September 17, 2008
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The blessings of diaconal service Here’s my advice for a man who feels he is being called to serve the Church as a permanent deacon: Rejoice and thank God. I have experienced so much joy since my ordination in June 2000. And not because of my capabilities; in fact, it is often despite my inadequacies. What I attribute this joy to is my simple desire to strive to love God and love neighbor combined with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit received in the sacrament of holy orders. I have seen the Holy Spirit work powerfully through me in difficult ministry situations—it is obviously by the grace of God, because I do not possess the training or the personality to be effective on my own. When I entered the program in 1996 at age 38, our four children were ages 2, 4, 6 and 9. Now, a dozen years later, they are ages 14 to 21. A concern for my wife and me was that they might be labeled “preacher’s kids” and potentially rebel against God and his Church for the time demands placed on me. I am happy to say that while they are certainly not perfect, they all have an active faith life, and each would say they are glad I am a deacon. I’ve always held God to his promise that he will not be outdone in generosity and that he will return our efforts a hundredfold (Mt 19:29). God has been trustworthy with the graces he has given my family. I believe that often the wife of the potential permanent deacon has the larger cross to bear. In our case, my wife Cathy has definitely made the larger sacrifice in my accepting this call because of the tremendous time commitments on me, especially the weekends during formation. She would be the first to say that although the time away from home creates very real challenges, our family has received many graces in return. People ask how I possibly find the time for ministry with a fulltime job and four kids. In return I ask them if they have a passion and if they find time to pursue it or if they ever tire of it. Being a deacon is my passion, and I have found that no matter how much I give, Jesus’ words ring true: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). No matter the magnitude of my efforts to serve others, I receive more in return. I am blessed to have a wide range of ministry that I am involved in at St. Thomas More Parish, starting with assisting at daily Mass. I get to preach homilies; perform baptisms, weddings and funerals; counsel couples and youths, or people who have lost or are losing a loved one; lead couples retreats and help with Teens Encounter Christ retreats. I help lead a men’s program, I’ve served on the Archbishop’s Pastoral Council, and I love to talk about the Catholic faith to our parish school, to youth groups, to RCIA and religious education classes and to anyone else that will listen! My family and I have been greatly enriched by my ordination as a permanent deacon, and we encourage anyone who God is calling to answer, “Yes, Lord; here I am.” Deacon Steve Stemper serves at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial. |
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