CHARLOTTE — This year has been filled with thanksgiving as the Diocese of Charlotte was blessed with 15 men ordained April 14 for the vocation of permanent deacon. With the ordination of these men, our thoughts turn to an important milestone that made all of this possible: This year marks the 35th anniversary of the first ordination and establishment of the ministry of permanent deacons in the diocese. In looking back, the Church of western North Carolina remembers those beginning days and the foundations of diaconal service.
It all began in 1980. In January 1980, the Charlotte Diocese embarked on a new era of service when Bishop Michael J. Begley announced the formation of a permanent diaconate program. By September of that year, a group of men entered the first formation class under the direction of Monsignor Anthony Kovacic. The weekend studies were held at Sacred Heart College in Belmont.
Three years later, these men charted a path of service for others to follow. On May 29, 1983, the first 19 deacons were ordained as permanent deacons by Bishop Begley. From that first class ordained before more than 2,000 people at Ovens Auditorium, there have been eight formation classes. Including the 2018 class, 117 deacons have been ordained by the four bishops of the diocese.
Over the past 35 years, most deacons ordained for Charlotte have remained to serve here. However, some have moved to other dioceses. As other dioceses have received the gift of service of these deacons, the Diocese of Charlotte has also been blessed with deacons moving here from other dioceses across the United States, its territories and other countries.
The following represents the current census of permanent deacons for the Charlotte diocese:
- Deacons 135
- Ordained in Charlotte 83
- Ordained in other dioceses 52
- Ordaining dioceses represented 37
- Incardinated into Charlotte from other dioceses 11
- Parishes and communities served 62
In looking forward, the Church of western North Carolina envisions the days ahead where permanent deacons will continue to serve where the needs exist within the diocese. Each deacon’s path of service will be unique, yet always rooted in the call to be a Servant of God.
Within the diocese, deacons will continue to serve in local prison ministry programs and within ministerial needs of local parishes and communities. In addition, permanent deacons will serve in diocesan areas of Catholic Charities, Airport Ministry, Tribunal Advocacy Ministry, Campus Ministry, Youth Ministry, Faith Formation Ministry, Evangelization Ministry and other ministries where there are ongoing needs.
The seed of service, planted that first ordination day in 1983, flourishes today and will flourish in the years ahead in the footsteps of permanent deacons who have answered the call of Isaiah 6:8 saying, “Here I am Lord, send me.”
— Deacon John Martino, special to the Catholic News Herald. Deacon John Martino serves as director of the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program.
Deacon John Sims retires
MOORESVILLE — St. Thérèse Parish celebrated Deacon John Sims with a retirement party on June 10. Parishioners came out to show their appreciation and say thank you to Deacon John for his many years of service at the parish and to wish him well in his retirement. He is pictured with his wife Cher-yl. (Photo provided by Lisa Cash)
Deacons honored at St. Mark Church
HUNTERSVILLE — Deacon Louis Pais and Deacon Ron Sherwood were honored at St. Mark Church in May for their jubilee anniversaries. (Photo provided by Amy Burger)
23 permanent deacons celebrate jubilee anniversaries
CHARLOTTE — The vocation of a permanent deacon is rooted in the call to be a servant of God. As an example we can look at the life of a deacon in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He is a great role model for all deacons. He was a living gospel in every word, every deed and every moment of his life.
Like St. Francis, a deacon’s ministry of the Word, the Altar and Charity, is to be a living gospel. A deacon is to be a servant of God each moment of every day. The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with permanent deacons who serve the Lord each moment of every day.
This year marks milestone anniversaries for 23 permanent deacons in the diocese. With the support of their wives, families and friends, these men carry on God’s work through various ministries. In this year in which we celebrate 35 years of permanent diaconal service in the Church of western North Carolina, we celebrate their anniversaries with great joy.
