{"id":872,"date":"2009-03-26T06:59:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-26T06:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/03\/a-father-becomes-a-fatherat-80.html"},"modified":"2009-03-26T06:59:00","modified_gmt":"2009-03-26T06:59:00","slug":"a-father-becomes-a-fatherat-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/03\/a-father-becomes-a-fatherat-80.html","title":{"rendered":"A father becomes a Father…at 80"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Canada comes this remarkable story<\/a> of a permanent deacon being ordained to the priesthood — but like so many, his journey was unique: <\/p>\n

Growing up on a West Quebec farm in the 1930s, Gerard Lafreniere’s dream came to him as he trudged the two-mile walk to church on Sundays — one day, he would become a priest.<\/p>\n

That day has come, and probably not a moment too soon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tomorrow night, the 80-year-old Lafreniere will be ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood.<\/p>\n

The road leading the Orleans man to his childhood dream has had its detours — including nearly 50 years of marriage, a son and a 25-year career as an insurance broker.<\/p>\n

“The good Lord, after 64 years, got me back by the neck,” said Lafreniere of fulfilling his boyhood dream.<\/p>\n

For the past 30 years, Lafreniere has been a permanent deacon at Saint-Joseph Parish in Orleans, assisting with the parish priest with the liturgy and administration.<\/p>\n

It was only after the death of his wife Gisele Viau in 2007 that friends, including some priests, encouraged him to consider applying for the priesthood.<\/p>\n

“I said no way, it’s impossible. Look at my age,” he recalls. “You have to retire at 75 and I’m coming in when I’m 80? It’s nonsense.”<\/p>\n

Last summer, Lafreniere applied, expecting Archbishop Terrence Prendergast to turn down the octogenarian, who has worked with 27 priests in his three decades as a deacon.<\/p>\n

“I figured I had nothing to lose. If he says no, he says no and that’s it. But he said yes,” said Lafreniere of the archbishop’s approval.<\/p>\n

As one of seven children growing up with his parents on a farm in Plaisance, Que., Lafreniere figures he was “about nine or 10” when he told his mother that he wanted to be a priest.<\/p>\n

The family attended Mass “constantly, even during the week,” recalls Lafreniere.<\/p>\n

He attended a junior seminary in Ottawa, but was forced to leave when he was 14. Lafreniere said he had a mental breakdown from the pressure he put on himself to succeed.<\/p>\n

Lafreniere went on to marry his wife Gisele and work in the insurance business for 25 years. The couple had a son, Georges, 45, who now lives with his father.<\/p>\n

The Archdiocese of Ottawa has ordained nine men to the priesthood since 2000. This year, the archdiocese will ordain Lafreniere — who will be appointed assistant pastor at the francophone Orleans church where he’s served for three decades — and a man in his 30s, who is now finishing his studies at a Toronto seminary.<\/p>\n

At his ordination, Lafreniere will receive the ecclesiatic powers to celebrate the Eucharist and other church sacraments.<\/p>\n

He will also promise obedience to his bishop and “remain a widower,” a variation on the traditional celibacy promise. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Blessings and best wishes to Fr. Lafreniere. Ad multos annos!<\/i><\/p>\n

PHOTO:<\/b> Gerard Lafreniere, 80, stands in Saint-Joseph Parish in Orleans, Ont., Monday, March 23, 2009. Photo by Darren Brown\/Sun Media.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Canada comes this remarkable story of a permanent deacon being ordained to the priesthood — but like so many, his journey was unique: Growing up on a West Quebec farm in the 1930s, Gerard Lafreniere’s dream came to him as he trudged the two-mile walk to church on Sundays — one day, he would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deacons","category-vocations"],"yoast_head":"\nA father becomes a Father...at 80 - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/03\/a-father-becomes-a-fatherat-80.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A father becomes a Father...at 80 - 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