Witness to a life of service
A permanent deacon will always remember the day of ordination not as an end to years of preparation, study and discernment, but as the beginning of a life filled with grace in serving the needs of others.
In reflecting on the lives of our diocesan permanent deacons and their journey in life since ordination, I remember these words from deceased Deacon Ron Steinkamp to his wife Bette. “Pinch me, Bette, I must be dreaming. This farm boy from Illinois is an ordained deacon.” Deacon Steinkamp would have celebrated 25 years of ordination this year.
Yes, God calls men to be permanent deacons. He calls some from farms, some from small towns, some from the suburbs, and some from life in the big city. They are called from all walks of life.
Just as the first deacons were chosen and ordained by the Apostles to meet a specific need of the early Christian community, so it is in the Church today. In our own diocese, Bishop Peter Jugis chooses men, ordains them as permanent deacons, and assigns them to parishes and ministries to meet the needs of the Church of Charlotte.
The word permanent is important in understanding the deacon’s role within the Church. A permanent deacon is ordained to a lifetime of service.
For the rest of his life, he is to be the servant of Christ to his people, and a humble aid to the ministry of priests and the bishop. For the rest of his life, the deacon receives the grace to witness to the service of God and neighbor to which all the disciples of Jesus are called.
The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with permanent deacons, who, with the support of wives, families and friends, serve the Lord in holiness.
In the permanent deacons whose anniversaries we celebrate this year, we see lives dedicated to service. Their witness is their love for God and in sharing God’s love with those they serve.
25 years
Deacon Wayne Adams, 77, has been assigned to Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville since his ordination by Bishop William Curlin on July 1, 1995.
During the past 25 years, he has served the parish and community as an adjunct hospital chaplain at the Thomasville hospital, conducting baptism preparation classes, assisting with confirmation retreats, and supporting many parish ministries. His journey to the diaconate is a story of conversion. Serving in Germany for the U.S. Army, he met a young German named Ursula, who became his wife.
He spoke no German, and she spoke no English, so they carried dictionaries around with them to converse. Their different language and religious backgrounds was no barrier. With prayer and the guidance of the chaplain, a Dutch priest, Deacon Adams became a Catholic. The chaplain officiated at their wedding in 1967.
After several years they moved to his home state of North Carolina and attended St. Aloysius Church in Hickory. Later they moved to Thomasville, where Deacon Adams became called to the diaconate. Now retired, Deacon Adams and Ursula will celebrate 53 years of marriage in September.
Deacon Michael Langsdorf, 66, was also ordained by Bishop Curlin on July 1, 1995. Now residents of Lewisville, he, his wife Mary and their family moved south from their native Philadelphia in 1976. As his children reached their teen years, he responded to the call to the diaconate that he had discerned for some time especially through his involvement in Cursillo ministry. His first diaconal assignment was to Holy Family Church in Clemmons, his home parish, where he served for nine years.
With four children and a growing number of grandchildren, Deacon Langsdorf was very involved in youth ministry and was active with his wife Mary in family and life ministries of the parish and within the diocese. In 2004 he was assigned to Divine Redeemer Church in Boonville.
At the Boonville parish, which has a large Hispanic and small English community, his focus is providing for those who prefer English-speaking faith formation and sacramental preparation.
He coordinates the English faith formation program for grades 1-12, teaches the confirmation preparation classes, and conducts baptism preparation classes and RCIA when needed in English. With his wife Mary by his side, Deacon Langsdorf is a dedicated deacon in word and in action and sees Divine Redeemer Parish as welcoming and faith-filled. He has now served the parish for 16 years and has served the diocese for 25 years. Deacon Langsdorf and Mary will be celebrating 46 years of marriage in November.
Deacon Carlos Medina, 70, his wife Martha and their family moved from Nicaragua to Miami in 1978 and in 1981 to Charlotte, where they began attending St. Patrick Cathedral.
Now, 39 years later, Deacon Medina serves as a deacon at the cathedral, where he first became more involved in the Church and in his eventual discernment to diaconate ministry. In his own humility, he just wanted to do what the Church wanted of him. During the earlier years, Deacon Medina grew his knowledge of the faith through the Southeast Pastoral Institute for Hispanic Evangelization and Formation.