40 YEARS
Deacon Myles Decker, 76, and his wife Brenda live in Mooresville. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Denver on April 15, 1978, by Archbishop James Casey. After ordination, he served in the Diocese of Denver until 1987 and then moved to the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., where he served until moving to North Carolina. Deacon Decker’s first assignment in the Diocese of Charlotte in 2006 was at St. Joseph Parish in Kannapolis. In 2013 he was assigned and still currently serves St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Mooresville. Deacon Decker was granted formal retirement in 2017 and continues to faithfully serve at St. Thérèse at the request of his pastor.
Deacon Louis Pais, 76, was ordained for the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., by Bishop Edward D. Head on May 14, 1978. While with the Diocese of Buffalo, he was involved with the diaconate formation program, and served as the director of its permanent diaconate program. In 1996, he and his wife Josie moved to the Charlotte area, where he was assigned to St. Gabriel Parish. As his roots took hold, in the year 2000, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte. In 2004 he was assigned to St. Mark Parish in Huntersville. During his tenure in this diocese, his ministry has taken a similar path as it did in the Diocese of Buffalo. Deacon Pais has served as director of formation and has also served as diocesan director of the permanent diaconate. In 2016 Deacon Pais was granted retirement but remains active in diaconal ministry at St. Mark Parish.
35 YEARS
Deacon Andy Cilone, 80, was in the first class of permanent deacons ordained for the Charlotte diocese May 29, 1983, by Bishop Michael J. Begley. As the men were ordained in alphabetical order, he was actually the first deacon ordained in that first class. Upon ordination, Deacon Cilone was assigned to his home parish of Immaculate Conception in Forest City. Twelve years later in 1995, he was assigned the first vicar for permanent deacons of the Hickory region, a position which he held for 21 years. Deacon Cilone and his wife JoAnn continue to be active in parish activities and in diocesan activities as well. Deacon Cilone retired in 2016 but continues to be active in ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish.
Deacon Charles Desautels, 70, is also a member of the first permanent deacon class, ordained by Bishop Begley on May 29, 1983. The youngest in his class to be ordained, Deacon Desautels was assigned to his home parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Jefferson. He and his wife Peggy moved to Fayetteville, where he was granted faculties for the Diocese of Raleigh and served at St. Patrick Parish for eight years. In 1991, Deacon Desautels moved and served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where he ministered at Our Lady of Grace, a primarily Polish parish in Penndel, Pa. In 1994 he returned to North Carolina and now lives in the Winston-Salem area. Currently he is assigned to St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem.
Deacon Joseph Mack, 93, was also ordained in the first class of permanent deacons for the Charlotte diocese on May 29, 1983, by Bishop Begley and was assigned to serve at St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte. Deacon Mack retired in 2000, but he remained active until 2004. During his 17 years of ministry, with his now deceased wife Helen by his side, he served the needs of the parishioners of St. John Neumann. In those many years Deacon Mack extended his ministry and reached out to many in the Charlotte community. Currently Deacon Mack lives in Macedon, N.Y., and is inactive as a deacon.
Deacon Harold Markle, 90, was also in the first class of permanent deacons for the Charlotte diocese, and after ordination was assigned to St. John Baptiste de La Salle Parish in North Wilkesboro. In 1995 he transferred to St. Joseph Parish in Newton, but two years later, in 1997, he returned to St. John Baptiste de La Salle Parish with additional ministry duties to St. Stephen Mission in Elkin. In 2002 he retired but remained active in ministry for the Boonville area’s Hispanic community, serving at Divine Redeemer Parish. In 2007, along with his wife Virginia, he returned to his home parish of St. John Baptiste de La Salle, where he serves today.
Deacon Joseph Schumacher, 90, was also one of the first permanent deacons ordained for the Charlotte diocese on May 29, 1983. Along with his now deceased wife Virginia, they became members of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Winston-Salem in 1957. After ordination, Deacon Schumacher was assigned to his home parish. In 2003, he was granted retirement, yet still to this day remains active in his diaconal responsibilities. Every year he opens his home to the deacons who serve in the Triad for an annual Christmas gathering. His ministries through the years have involved visiting prisons, visits to the homebound, helping with the poor in crisis, and preparing the faithful for the sacraments of marriage and baptism. Currently Deacon Schumacher serves during daily and weekend Masses at Our Lady of Mercy Parish, where he has now been a member for 61 years.
