In 2012, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo ordained 38 men as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Richmond. Because of the size of the class, 19 men were ordained on Oct. 13, and 19 were ordained on Nov. 3. In November issues, The Catholic Virginian will feature deacons celebrating their 10th anniversary.
Paul S. Buckman
Spouse: Holly
Parish: St. Paschal Baylon, South Boston; St. Catherine of Siena, Clarksville; Good Shephard, South Hill
Occupation: Physician
Describe the rewarding aspect(s) of your diaconal ministry: I can confidently say that I get so much more out of the diaconate than I put in. The love, caring and companionship of the parishioners as we take this journey together through our earthly lives to our heavenly lives is extremely uplifting. It has helped me immensely as I go through my own ups and downs in this journey. My faith has been strengthened not only by the interaction with parishioners, but also by the interaction and comradery of my fellow deacons. I can only hope that I have been as inspiring to someone as much as I have been inspired.
Edward Christ
Spouse: Susan
Parish: Perry County Consortium, Diocese of Columbus
Occupation: Retired
Describe the rewarding aspect(s) of your diaconal ministry: With assisting at four parishes in our consortium and with the diversity of the parishes, there is always some new/different aspects to consider. This allows me to re-focus on the area of service in new ways all the time. This opens up the Holy Spirit in my life a lot, and I see the hand of God in ministry over and over again. Also, our diocese is undergoing a major program to re-focus the “look” of the diocese to better serve the people of God. So there are many challenges to face, and I see the parishioners strive to meet those challenges.
Christopher Corrigan
Spouse: Angymarie
Parish: St. Augustine, Richmond
Occupation: Data Governance Leader
Esaud Feliciano
Spouse: Zulma
Parish: Sacred Heart, Prince George
Occupation: Retired
Describe the rewarding aspect(s) of your diaconal ministry: The journey to ordination was long and hard since my first language is Spanish, and I speak very little English. As a deacon, I have performed many baptisms, weddings, blessings, quincerañera, counseling, helped the priests and assisted many parishioners. To think of one thing that is rewarding to me was very hard, but I can narrow it down to sacraments and liturgies. In baptism, I am helping build God’s kingdom by bringing new members into the Catholic faith. I have been able to use my own knowledge from my own marriage with other couples seeking the sacrament of marriage. I have enjoyed being able to be present on the altar for the summit of the consecration. This is the highlight of the liturgy. I am also able to pour myself into the homilies and provide a message to parishioners that has been given to me by the Holy Spirit when I am preaching.
Paul Minner
Spouse: Isa
Parish: St. Catherine of Siena, Clarksville; Good Shepherd, South Hill; St. Paschal Baylon, South Boston
Occupation: Information Technology
Describe the rewarding aspect of your diaconal ministry: Supporting people during times of crisis, especially my immediate and extended family, and serving them has been among the most rewarding aspects of being a deacon. Seeing the change in me has also been the reason some of my family members have rejoined the Catholic Church and restarted their relationship and journey with Jesus Christ.
Francis N. Nelson Jr.
Parish: Holy Rosary, Richmond
Occupation: Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Describe the rewarding aspect of your diaconal ministry: An overall rewarding aspect of my diaconal ministry has been being able to be a part of the spiritual growth of my parish, through my participation in Legion of Mary ministry; pastoral care, which involves visiting the sick and homebound; doing marriage prep; and jail/prison ministry on the diocesan and parish levels. In addition, my participation with St. Vincent de Paul ministry, which involves the collaboration of my parish with St. Bridget and St. Elizabeth in providing financial assistance to families in need, has been especially rewarding.
Ronald Reger
Spouse: Honora
Parish: Church of the Redeemer, Mechanicsville
Occupation: Retired
Describe the rewarding aspect of your diaconal ministry: I have found that the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders gave people much greater comfort to talk about their struggles, concerns and questions of faith. This provided an opportunity to actively listen and facilitate the conversation in a way that improved their understanding. Assisting couples with marriage preparation has been very rewarding to help them work to become closer as a couple. One of the biggest surprises has been the blessing of strong bonds with deacon brothers along with the closeness of the deacons’ wives. My wife and I have both benefitted greatly from those friendships.