May 20, 2009
Nine men to be ordained deacons
On May 30th nine men will be ordained as permanent deacons to serve the Denver Archdiocese.
Edward S. Armijo
Birthdate: Jan. 30, 1938
Parish assignment: St. John the Evangelist Church, Loveland
Wife’s name: Doris
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: I was an air traffic controller for 24 years and a federal investigator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission until my retirement in 1995. I attended the University of Northern Colorado and am a graduate from the Denver Catholic Biblical School.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: I was attracted by the deacons in my parish as they performed their ministry on the altar.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: During my third year of Catholic Biblical School, Scripture studies led me more and more to realize that the Lord was directing me to serve him in the capacity of a deacon.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: As a deacon, I am looking forward to being an official presence of the Catholic Church within the community.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: I believe one of the most daunting tasks I will face as a deacon will be to find a way to help my parish in solving the many underlying social, economic and political problems that affect our Church today.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: I do not feel that I have been called by God to a particular apostolate, but wherever the Holy Spirit guides me I will do my ministry with much love.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: I will rely on my wife to balance my time and keep my calendar.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: I don’t believe there is a single paradigm that shows being a father and husband will contribute to the ministry of a deacon any more than a deacon who is not married.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: For many Catholics, the role of the deacon is new. What is important for them to know is that deacons are not substitutes for priests. Deacons have authentic, legitimate and necessary ministries in their own right.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: My favorite hobby is reading books in a variety of topics.
Ross Casados Jr.
Birthdate: Sept. 18, 1947
Parish assignment: Spirit of Christ Church, Arvada
Wife’s name: Olga
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Adams State College, Alamosa, Colo., bachelor of arts (1975); U.S. Postal Inspection Service (30 years) as a postal inspector (federal law enforcement agency)
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: Serving the impoverished and their lack of faith in God, during my duties as a law enforcement agent. I felt a calling to help in some way.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: The calling of God and the confirmation by an impoverished person, whom I met on the streets, who said I should share my love of God with everyone.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Seeing Jesus in everyone I meet and sharing God’s love with them and praying they see Jesus in me.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: That I will not be able to fulfill the mission that God has given me.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: I would like to continue sharing the love of God with the homeless, impoverished and those who are lacking in faith.
Q: If you answered yes to having a particular apostolate, can you describe how God led you to this particular area of service?
A: As a member of the Christian Motorcycle Association I want to pursue the work they already started and continue as long as God permits.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: By full trust in my wife, who even now continues to overlook my actions and the time involved. We have always worked as a couple in spreading the love and word of God.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: As marriage is a covenant with God, I have pursued to share my love of God first and my family second, and they recognize that God has blessed us with his love and an abundance of goodness and joy.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: That the diaconate is a sacrament of holy orders and I will be a servant of God to all of his children.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: I love riding our motorcycle, with my wife.
Jay D. Garland
Birthdate: Dec. 4, 1955
Parish assignment: St. Jude Church, Lakewood
Wife’s name: Nancy
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Bachelor of science from Regis University, Denver, 1998. Major: business administration.
Since 2002 I have been employed as an EDI supervisor for a small private auto transport company based out of Commerce City. This position is responsible for supervising electronic data to and from major automobile manufacturers.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: The men that I knew who were deacons seemed to exemplify what it means to serve Christ and his Church. I wanted to be something like that, an image of Christ.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: It was a gradual calling. A deacon’s wife periodically would encourage me to submit my application. That spark finally ignited on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 17, 2005, which was the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. I approached one of the deacons at St. Jude’s on how to go about submitting an application.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: It has to be the notion that when one of the faithful looks at me that they begin to see more of Christ in me than any other personal characteristic that I possess.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: That after ordination there will be an indelible mark on my soul that will have eternal consequences. This may have been what St. Paul had in mind when he wrote that we must work out our own salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12b).
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: That would be saying too much, relying too much on my own judgment to what I feel that God has called me to a specific area of service to God’s people. I do know that as a convert to the Catholic faith I have always had a strong attachment to those souls that are inquiring into the Catholic faith and those wanting to return and learn more about the faith of their childhood.
