Deacon ordained in Browning

A Browning man who wants to be a sign of Christ among the Blackfeet people was ordained a permanent deacon on Nov. 1, the Solemnity of All Saints.
Bishop George Leo Thomas, who ordained Ronald Running Crane at Little Flower Parish in Browning, praised him and his wife, Shirley, for already being steeped in the mind and mission of the Church.
“What a team they make,” he said. “This is a couple who has given themselves to family, parish and community.”
Recognized as prominent leaders on the Blackfeet Reservation, they have been active in Cursillo, Journey, Search, Ultreya, Eucharistic ministry, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, visitation of the homebound and lector.
The new deacon is “well steeped in Indian ways and recognized as a person of wisdom, counsel and strength,” the bishop added.
In his homily, he explained the gifts of the deacon, the first being the gift of charity. A permanent deacon has the responsibility to bring the needs of the voiceless and vulnerable to the attention of the Church.
His second ministry is the word. In the words of St. Ignatius, he is to “think with the Church” and represent its teaching in clear and convincing ways. The deacon is ordained to lead others closer and closer to the heart of Christ through this ministry.
Thirdly, the deacon serves at the altar, presides over public prayer, celebrates the sacrament of baptism, assists and blesses marriages, conducts funeral rites and stands at the priest’s side during Mass.
“Taken together, this threefold ministry of diaconate, which was born in the earliest centuries of the Church, inspires others to walk in the footsteps of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and offer his life for the ransom of many,” Bishop Thomas said.
Most of the new deacon’s nine brothers and sisters and their families attended the ordination. The church was full, according to Father Ed Kohler, pastor of Little Flower Parish.
Deacon Running Crane studied in a different setting than most men who prepare for the diaconate. He learned through a series of books titled “Builders of a New Earth,” which were written for American Indians, said Father Kohler, Running Crane’s mentor.
It took him about three years to read, study, discuss what he learned with Father Kohler, and read more, the new deacon said by telephone last week. “The books are very informative,” he said. “I think they would benefit everybody. Father Kohler liked it, too.”
He has kept the books, which help him prepare talks. They ask questions based on canon law, and have taught him much about the Catholic church, he explained, adding that when used with the catechism, they increase one’s spiritualism.
And his wife has helped him a lot, encouraging him to study. Not that he needed it. He said he never thought of giving up. “She backed me in every way possible.”
The couple has five sons, three of them adopted, 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He was excited about the blessings he has received since the ordination. Several relatives are planning to make a Cursillo, and two others want to have their marriages blessed in the Church.
“This is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he stated. “It’s beneficial to all my family.”

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 22, No 11, November 17, 2006.