In a society that seems to value self-promotion and self-aggrandizement, Christian humility helps people build a right relationship with God, Washington’s archbishop told an annual gathering of deacons and their wives.
“Humility doesn’t mean building ourselves up or tearing ourselves down,” said Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, speaking during his homily at the Mass for the annual Convocation for Deacons and their Wives on Oct. 31, 2026 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Largo, Maryland.
About 125 people attended the gathering sponsored by the Office of the Permanent Diaconate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Washington’s prelate called for the deacons and their wives who accompanied them at the Mass to “have the same love for ourselves as God has.”
His homily came after the Gospel reading (Luke 14:1, 7-11), where Jesus, dining at a Pharisee’s home on the sabbath, shares a parable about a wedding banquet. Jesus advises wedding feast guests to take the lowest place rather than the place of honor, concluding that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In his homily, Cardinal McElroy focused on Christian humility, calling it “the perfect antidote” to people’s tendency to elevate themselves. “Humility helps us build our relationship with God,” he said.
Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., a retired auxiliary bishop of Washington who serves as the pastor of St. Joseph Parish, was a concelebrant at the Mass, joined by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Gary R. Studniewski, the Vicar for Clergy and Secretary for Ministerial Leadership for the Archdiocese of Washington.
Deacons proclaim the Gospel and preach the good news of Jesus. Deacons are dedicated to a three-fold ministry of Liturgy, Word and Charity. Responsibilities of deacons include charitable outreach to those in need, teaching, catechesis for those becoming Catholic, sacramental preparation, leading Scripture studies and talks on retreats.
Deacons assist priests at Mass; preside at Baptisms, weddings, funerals, and graveside services; lead Communion services, Benediction and prayer services; serve the bishops as masters of ceremonies for Confirmations and in special liturgies such as installations, dedications and ordinations.
“Our ministry is a ministry of service,” Deacon Chris Garner of St. Edward the Confessor Church in Bowie told the Catholic Standard.
Portraits of the “Saintly Seven,” the seven Black American candidates for sainthood in the Catholic Church, were displayed before the altar for the Mass held on the day before Black Catholic History Month began on Nov. 1. With the Mass for the Convocation for Deacons and Wives taking place on the eve of All Saints Day, Cardinal McElroy said he hopes their causes advance. “We’re praying hard to make this happen,” he told the congregation in comments at the end of Mass.
Cardinal McElroy referred to saints in heaven as “guideposts to sanctity” for humanity.
During the Prayers of the Faithful, the congregation joined with the Mass officiants in praying for the wives of deacons. In the Archdiocese of Washington, wives of deacons are invited to participate in events for the deacons, and the archdiocese also requires deacons who are married to have the consent of their spouses during their aspirancy and candidacy periods prior to ordination, which last five years.
The Archdiocese of Washington ordains a new group of permanent deacons every other year to serve at its 140 parishes and its missions, and there are signs that the group of deacons in formation for prospective ordination in 2027 and 2029 reflect the diversity of the local church. Deacon Charles Huber, the assistant director for diaconate formation for the archdiocese, told the Catholic Standard that roughly one-third of the current deacon candidates were born outside of the United States, while about one-third speak Spanish. His parish assignment is at Holy Trinity in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood.
After the Mass, the deacons and their wives joined a dialogue with Cardinal McElroy. Later that day, they discussed the six pastoral goals for the Archdiocese of Washington that Cardinal McElroy issued in January following his extensive consultations with parish lay leaders and input from the archdiocese’s priests.
The six goals for pastoral action include helping parishes invite people to a personal encounter with Jesus, providing formation that deepens sacramental life, celebrating marriage and family life, forming the laity as missionary disciples, caring for those in need, and reversing the exodus of young people leaving the Church.