He served as a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, as well as serving the Charlotte area Hispanic community. Beginning in 1988, his Cursillo experience brought a newfound joy to Deacon Medina as he began to attend daily Mass. He became involved in Cursillo leadership at the local and regional levels, where Bishop John Donoghue encouraged him to consider a call to the diaconate.
In 1995, he was ordained and his first assignment was to the Hispanic Center (now Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish), where Deacon Medina was involved in establishing ministries for the growing Latino community. Over seven years, he helped the Latino communities at Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury and St. Dorothy Parish in Lincolnton by establishing faith formation classes, administering baptisms, officiating at weddings and funerals, and preaching at Spanish-language Masses. In 2002 he was assigned to St. Patrick Cathedral – the place where his desire to serve the Church began. Deacon Medina and Martha celebrated 51 years of marriage in May.
Deacon Rafael Torres, 74, and his wife Gladys live in Charlotte. In 1982 Deacon Torres, a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, his wife and their three children moved from Puerto Rico to Charlotte to be closer to his brother. He became involved with the Hispanic Catholic community and he attended a Spanish Cursillo – a weekend that had a major impact on his life.
He took to heart the Christian mission to evangelize, and he became active in Cursillo working on teams, giving talks and serving in leadership roles. Sister Pilar Dalmau, who led Charlotte Hispanic Ministry at that time, urged him and others to take the Lay Ministry Formation program starting in 1990. He was inspired and two years later, he was one of three Spanish-speaking men admitted to formation for the permanent diaconate. He was ordained by Bishop Curlin in 1995 and assigned to Hispanic Ministry. In this role he served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte for 10 years.
In 2005 he was assigned to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Charlotte, where he served for three years before moving to St. Luke Parish in Mint Hill, where he serves today. Deacon Torres also occasionally continues to serve the Latino community at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. In his ministry, he preaches, administers the sacrament of baptism, officiates at weddings and funerals, and is an advocate for the Diocese of Charlotte tribunal. Deacon Torres and Gladys celebrated 52 years of marriage in June.
Deacon John Weisenhorn, 86, and his wife Rosemarie have lived in Gastonia for 40 years. Since being ordained by Bishop Curlin on July 1, 1995, he has served his home parish of St. Michael the Archangel. During the past 25 years, marriage preparation has been a significant part of his ministry. His own marriage, frequent job-related moves early in marriage, and parenting a family of 11 children, have enriched his ministry to young couples about marriage and family life.
Monsignor Anthony Kovacic was a major influence in Deacon Weisenhorn’s decision to discern a calling to the permanent diaconate. However, with young children and job requirements, he and his wife decided that their marriage, his first vocation, needed his attention at the time. Ten years later, he entered the Lay Ministry Formation program and then applied to enter diaconate formation. After ordination, Deacon Weisenhorn was hired by St. Michael Parish as a pastoral associate. Over his 25 years of ministry at the parish, he has assisted many pastors. He has also served as Catholic chaplain for the Air National Guard, for Covenant Village retirement community in Gastonia, and to the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office.
Through the years Deacon Weisenhorn has officiated at the weddings of several of his children, as well as baptizing his grandchildren. Now as a retired deacon, he continues to serve his parish where he and Rosemarie participate in the life and ministry of the parish and the diocese. This year, God has blessed Deacon Weisenhorn and Rosemarie as they celebrated 59 years of marriage in April.
20 years
Deacon Miles Merwin, 77, and his wife Polly have a home in Collierville, Tenn., and are seasonal residents of Maggie Valley.
Ordained for the Diocese of Memphis by Bishop J. Terry Steib on March 4, 2000, Deacon Merwin was assigned to the Church of the Incarnation in Collierville, where he has served in diaconal ministry for the past 20 years and continues to serve today.
He is also an advocate for the Memphis diocese’s tribunal and is invested in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
While maintaining their home in Tennessee, Deacon Merwin and his wife Polly spend April to November in Maggie Valley, where he serves at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish.
In April, the Merwins celebrated 57 years of marriage.