Q: If you answered yes to having a particular apostolate, can you describe how God led you to this particular area of service?
A: It was actually a catechist in the RCIA program at St. Jude’s who approached me and encouraged me to think about being a catechist in the newly formed RCIA program. At that time I did not know this catechist very well but she told me that she was led by the Spirit to ask me. That would begin my voyage of discovery, actually re-discovery of the beauty and truth of our faith.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: I have been told that this can be and is a real challenge. I believe that I must approach this not as a problem to be solved but a mystery that I must live out every day of my life. In other words if I put Christ first and my wife and family second and myself last then I will have order in my life as a minister of the Church.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: We live in a culture that does not promote sacrificial love. At the heart of marriage in the Catholic tradition is the notion of self sacrifice, of putting the others needs before my own. Marriage and being a father have not always been easy but the joy of learning to give without counting the cost has propelled me to diaconal formation. Which in formation has moved me toward becoming the icon of Christ the servant.
Q. If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: It would have to be that to be a deacon is not special or prestigious but that it does mean that I am different after ordination meaning I have been chosen to serve you in a unique and official capacity as a representative of the bishop.
Q. Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: It is not exactly a hobby but I love to collect various translations of Holy Scripture. I have old ones, new ones, and ecumenical ones. I have not bothered to count them but I suspect I own at least twelve different translations. My oldest bible is an abridged edition of the Old Testament, an authorized Catholic edition copyrighted 1963. My most recent addition is a New Testament and The Psalms pocket edition, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.
Michael R. Magee
Birth date: Feb. 15, 1960
Parish assignment: Our Lady of Loreto
Wife’s name: Susan
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Education: Bachelor of science, Marquette University, 1982. Certified public accountant since 1984 (not currently practicing). Professional background: president, Western Acquisition & Merger Corp. since 2000. Previously held various executive and management positions with Waste Management Inc., Allied Waste Industries Inc., and BFI of Canada Inc.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: What first attracted me to the diaconate was a desire in my heart to serve God and his Church in a deeper way than what I had been doing as a volunteer.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: I felt God calling me to give more than just my time, talent and treasure; God wanted all of me.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Our Lady of Loreto has been my faith family since the parish was founded more than 11 years ago. Like most families, they have supported me over the years in many ways; through prayer, friendship and service. Like my biological family, I love my parish community deeply and I am very excited to serve them in sacred ministry.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: The responsibility I will have to bring Christ to (the people); to truly be Christ to them in what I say and in how I act. That becomes a particularly daunting feeling knowing that like everyone, I am also “broken” in many ways; that is, I have many flaws and imperfections.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: At this time there is not any one particular apostolate or area of service that I feel called to. I think that Christ will make that evident to me and lead me there when he is ready.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: My family and I do not view the ministry as a separate “activity” that I am beginning; that is, my diaconal ministry will not be something that I just “do” several hours a week. In other words, we believe that our faith is not something that we live separate and apart from the rest of our lives; our lives are part of our faith. The two dimensions cannot be separated; Christ and his Church are the center of our faith and our lives. That said, I realize that at times there will be constraints on my time. However, in the past four and a half years in formation, we have had to continually adjust schedules and events to accommodate my family life, academics, work, ministries and social life. These past few years have given a good foundation to prepare us for the future.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: I think that my experience as a husband and father will help make a positive contribution to my ministry as a deacon because my experiences in many ways are no different than those for whom I am called to serve. We learn things from our life’s experiences, and I hope that my experiences will be valuable in teaching others because I hope they will be able to relate to my life in parallel with their own. However, I did promise my wife that I would never tell stories about her in my homilies.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: That deacons are more than volunteers who wear vestments and black suits. Volunteering your time, talents, and treasure (stewardship) is a tremendously important and valuable aspect in the life of the Church. We are all called to be stewards of God’s gifts. However, as ordained ministers, and specifically as deacons, we are called by Christ to serve his Church with our entire being. We are called to “die to ourselves” and to make our service “sacramental” through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I encourage all Catholic men who are active “volunteers” to listen to your heart and listen with your heart. That is where and how Jesus will call you. If you hear Him, don’t be afraid to answer that call.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: I love to cook and entertain. I especially love to prepare complicated meals for large groups of people (I never make small portions and I hope you like you food spicy). One of my favorite television shows is “Dinner Impossible.”