Deacon Rudolph Triana, 80, was also ordained in the first class of deacons for the Charlotte diocese. His first assignment was to St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Maggie Valley. After serving in the Maggie Valley area, Deacon Triana, along with his now deceased wife Mary, moved to the Asheville area where he served at both St. Joan of Arc Parish in Candler and for a short time at Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville. In 2009 he began serving at St. Barnabas Parish in Arden, where a significant focus of his ministry has been with the Hispanic community. Deacon Triana was granted retirement in 2012 and participates as he can in serving the St. Barnabas Parish.
Deacon Gerald Potkay, 77, was ordained on June 3, 1983, for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., by Archbishop John F. Whealon. After ordination he was assigned to St. Ann Parish in Devon, Conn. In 1990 he and his wife Carol moved to Mayodan, and he was assigned to St. Joseph of the Hills Parish in Eden. Deacon Potkay also served the parish of Holy Infant before returning to St. Joseph in 2015. On Sept. 4, 1996, he was incardinated into the Charlotte diocese. He was granted retirement in 2015 but continues to serve his parish in Eden.
Deacon James Hamrlik, 72, was ordained for the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., by Bishop Joseph L. Imesch on Oct. 29, 1983. His first assignment was to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bolingbrook, Ill. After moving to Charlotte with his wife Mary Anne in 1984, he was assigned to St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte until 1988, when he was transferred to St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte. On Sept. 4, 1996, he was incardinated into the diocese. During his time in Charlotte he has taught deacon candidates and coordinated the continuing education program for deacons. Deacon Hamrlik continues to actively serve the diocese and St. Matthew Parish.
30 YEARS
Deacon Carl Hubbell, 84, was ordained for the Archdiocese of Miami on May 14, 1988 by Archbishop Edward McCarthy. Upon ordination he was assigned to St. Bartholomew Parish in Miramar, Fla., where his main focus of service was with youth and family life ministry. In 1998 he, along with his now deceased wife Carole, moved to North Carolina. In 1999 Deacon Hubbell was assigned to St. William Parish in Murphy. He was granted retirement as a deacon in 2011, but even in retirement he continues to actively serve St. William Parish and its mission parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hayesville in many ways.
Deacon Peter Duca, 66, was in the second class of deacons ordained for the Charlotte diocese by Bishop John F. Donoghue on June 18, 1988, at St. Gabriel Church. In that same year, he was appointed a permanent deacon for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Charlotte. In 2003 he was appointed vicar of permanent deacons for the Charlotte region, serving for five years until 2008. Along with his wife Martha, he remains active in parish ministries and continues to be active in serving Our Lady of the Assumption Parish and community. Deacon Duca has served this parish for 30 years.
Deacon Guy Piché, 71, was also ordained in the diocese’s second class of deacons on June 18, 1988. After ordination, he was assigned to Queen of the Apostles Parish in Belmont. In addition he has formerly served the diocese as properties director and director of the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory. In 2003 he was assigned as permanent deacon for St. Helen Mission in Spencer Mountain. In 2014, he retired from his diocesan responsibilities and as a deacon. He and his wife Rachel live in Gastonia and he continues to serve St. Helen and its community.
Deacon Timothy Rohan, 83, was also ordained for the Charlotte diocese on June 18, 1988, and after ordination he was assigned to Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro. In 1997 he was appointed vicar of permanent deacons for the Triad region, a role he held until 2004. In 2010 Deacon Rohan was granted retirement. He and his wife Eileen remain members of Our Lady of Grace Parish, where he has served for 30 years. Deacon Rohan is currently inactive as a deacon but continues to participate in church activities in support of his fellow deacons and parishioners.
