DEACON Gary Stone of Brisbane was presented a Prince of Wales Award by the Australian Department of Defence at a ceremony in Darwin last Monday night.
The awards, established in 1984, are given on an annual basis to qualifying reservists in the Australian Navy, Army and Air Force and consist of a two-week attachment to a military establishment followed by a similar attachment to relevant civilian organisations in either the US, Canada or England.
Deacon Stone, who is an Army Reserve chaplain at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, was one of seven recipients.
He will fly to the US to represent Brisbane archdiocese at the Biannual National Diaconate Conference in Baltimore and the US National Catholic Bishops Conference in Washington DC, and meet with married deacons ministering in US dioceses.
He will also visit the US Army Chaplains’ School and the Second Marine Expeditionary Force in North Virginia to gain an insight into their lay ministry programs.
Deacon Stone said the overall purpose of the visit was to gather information and discuss critical aspects for the future formation of married Catholic deacons in Australia.
