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This morning I had the surprising pleasure of reading an account of someone who contributed so much to my sense of joy in teaching in the Catholic school system for eight years. It underscored the role of grace in one's life and the uncanny ways in which God operates. In Catholic New York’s June 17 issue, there was an article on the seven permanent deacons’ ordination that evoked many significant memories for this former teacher of one of the ordained.
Deacon John Hum arrived in St. Augustine’s School in the Bronx as a fifth-grader unable to speak a single word of English. His credentials speak for themselves, but his teachers at the time would swell with pride. Sisters Regina Lowe, S.C., and Joseph Mackin, S.C., and Brothers Gregory Flynn, F.S.C., and Ed Phelan, F.S.C., knew they had a special student committed to their instruction. In truth, John Hum did not make mistakes, especially in math.
His resume bears out that premature judgment. Let me represent those teachers in expressing our joy in sharing the honors associated with his ordination to the diaconate. Moreover, we congratulate John on his achievement and wish him the greatest success in his ministry.