Deacon Vincent Shaw, 79, was also ordained for the Charlotte diocese in 1988, and after ordination he was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Greensboro. In 2004 he was assigned as vicar for the permanent deacons of the Triad region and in 2005 became police chaplain for the Greensboro Police Department. During his years as a deacon, he has served as editor of the deacons’ newsletter “The Servant,” maintains the deacon files and communications for deacons, and serves as treasurer for the Diocesan Association of Deacons. He was granted retirement in 2016 and still actively serves St. Mary Parish. Along with his wife Catherine, he remains involved in parish activities, the diaconate community and diocesan ministry.
Deacon Curtiss Todd, 80, was also ordained in the second class of permanent deacons for the Charlotte diocese in 1988. For most of his ministry, Deacon Todd has served at Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte, where he was assigned upon ordination. In many ways, this parish is the springboard of his diaconate service within the community and the diocese. He also served the parishes of St. Gabriel and St. Benedict the Moor. In a diocesan role, Deacon Todd served as vice chancellor for the diocese. He retired in 2009 but still participates in ministry at Our Lady of Consolation Parish.
Deacon Ben Wenning, 82, was also ordained for the diocese on June 18, 1988 at St. Gabriel Church, and it was at that parish that he began his ministry as a deacon. In 1990, Deacon Wenning was the first deacon assigned as chaplain for the Charlotte Airport and served on the Airport Chaplaincy Board. It was then that he also started to take on diocesan responsibilities. As the ministry of permanent deacons evolved, Deacon Wenning served as assistant director of post ordination affairs, as vicar of the Triad region, and as administrator and director of the Permanent Diaconate for the diocese. He retired in 2007. Deacon Wenning and his wife Dot are still involved at St. Gabriel Parish, the place of his ordination three decades ago.
Deacon Charles Brantley, 88, was in the second class of deacons ordained for the diocese, ordained by Bishop Donoghue on June 19, 1988, at St. Joseph Church in Newton. After his ordination he was assigned to St. Phillip the Apostle Parish, his home parish in Statesville, and this is where he has served for the past 30 years. He retired in 2005, and he and his wife Mickey continue to live in Statesville.
Deacon Ronald Caplette, 80, was also ordained for the diocese on June 19, 1988, at St. Joseph Church in Newton. After ordination Deacon Caplette was assigned to that parish, where he served for the next nine years. In 1997 he was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir, where he served for 12 years until retiring in 2009. In his retirement, Deacon Caplette continues to serve at St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory at the request of his pastor. He and his wife Louise live in Hickory.
Deacon Bruce Haslett, 75, was in the second class of deacons ordained for the diocese by Bishop Donoghue on July 3, 1988, at St. Barnabas Church in Arden. After ordination he was assigned to St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon, where he served for 10 years. Deacon Haslett and his wife Marie relocated several times outside of the diocese and now live in Oregon. He retired as a deacon in 2015.
Deacon Arthur Kingsley, 83, was also ordained on July 3, 1988, at St. Barnabas Church, where he also was assigned to serve after ordination. Deacon Kingsley actively served the Arden parish for 19 years. In 2007, after moving to the Gastonia area, he was assigned to Saint Michael Parish. During his years of service to the diocese, Deacon Kingsley has served as Cursillo spiritual director, vicar of permanent deacons for the Asheville region, and has been instrumental on the organizing committee for the annual Eucharistic Congress. As a retired deacon, Deacon Kingsley and his wife Rosemary live in Tryon, where they remain involved in ministry at their parish.
15 YEARS
Deacon Luis Flores, 57, was ordained by Bishop William Murphy for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on May 17, 2003. Upon arriving in North Carolina in 2007, he received faculties for the Charlotte diocese on Sept. 20, 2007, and was assigned to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Charlotte. He and his wife Adela have been active in this parish since relocating to the Charlotte area. Deacon Flores is very active and invaluable to the needs of the Hispanic community within the parish he serves.
