SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will ordain six men as permanent deacons of the Diocese of Springfield, including two from Berkshire County, during an 11 a.m. ordination ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 8, at St. Michael's Cathedral.
Robert Esposito of Dalton and Edward Shaw of Housatonic are part of the ordination class, which also includes Gary Doane of the Bondsville section of Palmer, Normand Grondin of Springfield, Mark Kolasinski of Sunderland and John Leary of Northfield.
Esposito and his wife, Deanna, are the parents of seven children and have 18 grandchildren. He is a retired school adjustment counselor for the Pittsfield School System and is director of religious education for Sacred Heart Parish in Pittsfield, of which he is a member and where he will also be assigned.
Shaw and his wife, Linda, have two children. He is employed by the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. A member of St. Peter's Parish in Great Barrington, he will serve as deacon there and at both Corpus Christi and All Saints' parishes in Housatonic. All three parishes are yoked together.
The diaconate ministry dates back to the earliest days of the Catholic Church and is designed to assist priests and bishops in their work. Permanent deacons can be married and have families and, in fact, most do. They accept this calling in addition to their careers, but it is made clear that they must continue to give their primary focus to their family and, if not retired, their jobs. Unlike "transitional" deacons who are preparing for the priesthood, for these men this is the permanent vocation that they are called to serve within the church.
In the parish community, they are members of the pastoral team, assisting parish priests. They can perform many functions as they are ordained to proclaim and preach on the Gospel, assist at the altar as well as perform marriages and baptisms, including the sacramental preparations for those sacraments. However, one of their primary ministries is to help meet the everyday needs of the community.
Including those to be ordained Saturday, there will be 60 ordained permanent deacons in the Diocese of Springfield, with an additional 27 now in the formation program. The next diaconate ordination will be May 2009. The diocese is offering information sessions to men interested in exploring the diaconate. Those who apply and are accepted will begin their required four years of studies in August 2009. More information can be obtained through the diaconate office at 413-452-0676.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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