William J. Martinez
Birth date: July 15, 1965
Parish assignment: Our Lady Of Guadalupe
Wife’s name: Lorena
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: I am a high school grad from Hanna, Wyo., with a few years at Casper Junior College, working in music education and performance.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: It was the idea of serving the Church. I was a catechist in my parish before but I desired something more. I would watch our deacon and was impressed with his ministry.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: It was curiosity more than anything else and some prompting by our pastor and deacon at the time.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: I believe it’s the chance to serve the people of my community in a new context and, hopefully, acquire some new friendships.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: I think the hardest thing will be juggling my job, family and ministry but I’m sure my wife will let me know if things are getting out of hand.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: I have and will continue to pray over that very question and I’m sure that the Lord Jesus will place me in the diaconal ministry he desires for me or will use me in ministry where he can best utilize my time and talents.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: This no easy task for anybody involved in ministry. It takes a lot of effort in planning extra time. Communication is the key to success in any successful marriage. Finally, let’s not forget the power of prayer; not only for myself but for my family as well.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience, as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: In being married clergy I have had many life experiences in my marriage and can identify with the challenges associated with it: a full time job, raising children and doing my best to lead a Catholic life. I’m not saying unmarried clergy can’t do this well; I’m sure in many cases unmarried clergy can see more clearly than I the challenges placed before a married couple, especially when it comes to living out a sacramental marriage.
Q: If there were one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: We are not priests! Although we function in the parish as a cleric, we are in no way “mini priests” and cannot in any fashion take the place of our priests who work so hard for the salvation of souls. We assist them in the ministry of service but we could never replace them in any fashion. I pray for our priests and hope all the faithful do as well.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: I like to play my guitar and sing every now and then. And I love to read.
Richard H. Miller Jr.
Birthdate: Nov. 14, 1941
Parish assignment: Our Lady of Loreto, Foxfield
Wife’s name: Joanna
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Bachelor of science in general engineering and master’s in business administration, University of Illinois. Employed four years with Sun Oil Co. and 31 years with Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Retired December 2000.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: I was in a Catholic men’s evangelization organization and I found out that five of the men in it were in formation for the diaconate. Also, my brother is a deacon. And I have been in the Serra Club for 15 years.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: I answered an invitation to inquire that I read in the Denver Catholic Register.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Bringing Jesus Christ and the true teaching of the Catholic Church to all I serve.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: To be the icon of Christ the Servant to all.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: I feel called especially to help the poor, the elderly and the sick.
Q: If you answered yes to having a particular apostolate, can you describe how God led you to this particular area of service?
A: I have been an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist to the homebound and to those in nursing homes. I have volunteered at homeless shelters and at a Catholic Charities emergency center.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: The only way to find and keep the appropriate balance is to be grounded in scriptural prayer and to adhere to and trust in Jesus.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: My life experiences will help me relate to those I serve.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: To emphasize that the deacon is called to service—t serve the bishops, priests, and all the people of God.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: Hiking and outdoor activities.
Robert Martin Joseph Rinne
Birthdate: Nov. 11, 1958
Parish assignment: Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Marital status: unmarried
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Undergraduate studies at University of Colorado, public administration. Graduate studies at the University of Colorado, public administration.
Formerly worked in fire service as a fire chief (retired), South Metro Fire Rescue Authority, Centennial, from 1981-2007. Presently work as a paramedic, Denver Health and Hospital.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: The love of God for the Eucharist and his Church. My ability to serve God in the three-fold ministry of the diaconate and to continue with my vocation of caring for people physically and at the same time to serve them spiritually as a deacon.
Q: What ultimately as led you to enter formation?
