The role of deacon has been in the Church right from the beginning of the apostles’ ministry. Deacons were originally ordained as administrators in the early Church who took on the practical tasks of organizing the Christian community, in order to leave the apostles free to pray and preach the gospel. The role of deacon had always been a part of the transition from layman to priestly ordination, but following the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium, 29), in 1967, Pope St. Paul VI issued the document Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, which revived the practice of ordaining to the diaconate men who were not candidates for priestly ordination.

Deacons, like priests and bishops, can perform baptisms and may witness at the sacrament of holy matrimony and lead funeral rites, when outside the context of the Mass. They can also preside over various services such as Benediction, Eucharistic services, and Stations of the Cross, and they may give certain blessings. Deacons cannot hear confession, anoint the sick, or celebrate Mass.

This year, 12 deacons were ordained for our diocese: four transitional deacons and eight permanent deacons. Here, we read their thoughts on their call to the diaconate.

Ron Stacey,

permanent deacon

St. Anthony Padua, Hillsdale

My spiritual adviser once said to me, “You will know that the Holy Spirit is working in you when you are doing something you never thought you would be doing.” Becoming a permanent deacon has been a journey of grace, love, tears, and profound humility. My wife Neysa and I have been carried by the prayers and support of so many beautiful people, each a witness to Christ’s presence. Time and again, the Holy Spirit has revealed himself to us in moments of doubt, joy, and deep surrender.  As I prepare for ordination, my heart is full of gratitude. May my service reflect his mercy and bring all of us closer to him.

Peter Randolph,

transitional deacon

Christ the King Parish, Ann Arbor

The Eucharist has long been at the foundation of my journey toward the priesthood. As a deacon, though I cannot yet consecrate the Eucharist, I am called to serve at the altar, and I desire this service to conform me more closely to Jesus’ Eucharistic Heart. Also, as a minister of the chalice, I long to enter more fully into Jesus’ death and resurrection. The chalice is filled with his blood, which unifies me, unifies us, to Jesus’ Passion, death, and resurrection. May I always be united to Jesus in the Eucharist as a deacon and priest.

Leon Demers,

permanent deacon

St. Patrick Parish, Brighton

My journey to the diaconate started eight years ago when the Blessed Mother appeared to me in a dream confirming the real presence of her son in the Eucharist. I did not know her message was more than that, until I told the dream to my wife, my mother-in-law, and my mother, who all said it means I’m supposed to be a deacon. Long story short, through lots of prayer, discernment, and an overabundance of love, grace, and gifts from God, I am now where Our Lady has led me to be.

Joshua Bauer,

transitional deacon

St. Elizabeth Parish, Tecumseh

At Mass, deacons are close, so close, to Jesus. In that set-apart moment of the elevation, he takes Jesus’s chalice and lifts him up for the people’s adoration. This honor humbles my soul to the dust — this honor fills my heart with awe. Through all my travels, God has never left me and has even turned evil to good. What a great God we have! How could we fail to give our whole lives to him in love?”

Joe Fedewa,

permanent deacon

St. Mary Parish, Westphalia

My faith journey started a long time ago, with signs starting in my early 20s, but they didn’t resonate with me then. After a small conversion, I started getting active in my parish. Over the years, I became a rosary leader, extraordinary minister of the Eucharist, youth catechist, and altar server for funeral Masses. Being near the altar when father says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” felt like a call to me from God. In my 50s, I started visiting churches to pray and attend adoration, that’s when I really felt God’s call to be a deacon.  God has gotten me this far, and I’m thankful.

Jacob Derry,

transitional deacon

St. John the Evangelist, Fenton

Throughout my life, I have encountered Jesus Christ and his love in powerful ways. His love has changed me, surrounded me, broken me, humbled me, restored me, saved me, and lived in me. Jesus has relentlessly pursued my heart. As a deacon and later a priest, I do not want to simply tell people about Jesus, I want people to meet him. I want them to experience that same relentless love that I have experienced. I am excited to give my life to the Church and to be a vessel for the sacraments so that others can meet the living God.

Andy Cocagne,

permanent deacon

Church of the Holy Family, Grand Blanc

God has been leading me down this path my whole life. There have been times when I tried to take the lead, and that didn’t go so well. The times in my life when I ask, listen, and then act on the Lord’s promptings have brought peace and fulfillment. My eight-year journey from an inquiring possible future deacon to now has been amazing. I have encouraged several men to start down this path if Jesus is leading them. There will be plenty of opportunities to step off if it is not right. God will help them discern as he has for me. Here I am on the cusp of a new, ordained relationship with God and my Church. There are so many people God has put on my path to help me get here. Many have prayed for me. Others have taught me. Others have counseled me. And then there’s my wife Carole, who has been doing all those things and more to help me get to heaven.

Ryan Ferrigan,

transitional deacon

St. Martha Parish, Okemos

I have been in seminary since fall of 2020. I first encountered the possibility of a priestly vocation when I was 17 years old, when I was at Mass on Holy Thursday. The Lord manifested his love for me in a way I had never experienced before, and he put the thought of being a priest on my heart, which brought me inexpressible joy. I continued to grow in my relationship with the Lord in college, then entered seminary after graduation. I am avidly looking forward to giving my entire life to the Lord and his Church on ordination day!

Paul Godfrey,

permanent deacon

Christ the King Parish, Ann Arbor

I first heard a call to follow the Lord when I was in high school, and have pursued that call throughout my life. I studied theology and philosophy at Franciscan University. Before I graduated, I felt the Lord tell me not to be afraid, that he was going to bring me to many places as I pursued my vocation. After many twists and turns I find myself being called to the diaconate, and I’m very grateful that I listened to the voice of the Lord so many years ago. I look forward to serving his Church as a representative of Christ the Servant.

Luke Goerge,

permanent deacon

Most Holy Trinity, Fowler

I took a look at my transcript as I entered this final year of formation. I took my first class in 2007! Over the years I’ve wondered to myself if God was truly calling me. What did I have? I didn’t have a college degree. I didn’t have a fancy way of explaining the teachings of the Church. What I did have was the faith that my mom instilled in me, and a wife who stood by me. What I did have is a trust in the Lord. As far as the 18 years it’s taken — all things in God’s time!

Larry Gjernes,

permanent deacon

St. Joseph Parish, Ypsilanti

I am a cradle Catholic married to Polly (Weaver) Gjernes for 37 years and the father of eight wonderful children. I received my calling to the diaconate at Mass while my children were still young. My wife also heard the calling at the same time, while she was at home with the children. I also knew that I should wait until all my children graduated from high school before I should be ordained, so the time of preparation and waiting began 25 years ago. It is a great blessing that many of my children are in ministry at various parishes in the diocese and they all have a great love for the Lord. My studies at Sacred Heart Seminary, Augustine Institute, and the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan have prepared me for my vocation, as has being a member of Companions of Christ the Lamb for the past 28 years. I have been asked to serve at St. Joseph Parish in Ypsilanti, and I am looking forward to the plans that God has in store for me in my ministry.

Wayne Carpenter,

permanent deacon

St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing

I was raised in a devout Protestant family that had many misconceptions about the Catholic Church. These misconceptions prevented me from visiting my Catholic friend’s church. Then I met my wife in college, who was Catholic. She encouraged me to investigate and ultimately rethink what I was led to believe as a child. I then had the opportunity to hear Pope St. John Paul II in Hart Plaza in Detroit. The Holy Spirit was present and powerful that day, and it ignited my journey that now includes ordination into the diaconate! God works in wonderful and sometimes humorous ways!