‘We receive from the Lord, with joyful hearts, the gift of four new deacons for the Church’
HUNTERSVILLE — On a glorious First Saturday and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary June 4, Bishop Peter Jugis ordained four men to the transitional diaconate at St. Mark Church. Matthew Bean, Brian Becker, Christopher Bond and W. Christian Cook became the Diocese of Charlotte's newest deacons and took another step on their journey to the priesthood.
Father Christopher Gober, diocesan director of vocations, attested to the preparedness of the four men who were called, one by one, to stand before Bishop Jugis at the steps of the altar during the election of the candidate portion of the ordination rite.
Bishop Jugis joyfully accepted each candidate on behalf of the Church, saying, "Dear brothers and sisters, we receive from the Lord, with joyful hearts today, the gift of four new deacons for the Church. They become ordained sacred ministers through the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination, and they enter into the official ministry of the Church."
VIDEO EXTRAS: Watch video from the ordination Mass on our Facebook page and live video from Periscope here and here.
Bishop Jugis then spoke about the responsibilities the men will assume in their new roles as deacons.
"They will participate in the Church's ministry of the Word, the ministry of the altar and the ministry of charity – all of these are part of the ministry of salvation that Jesus commissioned His Church to do until the end of time," he said.
"Diaconal ministry is a ministry of service," Bishop Jugis continued. "Proclaiming the Gospel at Mass. Preaching at invitation of the priest. Preparing the altar for the sacrifice of the Eucharist. Distributing the Lord's Body and Blood to the faithful. Administering baptisms. Assisting at and blessing marriages. Bringing viaticum to the dying. Conducting funeral rites. Instructing believers and unbelievers in the Church's doctrine. Presiding over public prayer. And performing works of charity."
"The guiding principle for the deacon's ministry are Jesus' own words which He used to describe Himself: 'The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.'
"The deacon is always thinking, 'How can I help the bishop and the priests in their ministry?'" Bishop Jugis noted before continuing his remarks.
"Now dear sons, you are to be raised to the order of the diaconate. The sacrament of holy orders marks you with an indelible spiritual character which configures you as deacons to Christ."
"Hold fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience," Bishop Jugis also noted, recalling the words of St. Paul.
"Believe the Gospel. Believe the teaching of Christ and the teaching of the Church. Be not ashamed of the Gospel. Teach the faith. Teach what you believe and practice it," Bishop Jugis told the four men.
After the homily, the men stood before their bishop and publicly affirmed their intentions to serve him and the Church, making specific promises. They then lay prostrate before the altar, as Bishop Jugis knelt in prayer with them and the faithful and all those gathered sang the Litany of Supplication, also called the Litany of the Saints.
The men then arose and one by one approached Bishop Jugis as he laid hands on their head and prayed the prayer of ordination over them, thus consecrating each man as deacon.
Each newly-ordained deacon then was vested with a stole, a sign of the deacon's office of service, and the dalmatic, the outer garment used in the liturgy. Deacon Matthew Bean was vested by Deacon Thomas McGahey; Deacon Brian Becker was vested by Father Bill Quigley, C.I.C.M.; Deacon Christopher Bond was vested by Father James Ebright; and Deacon Christian Cook was vested by Deacon Michael Zboyovski.
The newly-vested deacons then again approached the sanctuary one by one, receiving the Book of the Gospels from Bishop Jugis and a fraternal kiss of peace to welcome them in their new role in the Church.
More than 25 priests and 24 deacons participated at the Mass and were on hand to congratulate the new deacons.
"Serve the Lord faithfully and joyfully, and He will make your ministry fruitful," Bishop Jugis told the four men. "A whole new life opens before you beginning today: the life of an ordained minister of the Church. You will be changed by the action of the Holy Spirit. You will not leave this church in the same way you came into it.
"By your faithful service, may you be blessed to hear the Lord say to you on the last day, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.'"
