Bishop Matthew H. Clark will ordain John Loncle to the transitional diaconate during a 10:30 a.m. Mass May 22 at St. Mary’s Church in Canandaigua. The ordination will bring Loncle, 39, one step closer to priestly ordination in June 2005.
Loncle, a member of Fairport’s St. John of Rochester Parish, currently is completing his third year of studies at Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After completing his studies at Becket Hall – the diocesan pre-theology program – and at Nazareth and St. John Fisher colleges in Rochester, he entered Theological College in the fall of 2000. In the spring of 2001, he served at a Washington, D.C., Missionaries of Charity hospice and care facility that serves men, some of whom have HIV and AIDS. In the summer of 2001, he served at St. Helen’s Parish in Gates.
In June 2002 Loncle began serving his pastoral year at St. Mary’s Parish in Canandaigua under the supervision of Father Thomas Mull, pastor, and in May 2003 he spent four months completing a unit of clinical pastoral education at Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital. He has been assisting at St. Andrew by the Bay Parish in Annapolis, Md., and this past year has served another Annapolis parish while completing his studies.
“This coming summer, I will return to serve the wonderful people at St. Mary’s in Canandaigua. Next year I will return to my studies at the Theological College for my fourth and final year,” Loncle said.
Before entering the priestly formation program, Loncle was an usher, reader and eucharistic minister at his home parish. Since entering the formation program, he’s continued to serve in those ministries – at various parishes – and said he has become involved in “pretty much every aspect of parish ministry.” He has also ministered in home and hospital visitation, youth and social-justice ministry, parish committees, religious education and pastoral planning.
-Jennifer Burke