Deacon Joseph Santen, 75, and his wife Beverly live in Mooresville. He was ordained on June 2, 2000, for the Diocese of San Diego by Bishop Robert Brom.
During his 15 years of service to his home parish of St. James and its mission St. Leo, Deacon Santen participated in all aspects of liturgical ministry, was involved with adult and children faith formation programs, and prison ministry. He was especially active in ministry within the community associated with the homeless and low-income families.
In this outreach ministry, Deacon Santen was involved in the Interfaith Shelter Network, St. Vincent De Paul and Habitat for Humanity, of which he was the co-founder for the Tijuana-San Diego community. After he retired in 2015, he and his wife Beverly moved to Mooresville to be closer to family. Later that same year he was granted faculties for the Charlotte diocese and assigned to St. Therese Parish in Mooresville.
Although now retired, Deacon Santen continues to serve the parish where he and his wife remain active in parish ministries and parish life. In May, the Santens celebrated 53 years of marriage.
15 years
Deacon Mark J. King, 58, was ordained for the Diocese of Norwich, Conn., by Bishop Michael R. Cote on June 12, 2005. Upon ordination he was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Groton, Conn., where he was involved in parish ministry, and in hospital ministry at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn. In 2008, he, his wife Susan and their family moved to the Charlotte diocese, where in 2009 Deacon King was granted faculties and assigned to St. Matthew Parish.
Four years later in 2013, having relocated elsewhere in Charlotte, he was reassigned to St. Gabriel Parish. In 2017, his ministry took a different direction and he became a certified spiritual director, became more involved in hospital ministry, and also now serves as a team member hosting the Converging Roads Medical Ethics conferences for the diocese.
At this time, Deacon King is not assigned to a parish, as he focuses on his ministry of charity. Deacon King and Susan celebrated 35 years of marriage in June.
10 years
Deacon Philip B. Miles, 71, lives in Asheville, where he has been assigned to St. Lawrence Basilica since 2015. He and his late wife Eileen, who would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in July, moved to western North Carolina in 2014 after retirement.
He was ordained Feb. 6, 2010, for the Archdiocese of Atlanta by Archbishop Wilton Gregory.
After ordination he was assigned to the Church of the Transfiguration in Marietta, Ga., where he was also employed. In serving the parish for four years, he officiated baptisms, witnessed marriages, conducted wake services, and assisted at funerals and liturgical rites.
As part of his ministry he also was involved in street ministry for homeless children, started a grief ministry program, worked with scouting efforts, and was active in programs focused on Catholic Social Teaching.
Deacon Wayne Nacey, 67, was also ordained for the Archdiocese of Atlanta on Feb. 6, 2010, by Archbishop Wilton Gregory.
After serving in parish ministry in the archdiocese for five years, he and his wife Kathleen moved to Mount Airy, and a year later he was assigned to Holy Angels Parish.
His ministry has included liturgical duties and outreach to nursing homes, hospitals and the homebound.
In May, Deacon Nacey and his wife celebrated 41 years of marriage, and in June, their son Paul was ordained a transitional deacon for the Atlanta archdiocese.
— Deacon John Martino, Special to the Catholic News Herald
In Memoriam
Each year at the Annual Deacons and Wives Retreat in October, the Saturday morning Mass provides a special time to celebrate the lives of the deceased deacons and wives who have faithfully served the Diocese of Charlotte.
