CHARLOTTE — It was in the early years of the Diocese of Charlotte that an ad hoc committee was formed to study whether to establish the permanent diaconate as called for following the Second Vatican Council. After review, then Bishop Michael Begley decided to inaugurate the permanent diaconate for the diocese, and in the fall of 1979 he appointed Father Anthony Kovacic, then pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, as the director of the diocese's new Permanent Diaconate Program.
Twenty-two applicants were accepted into the first class and the first formation class was held Sept. 12-13, 1980, at Sacred Heart College in Belmont. Nineteen of these men were ordained 30 years ago on May 29, 1983, in a Mass celebrated at Ovens Auditorium – the only place in Charlotte that could fit the 3,000 attendees.
I wondered about those 30 years. How was it they applied for the program, what was their formation like, what was it like to be ordained in that "first ever" event for the diocese, and how have these 30 years as a deacon worked out for them?
I interviewed seven of these trailblazing men, and it was a real blessing to hear their stories.
Throughout formation and at annual retreats they are repeatedly told to keep their priorities straight: Keep the Lord first, wife and family second, job third and their diaconal ministry fourth. Maintaining that balance can be a challenge for anyone, but that ordination day 30 years ago changed their lives dramatically. Their volunteer ministry is for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, and their ministry goes largely unseen.
Here is some of what these good deacons shared with me:
Pictured above: The Mass to ordain the first class of permanent deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte was held May 29, 1983, at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte. Photos provided by Diocese of Charlotte Archives.
Deacon Charles Knight
Deacon Charles Knight was 50 when he was ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte in 1983. He said "we were pretty nervous being the first class. Even after the formation we wondered what we had gotten into." Deacon Charles spoke with good cheer about all who had helped him get started. "Father Wilber Thomas, our pastor at Our Lady of Consolation at the time, was a great help with good advice as we worked our way into ministry."
"Being a deacon is more than I expected. It has been spiritually fulfilling and the people have been so encouraging. My wife and I were both converts to the Catholic Church. I was active in the Baptist faith and had even taken religion courses at Johnson Smith University (B.A., economics, 1957). I was exposed to the Church by a friend in high school and also while in the Navy (1951-1953). My wife Lavone and I were not even Catholics when we met then-Father Michael Begley, who helped us with the adoption of the first of three children through Catholic Social Services."
He was welcomed into the Church in 1962 at Our Lady of Consolation Parish, and became active in the Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus, RCIA, and the Nocturnal Adoration Society. He applied to the diaconate as a call to be better trained for ministry, a way to be more involved.
Clear in his memory are the words of Bishop Begley at ordination: "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach."
A cheerful man, Deacon Charles speaks with ease as he describes his life as a deacon. Visiting the sick, teaching Sunday school, finance council and regular preaching were his initial ministries. In 1989, he retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 31 years and moved to Baltimore to be with his wife who had taken a teaching job there after Our Lady of Consolation School closed. He commuted monthly for five years until retirement. His coworkers recognized his faith ("I was always saying we need to pray about this or that") and they knew he was ordained clergy: they jokingly gave him a hubcap at his retirement to use as a "Communion plate."
He was granted faculties in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and served there for 11 years until Lavone retired in 2000. They returned to Charlotte to be assigned again to Our Lady of Consolation Parish. Lavone, who passed away in 2010, was always full of energy and greatly supported her deacon husband.
He now lives in Rock Hill, S.C., with his daughter but continues to serve regularly at his Charlotte parish even in retirement.
Deacon Dennis O'Madigan
At the 1983 ordination Deacon Dennis O'Madigan says, "We were humbled by the undeserved honor" of being the first deacons ordained in North Carolina. "Monsignor Anthony Kovacic, our formation director, was ecstatic as a father looking upon his children. Bishop Begley was so welcoming, so full of love and so happy about the accomplishment of bringing a class of permanent deacons to ordination. It was a gift of God."
Now mostly retired from ministry, Deacon Dennis was 49 years old at ordination and was assigned to his home parish of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, where he remains. With joy he recalls how right after that ordination, Monsignor Kovacic was assigned as his pastor at St. Leo Church and he was immediately fully engaged in preaching and in assisting in many other ways.
An attorney by profession, Deacon Dennis was already involved in prison ministry, and as a deacon he continued that service until just recently. Gregarious by nature – "I'm Irish, you know"– he loves being with people, helping people and talking with people after Mass ("pressing the flesh, as they say").