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Photos by SueAnn Howell. Videos by Rico DeSilva and David Hains, Catholic News Herald
VIDEO: Bishop Jugis' homily from the ordination Mass
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VIDEO: Bishop Jugis' homily
PHOTOS: More scenes from the ordination Mass
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PHOTOS: Scenes from the ordination Mass
Profiles of the four new transitional deacons
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Profiles of the four new transitional deacons
Matthew Bean
Birthplace – Buffalo, N.Y.Birthday – Jan. 16, 1987
Elementary and Middle School – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Orchard Park, N.Y.
High School – West Seneca West Senior High School, West Seneca, N.Y.
College Degree – B.A. in History, University of Mary Washington
Pre–Theology – St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, Pa.
Theology – The Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio
Home Parish – St. Michael Catholic Church, Gastonia
Summer Assignments in the Diocese – St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville
Parents – Patrick and Megan BeanSiblings – A younger brother, Timothy Bean
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Bean: In my free time I like to read books in the area of history, especially the Civil War, and the Roman Empire. I also like to exercise, and watch movies with my brothers here at the seminary. I also like to keep up with ice hockey, which I grew up with in western New York.
CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?
Bean: I started to seriously discern the priesthood when I was in college at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. I was involved at the campus ministry in college, and it was through time spent in prayer and the encouragement of the chaplain at the campus ministry that I began to ask the Lord if He was calling me to be a priest.
CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?
Bean: There have been a number of people who have been a great help and example to me in the past five years in formation at the seminary. Many priests such as Father Edlefsen, the chaplain at the campus ministry I was involved in in college, Father John Putnam, and Father Matthew Buettner, have shown me what it is to be a priest and to bring Christ to those you are called to serve. My family and the people of the diocese have also been very supportive in their prayers and encouragement.
CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?
Bean: I am excited to say yes to what the Lord is calling me to, and to serve you all as a transitional deacon in the diocese.
Brian Becker
Birthplace – CharlotteBirthday – Jan. 30, 1986
Elementary and Middle School – Elementary, Charlotte Latin School; Middle School, Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School
High School – Charlotte Catholic High School
College Degree – Economics, International Studies at UNC-Charlotte
Pre–Theology – Pontifical College Josephinum
Theology – Pontifical College Josephinum
Home Parish – St. Matthew Church, Charlotte
Summer Assignments in the Diocese – 2012: St. Eugene Church in Asheville; 2013: St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon; 2014: St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte; 2015: Costa Rica Spanish immersion studies
Parents – Joe and Tammy Becker
Siblings – Deena Faust, Mark Becker
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Becker: I grew up playing sports, baseball, basketball and cross country in high school, and played club Ultimate Frisbee at UNC. I've really enjoyed getting to play sports in seminary, also. We old guys get to chase the collegians around the football field in our Mudbowl each fall, and the Josephinum hosts an inter-seminary basketball tournament each winter which we have come so close to winning so many times.
CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?
Becker: I first felt a strong call to discern the priesthood when I was 24, and entered seminary a year later. This first pull was very strong, and God's grace cleared the way for me to enter seminary easily. But I didn't feel confident that I had a vocation to the priesthood until a couple of years into seminary.
CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?
Becker: We have a lot of very good priests at the seminary who have helped me greatly, but my most helpful experiences have come from my relationships with my pastors in each of my summer assignments. Father Pat Cahill, Father John Eckert and Father Pat Winslow each very generously provided a great example of how to live one's priesthood – at the altar, in the parish, in the rectory, and in each area of their lives. Being able to live alongside these priests in very close proximity has been the most powerful example that I have been given to follow.
CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?
Becker: I would like to express my deep thanks to all those in the diocese who have supported me and my brother deacons-to-be throughout our time of formation. Your prayers have been the foundation of our ability to persevere and to grow in holiness throughout this process, and your material support has made it possible for us to discern this call with total freedom and to benefit so greatly from the formation the Church offers to her seminarians. Thanks to all of you, and I ask for your continued prayers for all those in holy orders in the diocese, for their fruitful ministry and the sanctification of all God's people of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Christopher Bond
Birthplace – Stroudsburg, Pa.Birthday – June 12, 1975
Elementary and Middle School – Clearview Elementary School, Stroudsburg Middle School
High School – Stroudsburg High School
College Degree – B.A. in Business Administration
Pre–Theology – Pontifical College Josephinum
Theology – Pontifical College Josephinum
Home Parish – St. Patrick Cathedral
Summer Assignments in the Diocese – St. Ann Church in Charlotte; St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gastonia
Parents – Allen and Virginia Bond
Siblings – Debbie Rusciolelli, Elizabeth Ohlhaut
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Bond: Bike riding, basketball, creative writing, fishing, going to the beach
CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?