During the Prayer of the Faithful, each name is read as deacons and wives reflect on the memories of those who loved doing the Lord’s work. Their lives are testaments to the call of Catholics to be servants of Christ:
Aversa, Deacon Frank 2005
Brantley, Deacon Charles 2020
Burke, Deacon John 2012
Carl, Deacon J. Daniel 2010
Chirico, Mrs. Joann 1993
Codella, Deacon Canio 1991
Codella, Mrs. Mary 1995
Dietsch, Deacon Charles 2017
Dobens, Deacon Frederick 2000
Dobens, Mrs. Muchie 2008
Dotson, Deacon Robert 2016
Dotson, Mrs. Bertha “Bert” 2013
Doyle, Deacon John 1992
Doyle, Mrs. Christine 1998
Fadero, Deacon Nicholas 2011
Fadero, Mrs. Irene 2005
Forester, Mrs. Ann 1998
Forester, Mrs. Jean 2013
Gallen, Deacon John 1996
Gallen, Mrs. Mary 2009
Garavaglia, Deacon Joseph 2002
Gettelfinger, Mrs. Doris 2011
Gillis, Deacon Eugene 2017
Gillis, Mrs. Christine 2003
Herman, Mrs. Elizabeth 2017
Hickey, Deacon Gerald 2011
Hickey, Mrs. Joan 2017
Horai, Deacon Stephen 2016
Hubbell, Mrs. Carole 2017
Johnson, Deacon James 2020
Kak, Mrs. Emily 2006
Kauth, Deacon Richard 2005
Killian, Mrs. Sandra 2019
Knight, Deacon Charles 2017
Knight, Mrs. Lavone 2010
Kratchman, Deacon Robert 2017
LaPointe, Deacon Gerard 2016
LaPointe, Mrs. Lorraine 2001
Lee, Deacon Paul “Pe” 2018
Mack, Deacon Joseph 2020
Mack, Mrs. Helen 2007
Manning, Deacon Franklin 2011
Manning, Mrs. Annie Mae 1982
Marini, Mrs. Maria 2016
May, Deacon Hugo 2010
May, Mrs. Bobbie 2019
McMahon, Deacon George 2007
Miles, Mrs. Eileen 2015
Morovich, Deacon Edward 2000
Morovich, Mrs. Margaret 2000
O’Madigan, Deacon Dennis 2016
O’Madigan, Mrs. Diane 2001
Parrish, Deacon John 2015
Pliska, Deacon Leonard 1990
Pliska, Mrs. Doris 1998
Rasmussen, Deacon Thomas 2016
Renuart, Deacon Albert 2002
Renuart, Mrs. Jane 2013
Rinkus, Deacon Louis 2010
Rinkus, Mrs. Mary 2011
Rodriguez, Deacon Edwin 2012
Schumacher, Deacon Gerard 2010
Schumacher, Mrs. Mary Ellen 1999
Schumacher, Mrs. Virginia 2006
Smith, Deacon Joseph 2012
Smith, Mrs. Jean 1987
Steinkamp, Deacon Ronald 2018
Stout, Deacon Michael 2020
Teich, Deacon Paul 2013
Triana, Mrs. Mary 2018
Vallandingham, Deacon Patrick 2006
Vandermeer, Deacon Josef 2000
Weckbach, Deacon Joseph 1995
Zimmerle, Mrs. Ladis 2016
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
I stand before you, so to speak, in awe, wonder, fear, trembling and humility. I thank you for entrusting your souls to me. I thank God for each new day that I can use the gifts given to me for the sake of keeping all his people bound in His Christ’s loving heart. But I include fear and trembling because I ask for forgiveness for those times when I have caused harm rather than shared divine healing and mercy.
On this anniversary of my ordination, I am filled with great gratitude and the Spirit-given determination to bring everyone into the heart of Jesus. However, I must ask pardon as one who has poorly imitated Him who is the essence of goodness and righteousness. I pray that we all might grow in humble reconciliation for the sake of all of us being exalted in Christ’s hands.
Faithful disciples and those who seek to persevere in divinely-inspired fidelity will always be greater teachers to me than I will ever be for them. Your sanctity inspires me, and I hope that I may always assist you in your desire for greater holiness each day.
To those who find it difficult to discover God’s plan for you, know that I am praying for you. I hope that I can help you to grow in faith and in joy. Whether you receive a tremendous revelation or hear instruction through a still, small voice, I pray that you hear Jesus speaking to you. Other priests, many ministers and I will give our lives to help you hear well and act upon what you have heard. I thank God for those who have guided me.
Pray that those whom the Master has called to work for the sake of the eternal good harvest may heed the call and share God’s presence and peace. I thank you for praying such a prayer for me and for all called to work in the field.
Father Shawn O’Neal is pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard. He was ordained a priest on June 3, 2000.