Priest’s Library Donated To Diaconate Program

Published: December 2, 2004

Men studying for the diaconate attend the dedication of the Msgr. Louis Naughton Memorial Library this fall. Archbishop John F. Donoghue, center right, shakes hands with Deacon Loris Sinanian, director of formation.

ATLANTA—Men studying to become permanent deacons in the archdiocese are benefiting from the gift of about 1,500 books given to the diaconate formation program by the late Msgr. Louis Naughton.

The Msgr. Louis Naughton Memorial Library was dedicated this fall by Archbishop John F. Donoghue. The library is in the St. Stephen Center for Diaconal Studies, one of several Catholic facilities and offices on the grounds of the former Village of St. Joseph on Butner Road.

A priest for 30 years and the judicial vicar of the archdiocese, Msgr. Naughton died in March 2002. He donated his entire library to the diaconate with the idea of helping promote more intense understanding of the Catholic faith by those in ordained ministry, according to Deacon Loris Sinanian, director of formation for the permanent diaconate.

The books include “church history, spirituality, the lives of saints and catechisms,” Deacon Sinanian said. A commemorative book of the pope’s trip to Ireland, autographed by Pope John Paul II, has been placed in a display case built by one of the men in formation.

At the dedication, Archbishop Donoghue said that Msgr. Naughton always “contributed greatly to the strong life of the archdiocese and the enduring life of the Catholic Church here in Georgia.”

Deacon Sinanian said he could not sufficiently express his gratitude for such a great gift to the formation of permanent deacons. He said that Msgr. Naughton exhibited his generosity in the provisions and wishes he left behind, allowing the diaconate to reap the benefits of one of his generous bequests.

Msgr. Naughton contributed greatly in the early days of the revival of the permanent diaconate, making sure that those who answered the call of vocation to this special order of the church fully understood the implications of the “call,” Deacon Sinanian said.

He was an advocate for the restoration of the permanent diaconate following the Second Vatican Council and also an advocate for getting it started in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

“It was to perpetuate the strong feelings he had for the diaconate, that he decided to donate his library to the deacons, present and future,” Archbishop Donoghue said.

The library was dedicated in this spirit, Deacon Sinanian said, understanding that in order to be a good minister one must open the record of the church’s treasure and delve deeply into the wisdom that has been given the church. Only with the rich, living Tradition of the church inscribed in their hearts can men preparing for ordination be counted upon to become worthy and effective ministers, he said.