He retired as assistant general counsel with Piedmont Airlines after 22 years when it merged to form USAir in 1989. Helping people find jobs was another ministry for the good deacon, he notes. "My secretary at work said that by her count I had gotten 68 people jobs at Piedmont Airlines, and I loved doing it."
He worked all his life in airline security and investigation. Growing in his faith, he says, "I found myself praying for the people I was investigating."
Deacon Dennis was the first Catholic hired into management at Piedmont Airlines coming from Boston. The job provided him great freedom for ministry and he was able to help pastors anytime day or night.
"I never had a pastor I didn't like," he recalls. "They often relied on my legal training and I helped many people with legal advice and legal representation. It was a big part of my ministry."
"St. Leo was a great parish for me and we even had Father Peter Jugis, now our bishop, two times as a parochial vicar. He is a canon lawyer and I (am) an attorney, so we had a common bond in that regard."
Deacon Dennis' wife died in 2001. He notes, "She was a Methodist when we married but a year later was baptized by Cardinal Cushing in Boston, becoming a devout Catholic and a great support for my diaconal ministry."
He continues assisting and encouraging people, which is where he has found joy as a deacon, he says. Visiting the sick at Baptist Hospital, Cursillo ministry, Knights of Columbus, legal aid – "I loved being a deacon these years."
Deacon Harold Markle
Recalling his ordination day in 1983, Deacon Harold Markle says, "There were 3,000 people jammed to the rafters in Ovens Auditorium and we were pretty nervous. The Mass was spectacular, the music was beautiful." His seven children met him in the parking lot after ordination wearing shirts saying "deacon's demons," to which he told them, "Get in the car before anyone sees that and they change their mind."
Deacon Harold was assigned to his home parish of St. John Baptist de La Salle in North Wilkesboro. He adds, "We were pioneers and really didn't know all that was in store for us, with no deacons as models."
He is an accountant by trade (B.S. from Spalding University, Louisville, 1955) and about two years after ordination lost his job with the dairy cooperative with whom he had moved from Kentucky. With the downsizing he was naturally downcast and thought about not attending an upcoming deacon continuing education event. But his wife Virginia urged him to attend. "I came back from that day uplifted by the support and encouragement of my fellow deacons. They were great."
He adds, "Bishop Begley was good to us. He even called me when I lost my job and was so pleased when I found a new one."
Deacon Harold has engaged in a variety of ministries and with three different parishes. He has served in prison and jail ministry, ministry to AIDS victims and migrant ministry. He volunteered to serve at St. Joseph Church in Newton after his North Wilkesboro parish received a second deacon, and he served at Divine Redeemer in Boonville for five years, making the one-hour round trip several times a week. He has now has returned to St. John Baptist de La Salle to be closer to home.
Although he is now 86 and has limited Spanish language skills, Deacon Harold has become immersed in Hispanic ministry. He jumped into the ministry after a visiting priest told him, "You don't need to know the language to let people know you love them."
Deacon Andrew Cilone
Wife JoAnn Cilone notes, "We can't remember what is was like before the diaconate. We have loved every minute." Indeed, Deacon Andrew Cilone, it seems, has always been a man of the Church. He was a cantor and confirmation teacher at Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City before that Trinity Sunday ordination Mass in 1983. When the announcement was made in the diocese about the diaconate, his pastor suggested he apply. After prayer and discernment, JoAnn agreed and said she would support his vocation.
Deacon Andy says the ordination was like a "wedding day with family and friends gathered for a great celebration. We did not know what to expect and it was overwhelming."
Deacon Andy was actually the first permanent deacon to be ordained, as the ordination rite was administered alphabetically. He was assigned to his home parish of Immaculate Conception, where music continues to be a large part of his ministry. A talented vocalist, he sings at liturgical celebrations, nursing homes, at communal Morning Prayer and anytime he can offer a melody to lift up spirits. He also continues to serve as cantor. Deacon Andy, now 75, also continues to serve in prison ministry and in taking Holy Communion to shut-ins. He also acted as the religious education director for his parish for many years.
In 1995, as the number of deacons had grown, the diocese set up four Regional Vicariates of deacons to coordinate diaconal activities: Deacon Andy was named vicar for the Hickory region and continues in that role. Ten years ago, he retired from his secular job as a plant manager for a plastics plant in Shelby (he attended Steubenville College in Ohio, now Franciscan University). JoAnn remarks how he has been asked to preside at the weddings of many of the young people he taught in confirmation class, and he is often asked to baptize their children. As pastors have changed the deacon's activities have changed: sometimes he does many baptisms and fewer at other times. His five children, 10 grandchildren and extended family have provided him the occasion for weddings and baptisms as well. He even is asked to do weddings at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, with two scheduled for this fall.