5 YEARS
Deacon John Panzica, 59, was also ordained by Bishop William Murphy for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, on May 18, 2013. He and his wife Jeanmarie moved to North Carolina in the summer of 2016 and reside in Charlotte. On Nov. 28, 2016, Deacon Panzica received faculties for the Charlotte diocese and was assigned to Queen of the Apostles Parish in Belmont. Deacon Panzica and his wife are active in their parish and are becoming active with diocesan ministries.
— Deacon John Martino, special to the Catholic News Herald. Deacon John Martino serves as director of the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program.
WINSTON-SALEM — To witness a life well lived, one has to look no further than Deacon Joe Schumacher, Ph.D., of Our Lady of Mercy Church.
He may be 90 years old, but he confesses, “I still don’t have time to do all that I want to do every day.”
Most of us would be taking it easy at that age, but not Deacon Joe.
A member of the first class of 19 permanent deacons ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte in 1983, he is celebrating 35 years of service to the people of the diocese, and is still going strong.
Deacon Joe rises each morning at 5 a.m., prays morning prayer and the rosary, takes a walk, and then heads to church to assist at the 8:30 a.m. weekday Mass at the parish. He still preaches the homily every Wednesday at Mass. He also assists at the Saturday evening Mass and the Sunday 11 a.m. Mass.
“I love the people,” he says. “I fell in love with Our Lady of Mercy.”
That is obvious when you consider all the ways he has served his parish over the years.
The father of nine children, he and his late wife Virginia were always active in their parish, even when he worked full-time at R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem.
In fact, he was so committed to serving the people of Our Lady of Mercy Parish that he left his job just four years after becoming a permanent deacon so he could serve the church full-time.
Always a family man, Deacon Joe baptized many of his 24 grandchildren and even some of his 11 great-grandchildren. He has also officiated at the wedding of three of his granddaughters.
One of the hallmarks of Deacon Joe’s vocation to the diaconate has been works of mercy.
For 25 years he visited the sick in hospitals and nursing homes. For the past 22 years, he has led a Communion service at a local nursing home. For 12 years he was active in prison ministry, bringing prisoners to his home for family gatherings.
Over the course of three decades, Deacon Joe has prepared dozens of couples for marriage, as well as couples seeking to baptize their children in the Church.
In the past 35 years he also served in soup kitchens, taken in boarders, conducted funeral services and served on Cursillo retreats, helping to lead people closer to God.
A talented woodworker, he has made hundreds of wooden crosses and also some tables and cabinets for use at the church. He says “all of these little acts of service have been done with love.”
Deacon Joe’s pastor, Conventual Franciscan Father Carl Zdancewicz, says he is “a man of great service. He is a Renaissance man. He reads, walks, plays pickle ball at the YMCA and works in his woodshop, making very creative gifts.”
Father Zdancewicz believes Deacon Joe “creates a model for people, especially for the elderly.”
“He does a tremendous job at the parish,” he adds.
Recently Deacon Joe ministered to a woman whose 16-year-old daughter had become pregnant, when she approached him at one of the baptismal preparation classes he conducts. The teenage mother-to-be was ashamed and didn’t know where to turn. Deacon Joe assured them that God loved her and her baby, too. When the baby was born, he administered the sacrament of baptism.
The grandmother approached Deacon Joe at church recently and told him, “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here.”
“That blows my mind,” he recalls. “I pray every day, ‘Lord, help me to do the good that I strive to do.’ And that is what He does.”
Deacon Joe explains, “I have always wanted to do my best as a deacon because I wanted what I did to be a good experience for them. I didn’t want to be clumsy, fall on my face and be a distraction for them. So I studied, worked hard and prayed.
“In the 35 years of my ministry there was a lot of turnover in our parish, but I have loved them all. After 35 years, I realize how much I have touched people over the years.”
— ¬SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter