Deacon Allison’s ministry began in Ohio, continues in Roanoke
“It seems as though it’s been a long time in coming, but at the same time, it all passed so quickly,” Deacon Mark Allison said of his 25th anniversary as a permanent deacon.
“I’ve seen a lot in 25 years – changes to the (Roman) Missal, changes in the translation of the Lectionary, a different understanding being at parishes that had never had a deacon before… But in all of it, the faith is the same,” he said, “and I try to tell people that’s a testament to the Church.”
Deacon Allison joined the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil Mass in 1985 in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. He married his wife, Linda, in May of that year. The couple share four children, Maggie, Marcella, Melina and Joseph, and three grandchildren, Michela, Heidi and Stella.
“Father Kenneth Wise, who was my first pastor as a Catholic, got me involved in the parish right off the bat,” Deacon Allison said. “He was actually the one who got me started down the path to become a deacon.”
The jubilarian said that Father Wise was an older priest who was responsible for administering two parishes.
“We had a number of conversations about what I could additionally take on to help him with. And at that time in the Diocese of Columbus, they had a program that was called ‘Chrism,’ which was a lay ministry formation program for two years. That was also a prerequisite for the diaconate, but at that time, I didn’t even know it,” Deacon Allison said with a laugh.
He recalled that those conversations with Father Wise and his involvement with the Chrism Program led to his discernment and eventual application to the permanent diaconate program.
Bishop James A. Griffin, then-bishop of Columbus, ordained Deacon Allison on Feb. 1, 1997.
“I served with him quite a bit because when he came out to the more rural areas of the diocese where I lived and ministered, often I was the only deacon available to assist at his celebrations,” Deacon Allison said of the bishop. “So he got very close with my oldest child, who was very young when I was ordained… so he was very special to me.”
His first assignment was at St. Joseph Parish in Dover, Ohio, where he started the St. Vincent de Paul ministry and started the process to get Habitat for Humanity opened in the community. He was also involved with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), adult faith formation and catechetical work, liturgical work and Hispanic outreach.
In 2003, Deacon Allison was promoted to regional sales manager of the southeastern United States for Gradall, the commercial and industrial equipment supply company where he has worked for 35 years. Today, he is the director of the company’s excavator project.
Because of his 2003 promotion, Deacon Allison and his family relocated to Richmond. He was given faculties to minister in the Diocese of Richmond and was assigned to Church of the Transfiguration, Fincastle, and St. John the Evangelist, New Castle.
In November 2009, the deacon was assigned to continue serving at St. John, New Castle. In March 2009, he was assigned to St. Andrew, Roanoke.
“Msgr. (Thomas) Miller at St. Andrew’s when I was first assigned there was very kind,” the deacon recalled. “We were going through a rough time, and he helped a lot to get us back on track, so he’s very special as well.”
Deacon Allison said he enjoys giving homilies and “being with the people, listening to them, helping them work through things in their lives – the good times and the bad times and the hard times.”
In reflecting on his years as a deacon, Deacon Allison said that his personal faith has grown through those interactions with the people to whom he ministers.
“Hearing their stories, the trust that they put in you, it can be very humbling, and so I think that humility is very important in diaconal ministry,” he said. “… You’re not trying to figure out what your suggestions or recommendations are to help get them though, but you’re simply walking the journey with them.”
He credits his family with helping him reach this milestone: “I would never have considered becoming a deacon, nor could I have ministered so long without the help and support of my wife, Linda. We have been married for almost 37 years, and she ministers to me and with me every step of the way.”
He added that he enjoys spending time with his family “every chance I get” and that “they have all been the basis and foundation of all I do.”
As he approached his silver jubilee, Deacon Allison said he is pleased about the direction his own journey will take in the future.
“I’m looking forward at some point in the next 5-10 years maybe retiring from my regular job and being able to spend more time (in active ministry) like I was able to do when I was first ordained – when I had a regular 8-5 job and evenings (free),” Deacon Allison said. “I just look forward to continuing my ministry as much as I can.”