By Rose Brennan
BRIDGEPORT—Three men will be ordained to the permanent diaconate this Saturday, June 29, at 11 am at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport. All are welcome to participate in this joyful celebration.
The three men are Walter Avitabile of Westport, Edward R. Carrillo of Bridgeport and Frank Mantero of Shelton. This class of soon-to-be deacons were admitted to candidacy in March 2021 and were instituted in the ministry of acolyte in October 2023.
Walter Avitabile and his wife, Gracemary, have three grown daughters and are members of Assumption Parish in Westport. Avitabile currently serves his parish by assisting in the RCIA program and with adult Confirmation. He has also served as a catechist, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Reader, and is an active member of the Knights of Columbus. Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., Avitabile attended Salesian High School and works as a general construction superintendent in New York City on infrastructure projects.
Edward R. Carrillo and his wife, Glenda are parents to two sons, ages 26 and 23, and three daughters, ages 26 and 23, the third of whom passed away due to COVID-19 in 2021 at age 29. They also have five grandchildren. Carrillo is a member of St. George Parish, which recently extantly merged with St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport. He has served as Director of Liturgical Music, co-founder of the parish youth group, catechist, and co-founder of the St. George family prayer group. Carrillo earned a Licentiate Degree in Guatemala, Central America. Carrillo has worked as a subcontractor for the Department of Justice as an EOIR interpreter. He has worked as a Certified Spanish Medical Interpreter at Yale New Haven Hospital for the past year and a half.
>Frank Mantero is a member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Trumbull, along with his wife, Angela, and their four children, Marisa (27), Francisco (25), Olivia (24) and Antonio (20). He has served as Deputy Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus St. Catherine of Siena Council and is a trustee for the Knights of Columbus Monsignor Edward Halloran Assembly and a member of the board of directors for Habitat Humanity of Greater New Haven. Mantero, a native of Madrid, Spain, holds a master’s degree in internal relations from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from the University of Georgia. He has held various marketing and communications leadership roles across several industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and others.
For more information about the permanent diaconate and the formation program, please contact Deacon John DiTaranto, director of the diaconate at dnditaranto@diobpt.org
