Diocese will commission lay leaders of prayer

Staff report

youngstown

Thirty-five men and women in the Diocese of Youngstown will be commissioned as lay leaders of prayer Wednesday during evening prayer at the Our Lady of the Lakes Parish at St. James Church, 50 Rosemont Road, North Jackson.

Monsignor Robert Siffrin, vicar general of the diocese, will preside.

Leaders of prayer are laypeople commissioned to lead the faithful in acts of worship, which in the past were most often led by the ordained clergy.

Among these services are morning and evening prayer, Liturgy of the Word with or without the distribution of Holy Communion, devotions, the vigil service and rite of committal from the Order of Christian Funerals, and in an emergency, Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest.

Leaders of Prayer are commissioned not only to lead currently scheduled acts of worship in the parish in the absence of a priest but also to expand the opportunities for communal prayer.

They are commissioned for a period of three years for service in their parish under the direction of the pastor.

New lay leaders of prayer are:

Columbiana County: Christopher DeSarro of Holy Trinity Parish in East Liverpool.

Mahoning County: Robert Yankle of Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Campbell, Mary Ellen Frabutt and Margaret Hynes of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Austintown, Christopher Anthony of Our Lady of Mount Carmel/St. Anthony Parish in Youngstown, Rosemary Lamparty and Debbie Scott of St. Ann Parish in Sebring, Dr. Linda Ross of St. Charles Parish in Boardman, Ruth Carroll of St. Joseph Parish in Austintown, Audrey Geskey of St. Michael Parish in Canfield and William Phillips and Kathleen Zimmerman of St. Patrick Parish in Youngstown:

Trumbull County: Brenda Antenucci, Gary and Linda Machin and Katherine Mariani of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Warren, Edward Kleese of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Warren, Anthony Kavalesky, Mary Ellen Salata and Ralph Weidner Jr. of St. Patrick Parish in Hubbard, Kyle Knell of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Vienna and David Evans and Theresa Petrosky of St. William Parish in Champion.

Deacon Ralph Chase from St. Ann Parish also participated in the formation classes.

The eight-week series was conducted by the Rev. Michael D. Balash, director of the Office of Worship; Dr. Daniel Laginya, director of music at St. Columba Cathedral; and Fran Amer of St. Michael Parish, Canfield.