A: A strong spiritual direction from the grace of God and the direction of several priests; a love of God’s people and the ability to serve them through the diakonia; being with God and God being with me in a different capacity of service.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Acting as the servant for God’s people and his holy Church. Forming myself in the image and likeness of Christ in my interactions with the faithful, especially during the sacraments. And utilizing the gifts that I possess from God and to benefit those in my service.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Sharing the image of Christ in proclaiming his Gospel and assisting in the celebration of the Eucharist with my own human weaknesses. And trusting in the Lord in my ministries and allowing the Holy Spirit to work. St Augustine reminds me that when I think I have an understanding of God, I don’t because God is infinite.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: To share the spiritual and corporal works of mercy with the people of God.
Q: If you answered yes to having a particular apostolate, can you describe how God led you to this particular area of service?
A: God has led me by a dedicated family life being formed in the Catholic faith through my parents. God has led me to my particular apostolate through prayer.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: The deaconate is part of the hierarchy of service in holy orders – bishops, priests and deacons. The deacon functions through ordination by assisting the bishop in his threefold ministry: sanctifying, teaching and preaching. Each ministry fulfills a special function of service in the body of Christ for the building of that unique body.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: Bicycle riding, motorcycle riding and traveling looking at sacred places.
John W. Volk
Birthdate: Feb. 3, 1956
Parish assignment: St. John the Baptist, Johnstown, and St. Nicholas, Platteville
Wife’s name: Barbara
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Family physician, currently in practice at Sunrise Monfort Family Clinic in Evans, which is a community health center serving medically indigent patients in Weld County. Bachelor’s degree in biology, Divine Word College, Epworth, Iowa; doctor of medicine degree, University California, Davis; Family Practice Residency, North Colorado Family Medicine, Greeley; Certified Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant, Creighton Model Fertility Care System, Pope Paul VI Institute; Certification Program in Health Care Ethics, National Catholic Bioethics Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: In 1992 I experienced a re-awakening of my faith. I became more involved in the Church, specifically teaching confirmation and RCIA and working with our parish youth group. I had an excellent role model in Deacon Joe Meilinger. Slowly, I began to experience what I describe as a “burning” inside to serve the Church as a deacon.
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: It was a series of what I felt were signs from God giving me the “go-ahead” to apply. First there was an article in the Denver Catholic Register about the death of Deacon Lewis Barbato, a physician-deacon who had served the Church utilizing his skills as a psychiatrist and as a deacon. I never met Deacon Barbato but the story about him resonated with me and the burning inside increased. Shortly afterward I met a deacon from another diocese who was an orthopedic surgeon. That reinforced the call I was sensing. Finally, one day after morning Mass I was in prayer, telling God that I wanted to serve him as a deacon. While I was praying, a parishioner came up to me and told me that I should think about becoming a deacon! That was the final sign that led me to apply.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: The thing I enjoy most about being a family doctor is being able to share in the key life experiences of my patients, birth through death. I imagine that I will treasure those same experiences in their spiritual dimension as a deacon through baptisms, weddings, visiting the sick, and helping with rosaries and funerals.
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: The human soul is a priceless thing. To be entrusted with the care of souls is an enormous responsibility. My greatest fear is scandalizing someone or being responsible for driving someone away from the Church, whether through bad example or lack of compassion.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: Over the course of formation, I have sensed a call to become more involved in the area of bioethics. The assault on human life continues, both at its beginning and at its end. Perhaps I can use my training as a physician and a deacon to be a voice in that area.
Q:If you answered yes to having a particular apostolate, can you describe how God led you to this particular area of service?
A: A few years before I entered diaconal formation, with the help of God’s grace and the sacrament of confession, I finally made the decision to stop prescribing contraception. Once I became obedient in that area, it seems the Lord started to open my eyes to the other areas where life is under attack and he placed a hunger in me to learn more. During formation, the opportunity arose to study through the National Catholic Bioethics Center and I received permission from the formation team to pursue certification in health care ethics.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: Having an “empty nest” helps. Barb and I have learned to balance my medical career with our marriage and family time over the years. The first key for us has been scheduling our time so that we have guaranteed family time when I can say no to work. Sometimes, however, work or ministry will present urgent needs that cannot wait. In those cases it helps that I’m married to a saint!
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: One of the strengths of the deacon is that he has one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world. He knows what the people in the pew are going through— marital stress, worries about kids, paying bills, job difficulties, etc. Hopefully, through my ministry, I can bring Christ to those real life experiences.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: Although the Church has had deacons since the Acts of the Apostles, the modern permanent diaconate as we know it was re-awakened in the experiences of priests imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. They felt that the Church needed to more closely align herself with the suffering of the people. The deacon is meant to be a servant—particularly to the marginalized and to those who suffer. He is to bring the Church to them and to bring them to the Church.
Q: Do you have a favorite or unusual hobby?
A: I enjoy wood-working. It is relaxing and lets me turn my mind off. I like to imagine Jesus working in the carpenter shop along side Joseph. They would have enjoyed using my power tools!
Richard Alan Wilson
Birth date: Jan. 2, 1962
Parish assignment: St. Helena Parish, Fort Morgan
Wife’s name: Jenifer
Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: I retired from the U.S. Navy as a Chief Petty Officer; the field that I worked in was nuclear engineering (the power, light and water aboard ship). While in the Navy I received a bachelor of science degree in sociology with a minor in nuclear engineering. I retired in 1999 and in 2000 was an instructor at the Rocky Flats environmental cleanup until 2004. While working there I began working on a master’s degree in theology from Catholic Distance University, which I finished in 2007.
Q: What first attracted you to the diaconate?
A: I am a re-vert to the Catholic Church. I returned to the faith while I was in the Navy, during Desert Storm. After returning to the Church while I was in the Navy I was able to provide Communion services with Liturgy of the Word aboard ship. I was also able to coordinate community service projects in places such as St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Penang Malaysia, the State Orphanage of Bahrain, and the School for the Developmentally Disabled in United Arab Emirates and aided in coordinating relief efforts at Subic Naval Base after the eruption of Mount Pinatobeau. Although I didn’t realize it at the time but I was working in the three areas of a deacon: word, liturgy and charity. My mother, Esther, asked me if I had become a deacon, I in turn asked her, “What is that?”
Q: What ultimately led you to enter formation?
A: After retiring from the Navy and returning to Laramie, Wyo., with my family we joined St. Paul’s Newman Center. One of the vocation campaigns in the parish was “Called by Name.” It was through one of these campaigns that my name was submitted for consideration to the ministry of the diaconate (this was around 1995). After attending an information weekend in Casper my wife and I were very sure that we were called to this ministry but that the time was not right. At that time our kids were still in junior high and Jenifer had just started pharmacy school. As a result we waited until Jenifer graduated and we moved to Fort Morgan to submit the application to begin diaconate formation.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: Working with the great people who live in Morgan County!
Q: What do you find most daunting about serving the faithful as a deacon?
A: My being able to speak enough Spanish, in order to minister to the Hispanic population in my community.
Q: Deacons often find themselves called to a particular apostolate or area of service. Is there a particular apostolate to which you feel uniquely called by God in your role as a deacon?
A: The Holy Spirit has not called me to a particular apostolate as of yet.
Q: If married, how do you plan to balance your ministry to the Church with your responsibilities to your spouse and family?
A: As a doctor of pharmacy and the staff pharmacist at the local hospital, Jenifer is a very busy person. During formation she would come to Denver with me each weekend, after class on Saturday we would have “date night” in Denver. As we move into this new phase of our life together, we will find a way to keep the balance in our marriage and family life. I believe that this begins with me being able to say no to some of the things that come to me in order to have time for family life.
Q: If married, how do you feel your experience as a husband and father will contribute to your ministry as a deacon?
A: As a married man, you learn two things very quickly: obedience and humility (any honest married man would agree with that). Those two qualities are critical for the deacon.
Q: If there was one aspect of the diaconate that you’d like to clarify for Catholics, what would it be?
A: The deacon is not a replacement for the priest nor is the deacon a mini-priest. We are called to serve both the people of God as well as the priest. It is only from the hands of the priest that we receive the Eucharist and the other sacraments of the Church, beside marriage and baptism (sacraments which the deacon can also perform). The deacon is called to assist the bishop in his ministry of word, liturgy and charity and he does this in cooperation.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||