Fintan Moore, of Keene, assigned to serve at Parish of the Holy Spirit in Keene; Randy O'Neill, of Westford, MA, assigned to serve at St. John XXIII Parish in Nashua; Terry Sullivan, of Hampstead, assigned to serve at St. Joseph Parish in Epping; Lam Tran, of Manchester, assigned to serve at St. Anne – St. Augustin Parish in Manchester. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Hampton-North Hampton NH Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“The entire Church is called by Christ to serve others,” said Libasci in a statement. “But these men, by virtue of their sacramental ordination and through their various ministries, are special witnesses to the service of God’s people. I am profoundly grateful to them and to their wives and families for their commitment to our Church and to our world in imitation of Christ, who came ‘to serve and not to be served.’”

For more information about vocations to the Permanent Diaconate, visit catholicnh.org/diaconate.

Caption: Back row, left to right: Dc. Terry Sullivan, Dc. Richard Hilton, Bishop Peter Libasci, Dc. Kevin Cody, Dc. Leland Fastnacht. Front row, left to right: Dc. Lam Tran, Dc. Karl Cooper, Dc. Joseph Dion, Dc. Fintan Moore, Dc. Stephen Kaneb, Dc. Randy O’Neill. Credit: Jeff Dachowski.