Bond: I was 30 years old before I seriously even considered becoming a priest. It took another few years before I was able to discern, through much prayer, that God was indeed calling me to such a vocation.
CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?
Bond: This is a difficult question to answer exhaustively because the Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with so many sincere, holy and "normal" priests. It is their collective dedication to beautiful liturgy and their insatiable desire to do the Will of God which I hope to emulate the most.
CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?
Bond: It is hard to believe the time has finally come to be ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte. I have no doubt this penultimate step toward the priesthood will be very challenging, but I imagine the graces will be immeasurable!
W. Christian Cook
Birthplace – High PointBirthday – Aug. 15, 1967
Elementary and Middle School – Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in High Point and St. Eugene Catholic School (aka, Asheville Catholic School) in Asheville for grade school; South French Broad Junior High School in Asheville for middle school.
High School – Asheville High School
College Degree – Western Carolina University (B.S. in Business Administration; and Master of Public Affairs); and the University of Dayton School of Law (Juris Doctor)
Pre–Theology – St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
Theology – Pontifical College Josephinum
Home Parish – St. Eugene Church in Asheville
Summer Assignments in the Diocese – St. Eugene Church, and St. Ann Church in Charlotte
Parents – William H. Cook Jr. and the late Ursula S. Cook
Siblings – Liesel (Cook) West, David Cook
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Cook: I enjoy reading, playing basketball and soccer, watching/attending sporting events, sailing/boating, skiing (water and snow), hiking in the mountains, and cooking.
CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?
Cook: When I was a young altar boy at St. Eugene Church, I served for many good priests such as Monsignor Joseph Showfety, Father Carl Del Giudice, Father Richard Hansen and Father James Solari. I was attracted to the idea of the priesthood then, and I sense that the seed of a vocation was planted back in grade school. I used to talk with my mother, Ursula, about it but then I continued on to college and law school. It was not until I was practicing law in corporate America that the idea of a vocation to the priesthood returned. I enjoyed my legal career, but there was something incomplete about my life. As I discerned what that "something" might be, the Lord made it very clear to me that I should further discern a call to the priesthood in the seminary. My mother had passed away by that time, but my father Bill and my entire family have been so supportive. My vocation was sustained by their love and encouragement.
CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?
Cook: The priests of the Diocese of Charlotte have been such great mentors to me through the years of seminary, and I have leaned on the spiritual fatherhood of Bishop Jugis throughout my discernment and preparation in the seminary. Our vocations director, Father Christopher Gober, has been a great steward of my formation. I have tried to learn something from every priest in the diocese and many have been great examples and mentors to me: Father Pat Cahill (my pastor), Father John Putnam, Father Timothy Reid (summer pastor), Father Matthew Kauth, Father Patrick Winslow, Father John Eckert, Father Lucas Rossi, Abbot Placid Solari, Father Matthew Buettner; and from my youth, Monsignor Joseph Showfety, Father Carl Del Giudice, Father Richard Hansen, Father James Solari; and recently ordained priests, with whom I attended seminary, are great examples: Father Paul McNulty and Father Casey Coleman.
CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?
Cook: Throughout my studies and discernment in the seminary, parishioners throughout the diocese have supported me in so many ways. I feel certain that their prayers and support, and their friendship and encouragement, have been very effective in bringing me to this day – my ordination to the transitional diaconate. I was born, and grew up, in the Diocese of Charlotte and the priests and people of God have served me so well during my life here. I have prayerfully anticipated my ordination, and I look forward to serving the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte for the rest of my life. Please continue to pray for me, as I pray daily for all of you.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Birthplace – Buffalo, N.Y.
Birthplace – Charlotte
Birthplace – Stroudsburg, Pa.
Birthplace – High Point