"I just go as I am asked, and I am blessed to be in service," he says.
Deacon Bob Desautels
Deacon Bob Desautels was a traveling salesman who returned to his mountain home one cold Saturday to find his pipes frozen and broken. He crawled under the house and worked until 1 a.m. on the broken pipes. Exhausted, he finally gave up when the broken pipes were fixed but without being thawed. His wife Peggy asked if they were going to Sunday Mass. He replied, "I am dirty and the water pipes are still frozen." She persisted, so he told her they would go if they had water in the morning. Early that morning they were awakened by the sound of ice flowing though the pipes. They went to Mass, and that Sunday the letter from Bishop Begley was read announcing the formation of the permanent diaconate.
Peggy urged him to apply, saying "it was meant to be." He prayed and discerned and decided to drive to Salisbury and talk to the new director, Father Kovacic. He says, "Father Tony gave me two hours of his time, and because he seemed like a holy man I thought this was a good thing, so I filled out the application."
Deacon Bob had just turned 35 when he was ordained in 1983, the minimum age for ordination. He was the youngest in the class. His parish was St. Francis of Assisi in Jefferson, which was served at the time by the Glenmary Home Missioners, a Catholic society of priests and brothers serving in rural areas. During his formation period, the last two of his five children were born and Peggy brought the babies to their classes.
As ordination approached they decided his traveling sales job was not suitable for family life and his diaconal ministry. Bob has an M.S.Ed and had taught school but needed a better paying job. With Deacon Dennis O'Madigan's help, he was hired by Piedmont Airlines and sent to Fayetteville in the Diocese of Raleigh. He served at St. Patrick Parish in Fayetteville for eight years, serving the parishioners as well as visiting six nursing homes every week.
He was transferred to Philadelphia and served in a primarily Polish Catholic community. He recalls, "They were wonderful people who repeatedly told me they appreciated having a deacon."
After three years his job transferred him to Winston-Salem and he was assigned to St. Leo the Great Parish. He remembers that the first thing his pastor asked him to do was to start a Boy Scout troop. Even though he knew little about Scouting, he jumped in.
Weekly prison ministry is now his major focus and he has built up that ministry after the others retired or moved away. He now has 12 people who assist regularly at the Forsyth County maximum security facility, which he says has about 80 Catholics amid the 1,000 inmates.
About three years ago Deacon Bob's eyesight started failing and he cannot do all he once did. With the encouragement of Father Brian Cook, his pastor, he now uses a laptop computer screen on which he can read Scripture and the prayers in a very large font. He says this has been a blessing for his continued ministry.
Deacon Rudy Triana
Rudy Triana and his wife Mary moved from Miami, Fla., to Maggie Valley in 1976 to raise their three sons in a slower-paced, family-friendly environment. He knew that he always wanted to serve God. An altar server since he was in the third grade, he served at Mass when he came to St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Maggie Valley, where he assisted Father Michael Murphy. When Father Murphy saw the notice in the diocesan newspaper about the diocese starting the permanent diaconate, he told Triana to apply.
Deacon Rudy remembers, "Our formation was fantastic. Father Tony Kovacic researched the process well and the director of formation from Savannah even helped as we began, but Father Tony jumped right in with excellent direction for the program. Wisely, the wives were asked to attend the sessions and the men and wives became a close group with 19 of the 22 who started reaching ordination on May 29, 1983. Now, less than half of us are left."
Deacon Rudy's parish rented a bus and 65 of his fellow parishioners came from Maggie Valley to his diaconate ordination. Deacon Rudy continued to closely assist his pastor, who was then past 90 years old, assisting him at Mass, as well as at funerals, visiting the sick and homebound.
He recalls preparing his first homily and practicing before his family. One son told him, "Dad, you'll never make it preaching," but at Mass it went well and, he says, "In all humility, I think I do well with homilies. It must be the help of the Holy Spirit." After more than 13 years at Maggie Valley he moved to Chandler and served at St. Joan of Arc Church. Now he is active at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, where he particularly focuses on Hispanic ministry.
"There is no better life for me that the diaconate, and my wife Mary supports me in everything – even coming to three Masses on Sunday if I am serving three Masses. We are always together in ministry."
Deacon Joe Schumacher
After completing university studies at Ohio State (M.S. and Ph.D in chemistry) Joe and Virginia Schumacher moved to Winston-Salem in 1954 for his new job with RJ Reynolds Tobacco. They moved near Our Lady of Mercy Parish in 1957 and were almost founding members of the parish, which had been founded two years earlier, where Deacon Joe was assigned after ordination and where he remains in ministry to this day.
