Deacon MartinoCHARLOTTE — Deacon John Martino recently assumed the duties of director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Permanent Diaconate program, succeeding Deacon Ron Steinkamp.
Deacon Martino, a West Virginia native, serves at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, where he and his wife Terri have lived for the past 36 years.
Deacon Steinkamp, who serves at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, oversaw the program for more than five years. During his tenure, 16 permanent deacons were ordained for the Charlotte diocese in May 2014, in addition to more deacons moving to western North Carolina from other dioceses. There are now 121 permanent deacons, either active or retired, serving in the diocese. Another 15 men are currently in diaconate formation.
Deacons accompany the faithful in a variety of ways, assisting the priest at Mass and officiating at weddings, baptisms and funerals. They offer religious education programs, spiritual direction, make hospital visits and accompany those who are imprisoned or simply traveling through the Charlotte airport.
“The permanent deacons of the Diocese of Charlotte have revealed themselves icons of Christ the servant,” said Deacon Steinkamp. “Having the unique perspective of service as the director of the diaconate for over five years, I have read the annual reports each deacon has submitted, seen the kind comments their pastors offered about their ministry, and observed their fraternal friendship when gathered together at events such as the Eucharistic Congress. Surely it is the grace of holy orders that is responsible for their commitment. Accompanied by their wives, most deacons work at their place of employment, care for children and grandchildren, have a prayer life and serve in their parishes with enthusiasm. It is a delicate balance.”
Deacon SteinkampOver the past several years, deacons have expanded their involvement in jail and prison ministry, he noted. “In recent years we have started anew with a Mecklenburg County Jail ministry where thousands are incarcerated at any one time.
“Deacon James Witulski was appointed Catholic liaison to the Mecklenburg County jail and is assisted by several groups of men who show films and lead Bible studies weekly in the jail. Deacon James has arranged for priests to visit for the sacrament of confession. In the Forsyth County Jail, Deacon Bob Desautels coordinates a group of men and women, priests and deacons who visit weekly.
“Other deacons visit state prisons regularly often with their pastors. Even with these activities, the Catholic population in state prisons are underserved and this work of mercy, a particular ministry assigned to our deacons, hopefully will increase as the deacon population increases.”
The large class of newly ordained deacons as well as the service of older deacons in the diocese helps to fuel the New Evangelization within the local secularized culture, Deacon Steinkamp also said. Deacons must retire at 75, he said, but most ask the bishop to let them continue their ministry well past that age.
“Among our retired deacons we often see men engaged in visits to the sick and homebound and other ministry for years after formal retirement. They just do not miss a beat. For them and those years away from formal retirement it is easy to attribute this activity, volunteer ministry, to the simple joy of being a deacon.”
“For me personally, the courtesy and kindness my wife Bette and I received from the deacons and wives of the Diocese of Charlotte has been a blessed experience,” he said. “We thank them. Our experience working in the Pastoral Center was a joy. The men and women in every department of the diocese helped me learn when I started and worked with this director with enthusiasm over the years.”
Deacon Martino praised Deacon Steinkamp and his wife for their inspirational example.
“Their tireless efforts within their parish, their community and our diocese are examples of their Catholic faith in action. They exemplify what it means to be a deacon and the wife of a deacon. Their presence together as a couple is a model not only to our deacon family, but to everyone they serve,” he said.
“As director, Deacon Ron always lived up to the words spoken by the bishop at a deacon’s ordination: ‘Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.’ His actions as director were a reflection of his faith, his belief in God and his vocations of marriage and of an ordained deacon,” he said.
Deacon Martino said he feels blessed to serve as director of the permanent diaconate for the diocese, “part of a Church that is alive and well.”
His background growing up in a coal mining camp, where his parents ran a small grocery store, taught him “what it meant to care for those around you and to give where there is need.”
His faith in God was strengthened by his parish priest, a former coal miner, whose “friendly smile and presence within our neighborhood was felt by all,” he said. “His presence in my life showed me a reverent yet practical side to my Catholic faith. He showed me how God works in a sometimes quiet, gentle and simple way.”
He said the seed of his vocation to the diaconate was planted in his childhood, where at St. Anthony’s Parish in Fairmont, the Sisters of St. Joseph made him memorize the words that have guided him over the years. They come from the Baltimore Catechism, number six, which states, “Why did God make you? God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.”
“These words give meaning to the role of a permanent deacon,” he said. “In particular, it points out the importance of formation of those in discernment to be deacons and the need for ongoing formation after ordination.”
He prays for all of the permanent deacons, that “we will always have the desire to know and love God more and more each day. For it is then that God’s amazing grace will bear fruit in the many ways we serve Him and those He calls us to serve.
“As deacons we must always remember to serve Him, we must know Him and love Him.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter