CHARLOTTE — Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, parochial vicar at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, celebrated the fifth anniversary of his priestly ordination June 5.
The oldest of 15 brothers and sisters, Father Carvajal-Salazar first came to the Diocese of Charlotte as lay missionary in 1997 from Veracruz, Mexico, where he grew up. "My uncle Silviano Jaimes, who lives in Asheboro, invited me to teach apologetics at Our Lady of the Americas there," he recalled.
Pictured: Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, parochial vicar at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, celebrated the fifth anniversary of his priestly ordination June 5. (Rico De Silva | Catholic News Herald)
The priest had been a full-time lay catechist with the Apostles of the Word, an ecclesiastical movement founded by Father Flaviano Amatulli, an Italian priest who has lived in Mexico since the 1960s. Father Carvajal-Salazar helped catechized several dioceses in Mexico in the 1980s and '90s before coming to Biscoe. Soon after his arrival at Our Lady of the Americas, Father Mark Lawlor, pastor at the time, suggested that he consider the priesthood. However, it wasn't until 2002 that he finally decided to pursue his vocation, after pastor Father Ricardo Sanchez encouraged him to speak with the vocations director at the time, Father John Allen.
"Father Ricardo cut my umbilical cord so I could finally make the decision to go to the seminary... One day, he just picked up the phone, called the vocations director, talked to him briefly and proceeded to hand me the phone saying, 'Here he is, talk to him.'" Although considered by many, including himself, as a late vocation – he entered the seminary at 41 – once he met with the vocations director, he immediately felt at home.
"I remember being so nervous then, but after he interviewed me, Father Allen gave me a big hug and said, 'Gabriel, welcome to the Diocese of Charlotte!'" he recalls.During his discernment process, he found great consolation in Jesus' words in the Gospel of John 6:44: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them." And John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you."
"In my case, I don't think it was my decision to become a priest. God's the one who calls, and it's up to me to accept the invitation or not. No one is able to get into (the priesthood) if God doesn't call him," he said.
Celebrating the Eucharist and being able to be an instrument of God's mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation have given him the most satisfaction during his first five years of ministry. "Sanctifying the people of God with the sacraments has given me great joy as a priest," he said.
Father Carvajal-Salazar said we are at a critical time in Church history and the biggest challenge for priests moving forward is that "the world is waiting to be evangelized. We have thousands of baptized Catholics who have been abandoned – without the Eucharist, without the sacraments – and that's how they die. This is a huge challenge for the Church, and at the same time for those of us who have been called to work on the Lord's vineyard: What are we going to do to properly care for the people of God?"
— Rico De Silva, Hispanic Communications Reporter
CHARLOTTE — On July 1, 1995, a day full of sunshine and smiles, then Bishop William G. Curlin ordained 11 men as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte. The day marked the culmination of five years of preparation, two years of Lay Ministry and three years of formation.
During the Mass at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, the group listened carefully as Bishop Curlin prayed during the ordination rite: "Receive the Gospel of Christ. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach."
Twenty years have brought many changes in the ministry and the lives of these men, six of whom remain in ministry in the diocese:
- Deacon Wayne Adams, 72, has been assigned to Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville since his ordination, joyfully serving the parish and community. He continues as an adjunct hospital chaplain at the Thomasville hospital, a ministry that began before ordination, making rounds and gathering with families who have lost a loved one. Baptism preparation classes, assisting with confirmation retreats and helping his pastor are part of his routine. As a young Southern Baptist man rooted in Kannapolis, he never imagined one day becoming Catholic – and a permanent deacon at that. It all began when he met Ursula, the Catholic girl who would become his wife. Serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1966, he spoke no German and she spoke no English, but they were attracted to each other so both carried dictionaries to converse. Dating for about a year and considering a wedding, he did not want a mixed marriage, two religions, in the family. He prayed for insight and realized that the bias against Catholicism he'd learned as a child missed the basic fact that Protestants and Catholics were both Christians. He then received guidance from the Army chaplain, a Dutch priest, and converted to Catholicism. The chaplain officiated at their wedding on Sept. 28, 1967. They lived in Germany for several years, then decided to settle back in his native North Carolina. So Newton became home, and St. Aloysius Church in Hickory their new parish. A job opportunity brought him to Thomasville in 1988 and to Our Lady of the Highways Parish. He became interested in the diaconate when Father John Murphy, OSFS, his pastor, told him about the program, and in 1992 he applied. "During the entire formation period I was discerning my call, questioning, and only at the end did it seem the right thing to do. Being a deacon has been a joy."