In March 1980 his pastor, Father Edward Sheridan, talked about the permanent diaconate during his homily and he felt the Lord calling him. "I've got to discern this," he thought.
It was the first time he had ever heard about the permanent diaconate and after discussing it with his wife, he applied.
"Although the formation team was learning as they developed the program, just as we were learning, they did a good job. Under the circumstances it was perfect – we couldn't have asked for better. Oh sure, we had limited hands-on liturgy training, but it is not a matter of knowing everything but rather of accepting what is good and right as you begin, as an instructor said," he says.
Father Thomas Burke was their spiritual director during formation for the deacons as was his sister, Mercy Sister Mary Thomas Burke, for the wives. The class stayed close with continuing education events throughout the year, continuing their communal fraternity. Deacon Joe was 55 at ordination and he retired from his job as "master scientist" at RJ Reynolds Tobacco on May 1, 1987, four years later.
Prison ministry, homebound and sick Communion calls, baptism and marriage preparation, and the Winston-Salem Crisis Control Ministry has engaged Deacon Joe over the years. And it is probably some kind of record that he has preached the homily at the parish's daily Wednesday Mass every week for 30 years. For many years he preached at three English Masses once a month, although recently it has been less often. He and Virginia raised nine children in their home, where they hosted the Triad-area deacons' Christmas gathering before Virginia became sick and passed away in 2006.
A while ago Deacon Joe came upon the book "Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus" by Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R. He thought, "I want to do this." He called his daughter and she said "I do, too." So on Sept. 1, 2010, Deacon Joe, at age 82, his daughter Kathy and her husband Casey began their pilgrimage from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France (literally meaning "St. John at the foot of the mountain," the traditional starting point for the Camino de Santiago). They completed the 500-mile walk on the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of St. James in Santiago, Spain, on Oct. 8, 2010.
I asked him what his children thought about his ministry and he replied, "All my kids think I'm great. My children and grandchildren show me great respect and love and are always ready to do something for me – a lot to live up to." Indeed, his daughters and granddaughters have helped him in recent years to again host the Triad deacons' Christmas gathering at his home as he and his wife had done.
Deacon Ron Steinkamp is the director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte.
'God wanted me to be a priest'
'God wanted me to be a priest'NORTH WILKESBORO — Father John D. Hanic thought he wanted to be a deacon. That was until he applied more than a dozen times to diaconate programs and had a meeting with then-Bishop Michael Begley. Bishop Begley said he would not ordain him a deacon, but he would ordain him a priest.
This was a bit of a surprise to Father Hanic, who is originally from Monson, Mass.
He grew up in a loving family and married in 1967. He and his wife Judith divorced in 1972. They have two children who are now grown.
"I completed my academics with a double degree in theology and Church history at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.," Father Hanic explains.
He was ordained by Bishop Begley at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte on June 4, 1983.
Father Hanic's first assignment was at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem.
"I loved being with the families and visiting the school children," he recalls. "The Sisters of St. Joseph were a great support to me in my first years as a priest and have continued to be through the years."
He has served in a variety of parishes and missions, as well as serving seven years as campus minister at Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte.
He now serves as the pastor of St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro and St. Stephen Mission in Elkin.
"I've totally loved every assignment I've had, some as short as six months and some as long as 12 years," Father Hanic says.
"In the past 30 years, I never accepted an assignment knowing all that would be expected of me. I never left an assignment without a deep sense of gratitude for the blessing that assignment brought into my life."
Father Hanic believes that the greatest blessing, joy and privilege in his vocation as a priest is serving others and celebrating the sacraments with the people of God.
"I've learned over the past 30 years that God really, really likes us – a lot!"
He stresses that if someone were considering ministry in the Church, they should pray for openness, humility and courage.
"I never wanted to be a priest. God wanted me to be a priest. If you are being called to be a priest, then do just that – do what God wants you to do and you'll experience all the joy and peace that is possible," he says.
Father Hanic did something very special for his 30th anniversary to the priesthood.
"I wanted my 30th anniversary to be memorable, so I decided to celebrate Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter in Rome, surrounded by some of the people who have shared these 30 years with me."
When he returned from his trip to the Vatican, parishioners from St. Stephen Mission and St. John Baptist de la Salle Church also surprised him.
"They hosted marvelous, surprise parish celebrations for me, which just capped off this 30th anniversary for me."
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter