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KopfleSchreiberFaunceBeckerCHARLOTTE — When Deacon John Kopfle was ordained as a permanent deacon in 2006, he never thought his role would eventually lead to him becoming director of deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte in 2021.

Four years later, he is set to retire on March 31, and his departure will usher in an era of change for the program.

Deacon William Schreiber, currently director of formation for deacons, will take over in Deacon Kopfle’s role.

Deacon David Faunce, currently assistant director of formation, will now oversee the formation program, and Deacon Joseph Becker will assume those duties.

After his ordination Deacon Kopfle served as regional coordinator from 2008 to 2017 before becoming director of deacons in 2021. He said leading the program has been a wonderful experience that also came with a variety of duties and challenges.

“It’s obviously been very rewarding because this ministry serves God, the Church and God’s people,” he said.

Originally from Virginia, Deacon Kopfle worked as a chemical engineer and in marketing and sales for the steel industry. He moved to Charlotte in the 1990s and said the idea of becoming a deacon was planted by a priest at St. Peter Parish who was his spiritual director.

“He asked me if I’d ever consider the diaconate, and one thing led to another and here I am,” he said. “God gives you the grace and the ability and puts the people in your life to get you where you need to be.”

He is proud of the men he’s worked with and the huge number of ministries that deacons perform in the diocese, especially prison ministry and outreach to the poor, the sick and the mentally ill.

Expanding needs

The change in leadership comes as work with Bishop Michael Martin is in progress on a new structure for deacon formation designed to eventually have ordinations every two or three years instead of the current average of five years.

“As a diocese, we continue to grow, creating new challenges for the diaconate,” Deacon Schreiber said. “One of our goals for the future is to increase the number of men in formation and the frequency of classes to help address the shortage of deacons.”

About half of the diocese’s 93 parishes and missions don’t have an assigned deacon.

“We have a lot of men who are applying or are interested, and we want to get more men into the pipeline,” Deacon Kopfle said. “Moving this initiative forward will benefit both the Church and the faithful.”

The initiative will be one of the most exciting goals for Deacon Schreiber, who was ordained in 2014 and has served in many leadership roles, including as coordinator for deacons in the

Hickory region from 2017 to 2019 and assistant director of formation from 2019 to 2021 before taking over the helm of the formation program in October 2021.

Deacon Schreiber also assists at Mass and works in sacramental preparation programs, ministers to the homebound, and serves as a hospital chaplain, as well as coordinating youth programs at his home parish, St. Aloysius in Hickory.

A focus on formation

Deacon Faunce, ordained in 2018, said his past role as assistant director of formation will inform his new position.

“I have seen the formation program become more academically challenging and spiritually transformative,” he said. “In my role as director, I hope that my colleagues and I are successful in building upon the amazing work that has been put into motion as we continue to lead deacon candidates and their wives to humbly live out their calling and generously spend themselves in God’s service.”

Deacon Becker, who is based at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, was ordained in 2021 and has been assisting the formation team – experience that will help him in his new role.

Originally from Cincinnati, he moved to Charlotte in the 1980s to manage operations at Carowinds, then became leader of the American Red Cross in the Charlotte area. He moved to Washington, D.C., to lead the agency’s disaster relief efforts there before returning to Charlotte.

Vocations are no stranger to the Becker family. He and wife Tammy are parents to Father Brian Becker and seminarian Mark Becker, as well as a daughter who lives in the D.C. area with her family.

Deacon Becker said he personally heard “little bits and pieces from the Lord along the way that led to discovering the call.”

“I just take such joy in the service that we do as deacons,” he said. “I’m in a large parish, and there’s a joy in working one on one with parishioners, accompanying them on their journeys, leading ministries.”

Among his favorite work has been helping to expand St. Matthew’s branch of Walking With Moms In Need, an organization that supports pregnant and parenting mothers.

As he heads into retirement, Deacon Kopfle said he hopes to travel and spend more time outdoors and with his family.

He also will continue to do the work of the Lord in the ministry he and his fellow deacons have chosen.

“The very best thing about being a deacon is the opportunity to serve God and the Church,” he said. “For a lot of the people we serve, we are a sign of God to them.”

— Christina Lee Knauss