The great Triple D — Deacon Doctor (William) Ditewig — sent this my way, and I’m happy to post it: a reflection on Deacon John Pistone, that Bill penned for the nation’s diocesan diaconate directors:

“Standing on the shoulders of giants.” We’ve all heard this saying from the 12th Century, which acknowledges the humble truth that our present is owed to the contributions of those who go before us. On March 22 we lost a true giant, and a wonderful friend, Deacon John Pistone.

John was a pioneer and a leader without peer. Born and raised in Florida, John earned his BA from Florida State University, meeting Rae when he was doing a stint as a student teacher and she was still in high school. They would enjoy 52 years of marriage, sharing their love with their siblings, their daughters and countless friends and colleagues. Rae and John became world-renowned for directing more than 91 retreats for deacons and wives. When John was ordained in 1972 for the Archdiocese of Chicago, the diaconate was still brand new in the United States. Pope Paul VI had only implemented the decision of the Second Vatican Council to renew a permanent diaconate five years before, and the first ordinations to the diaconate in the United States had taken place less than three years before. When John began diaconate formation in Chicago, there were fewer than 100 deacons in the world; at the time of his death, there were more than 35, 000 deacons worldwide, with more than 17,000 in the United States alone. John was to be an important leader in that extraordinary development.

Following a highly successful professional career as a manager for Allstate Insurance Company, John took on the position of Executive Director of the NADD when it was still located in Chicago. He provided leadership to the National Diaconate Institute for Continuing Education (NDICE), and in 1996 he and Rae left their beloved Chicago when he succeeded Deacon Sam Taub as the Executive Director of the Secretariat for the Diaconate at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC.

This is when I first got to know John well. When he came to Washington, I was serving as director of the diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Since our offices were so close to each other, we would meet frequently for lunch. Soon, we became associates in an endeavor that was to influence our lives for years to come: the preparation of a new national document on the formation, ministry and life of permanent deacons in the United States.

John coordinated all aspects of the Directory project: he helped identify the editorial team and directed all of our efforts. He brought a strong organizational skill to the task, but more important, he brought great sensitivity to the task and his own well-honed experience as deacon. Through it all, John was a steady, calming and diaconal presence.

In the Jewish tradition, to “remember” someone is to make that person really and truly present again in our lives; this is the source of our understanding of Jesus’ command to “do this in memory of me.” We now REMEMBER our brother and friend, John Pistone. And through remembering him, in this Jewish sense, John remains present to us and forever a part of our lives.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him!