-Deacon Michael Langsdorf, 61, and his wife Mary are Philadelphia area natives who moved to North Carolina in 1976. With four children and eight grandchildren, he has been particularly involved in youth ministry, youth catechesis and faith formation at his parish, Divine Redeemer Church in Boonville, and his former parish, Holy Family Church in Clemmons. As his children reached their teen years, he responded to the call to the diaconate that he had perceived for some time. Step by step his response continues through 20 years ordained. 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 teaches faith formation for grades 8-12 and confirmation preparation, and he cares for those who prefer English baptism preparation classes and RCIA when needed. At the same time, he finds the larger Divine Redeemer community "very welcoming and faith filled" as he proclaims the Gospel in Spanish when assisting at the Spanish Masses.
- Deacon Carlos Medina, 65, and his wife Martha moved from Nicaragua to Miami in 1978 with their children, and job opportunities brought the family to Charlotte in 1981. Within days of arriving he went to the Sunday evening Spanish Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, and he has been immersed in the life of the diocese ever since – asking simply of then chancellor Monsignor Joseph Kerin: "I have nothing and I am asking nothing from you. I just want to know what is it that I can do for my Church?" He served on the Hispanic Council and grew in his knowledge of the faith thanks to SEPI, the Hispanic Evangelization and Formation institute of the U.S. bishops in the Southeastern U.S. He trained to serve as a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and he continued serving the Charlotte area Hispanic community. His Cursillo experience in 1988 brought a new joy, he recalls. He began attending daily Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral and joined Cursillo leadership at the local and regional levels. Then Bishop John Donaghue, who was the regional episcopal advisor for Cursillo, asked him, "Why don't you study to be a deacon?" He applied, praying, "I will not mourn if not ordained, Lord. Deacon or not, I will serve you." He thoroughly enjoyed the diaconate formation and speaks with admiration of the late Monsignor Anthony Kovacic, who formerly directed the permanent diaconate program. After ordination, he was assigned to the Hispanic Center (now Our Lady of Guadalupe Church) in Charlotte. He also began assisting at the daily English Mass at the cathedral, at the request of then rector and pastor, Father Frank O'Rourke. His first assignment upon ordination to the Hispanic Ministry involved establishing ministries for the growing Latino community wherever needed, starting with helping Father Tom Clements to start a Hispanic Ministry at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. He ministered to the Latino community by establishing faith formation classes, administering the sacrament of baptism, officiating at weddings and funerals, and preaching at Spanish-language Masses. He then went to St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton to do the same for the next five years. In 2002 he was assigned to St. Patrick Cathedral – the place where his ministry in the Church began 21 years earlier.
- Deacon Ron Steinkamp, 71, and his wife Bette are natives of Quincy, Ill. They have experienced God working in both Catholic and ecumenical activities over the years, and helped the parishes in the communities where they lived, including forming a parish community and building a church where none existed, prison ministry and youth leadership. When a job promotion brought them to Thomasville and Our Lady of the Highways Church, they immediately sought out the diocesan charismatic groups and Cursillo movement, which was a source of spiritual strength for them when they lived in Virginia. Catholic Charismatic Renewal conferences introduced them to the diaconal ministry, particularly to Deacon Hugo May and his wife Bobbie. They were good models, and it was Deacon Hugo who vested him at ordination. The diocesan Lay Ministry Formation program attracted their attention and they enrolled in 1990, seeking deeper faith formation. He applied to the diaconate in 1992 and greatly appreciated being accepted. Upon ordination, he was assigned to the Thomasville parish, where both he and his wife continued as adjunct hospital chaplains at the Thomasville hospital, led the RCIA and adult formation events and remained active with the charismatic conferences and Cursillo. In January 1999 he was assigned to St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, assisting Father Frank Connelly. In July 2005 Bishop Peter Jugis appointed him for a three-year term as spiritual advisor to the Cursillo Movement. In 2010 concluding a three-year Summer Institute at Quincy University, Deacon Steinkamp earned a master's degree in theological studies. Then on March 25, 2011, he was appointed by Bishop Jugis as director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Charlotte diocese. He continues at his parish assignment with RCIA, Bible study, baptisms and marriages, and serves as a marriage tribunal advocate on annulment cases. He often turns to his wife saying, "Pinch me as I must be dreaming: this farm boy from Illinois is an ordained deacon." He even presided at the 2000 wedding of his mother, then aged 79, to her childhood sweetheart.
- Deacon Rafael Torres, 69, serves at St. Luke Church in Mint Hill. When this U.S. Army Vietnam veteran moved with his wife Gladys and three children to Charlotte from Puerto Rico in 1982, he never imagined his present life. His brother lived in Charlotte and Rafael secured a job with a cooking oil refinery soon after arrival. He made a career of it, and retired after 30 years. But, he says, his diaconal vocation and spiritual life have been more exciting and deeply rewarding. He became involved with the Hispanic Catholic community in Charlotte and when the Spanish Cursillo was introduced he made a weekend. He says the Cursillo weekend "meant everything to me ... what we learned that lay people can do to evangelize," and he stayed active in Cursillo and worked on lay teams speaking, serving and in leadership. Sister Pilar Dalmau, ACJ, who led the Charlotte Hispanic Ministry at that time, urged him and others to take the Lay Ministry Formation program starting in 1990. Two years later, he was one of three Spanish-speaking men admitted to diaconate formation. Upon ordination he was assigned to Hispanic Ministry and he served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte for 10 years. He went on to serve Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte for three years, then was transferred to St. Luke Church. "That is an interesting story," he relates. "I was visiting St. Luke for the 1 p.m. Sunday Spanish Mass and introduced myself to the pastor before Mass. He said, 'Deacon, put on an alb and stole and preach the Mass today.' I replied, 'I have no vestments and no homily prepared.' The pastor replied, "We have vestments and you can preach my homily that I wrote in Spanish.' That is how it started." A second Spanish-speaking deacon had come to Our Lady of the Assumption Church, and the pastor arranged for Deacon Rafael to move to St. Luke so that both communities could have Spanish-speaking deacons to minister to their growing Latino populations. He continues to preach at the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass, which has grown from 80 to an average of more than 300 attendees over the past seven years. He administers the sacrament of baptism, officiates at weddings and funerals, presides at quinceañeras, and serves as a marriage tribunal advocate on annulment cases. He is blessed by his parish community and as a Knight of Columbus in the St. Luke council.
- Deacon John Weisenhorn, 81, and his wife Rosemarie have lived in Gastonia for 35 years, and he has served at St. Michael the Archangel Church since his ordination. Over his 20 years of ministry, his particular focus has been marriage preparation, and he says his own marriage has enriched his ministry to young couples. And, he adds, parenting a family of 11 children and frequent moves for his job earlier in their marriage has added to his perspective on marriage and family life. The Weisenhorns lived in Charlotte for a short time in the 1970s and attended St. Ann Church, where then Father Tony Kovacic was pastor. A few years later when they moved back to Charlotte, they got back together with their former pastor. He told them about the newly-established permanent diaconate program, which he directed, and suggested that John apply. "It was tempting but with young children and a new job, I knew my first vocation needed my attention and I declined," he recalls. But 10 years later, he entered the Lay Ministry Formation program and then applied. Upon ordination he was hired by his parish as a pastoral associate for a time. Over these 20 years many changes occurred at the parish, a new church building was dedicated, and he has assisted eight different pastors. Reflecting upon his ministry, he recalls how his nine years of service as a full-time chaplain at Covenant Village retirement community in Gastonia has taught him so much: "The people taught me how to grow old with dignity, how to die with dignity, as I often sat by the bedside as death came." A particular blessing for this deacon has also been presiding at the weddings of several of his children, as well as baptizing his grandchildren.
Other deacons in ministry
Many deacons serving in the Diocese of Charlotte were ordained for another diocese. Moving to our area because of work or family considerations, they have continued their service to the people of God in assignments granted by the bishop. Several of these celebrate milestone anniversaries this year:
35 years
- Deacon Francis J. Camacho, 78, was ordained on June 7, 1980, for the Diocese of Fall River, Ma. Moving to the Diocese of Venice, Fla., in 1989 he was later incardinated there in 2003 and appointed diocesan director of the Permanent Diaconate, which he continues to do. With seasonal residence in North Carolina, he was granted faculties and assigned to St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville in 2014 by Bishop Jugis. Last fall he and his wife Lillian celebrated 53 years of marriage.
10 years
- Deacon Mark J. King, 53, was ordained June 12, 2005, for the Diocese of Norwich, Ct. In 2009, he moved to the Charlotte diocese and was granted faculties and assigned to St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. Four years later, upon relocating in the city, Deacon Mark was reassigned by Bishop Jugis to St. Gabriel Church. He and his wife Susan just celebrated 30 years of marriage on June 8.
- Educated in Florida, Deacon Richard J. Zandy, 60, was ordained for the Diocese of Venice on June 4, 2005, and has served since 2011 at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill. He has lived seasonally in Burnsville and works in ministry in both dioceses throughout the year.
5 years
- Deacon Philip B. Miles, 66, is new to the Charlotte diocese, having receive his assignment by Bishop Jugis to St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville in January. He was ordained on Feb. 6, 2010, for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and relocated to North Carolina to be near family. He and his wife Eileen will celebrate 45 years of marriage in July.