Bishop Thomas Olmsted will lay hands on sixteen men who have been called to the Order of Deacons for the Diocese of Phoenix. They have been preparing for this for more than five years of study and ministry formation. The ordination will take place at 10 a.m. Nov. 10, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale. A reception will follow.
Permanent deacons must meet strict guidelines established by the Church and complete a rigorous course of study and formation. Once ordained, they remain deacons permanently for life, as opposed to “transitional deacons” who are ordained as a step toward priesthood.
James Beattie will be assigned to St. Timothy Parish in Mesa where he and his wife Sandy have been parishioners for many years. Jim is a convert to the Catholic Church who met Sandy while going through the RCIA program. In addition to working at the parish, Deacon Jim will serve in hospital ministry at Maricopa Medical Center.
Robert Bonura will be a second-generation deacon. His father was one of the first permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Houston, Texas. Rob will be assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tempe. He and his wife Vicky have both been involved in a variety of ministries in the parish. Deacon Rob will also be serving at Maricopa Medical Center.
Gary Chatel will be assigned to St. Helen Parish in Glendale where he and his wife April have been parishioners for many years. Deacon Gary will be serving the prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution north of Phoenix in addition to his service at the parish.
Jeff Hartin is from San Francisco de Asís Parish in Flagstaff where he will serve in a variety of capacities. One area of service will be working with the Marriage Preparation program with the capable assistance of his wife Jennifer. Deacon Jeff will also be serving the patients at Flagstaff Medical Center.
Marvin Hernández and his wife Angelica are originally from Guatemala. He is happy to be assigned to Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral where he will be overseeing Hispanic ministry and outreach. Deacon Marvin will also be serving the patients at Maricopa Medical Center.
Michael Johnsen is from the Prescott area. He retired a few years ago from APS and now with his wife Terry, he owns and operates a Catholic gift and book store in downtown Prescott. Deacon Mike will be assigned to St. Catherine Laboure in Chino Valley.
Christopher Kellogg will be assigned to Corpus Christi Parish where he and his wife Dena have been parishioners for many years. Deacon Chris will also be serving in hospital visitation ministry at Chandler Regional Hospital.
Kevin Knapp and his wife Kathy have been parishioners at Holy Cross in Mesa for many years, but Kevin has accepted an assignment to St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Gilbert. Deacon Kevin will also be visiting patients at Mercy Gilbert Hospital.
Mark Kriese will be assigned to St. Theresa Parish. Mark, his wife Denise and their family have been at St. Theresa’s for many years and are happy to serve their home parish. Deacon Mark will also continue to serve outside of the parish with ministry at Maggie’s Place.
Mark Lishko will remain at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler where he and his wife Barbara are already parishioners. He is an airline pilot but when he is home and not serving at the parish, Deacon Mark will be visiting patients at the Veteran’s Hospital.
Narciso Macia is a professor at ASU Polytechnic and when he is not serving at his parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Queen Creek, he will be working with students at Polytechnic in the JPII Newman Club. Deacon Ciso, his wife Donna, and their family have been active parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe for many years.
José Martínez and his wife Nilsa moved to the Phoenix Diocese two years ago. José had almost finished Deacon formation in the Archdiocese of Chicago but he agreed to two additional years of formation here to get to know the diocese and get involved at St. Anne’s in Gilbert. Both are natives of Puerto Rico. When not serving at St. Anne’s, Deacon José will be serving the diocese at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Ed Mirasol and his wife Jessica are both natives of the Philippines. Ed will be assigned to St. Raphael Parish in Glendale where they are already parishioners. Deacon Ed will also serve the diocese at the Office of the Diaconate and with the Filipino community.
Ken Porter will remain at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale. He and his wife Dorothy have been active there for many years. Ken is an engineer with the Palo Verde Nuclear plant. In addition to his parish service, Deacon Ken will be visiting prisoners at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville.
Joe Ryan with his wife Siu-Ling and their family have been parishioners at St. Mary’s in Chandler for many years. Joe actually graduated from grade school at St. Mary’s. Deacon Joe will continue in his service to that community while also visiting prisoners in the Maricopa County Jail system.
Ed Winkelbauer and his wife Linda have been long-time parishioners at St. Benedict’s in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. In response to the Bishop Olmsted’s request, Ed accepted an assignment at St. Steven’s in Sun Lakes. Deacon Ed will also be serving the disadvantaged through the Fresh Perspectives Program with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Men are ordained to the Permanent Diaconate every two years in the Diocese of Phoenix. A new cohort will be formed in 2013 with the projected ordination date of November, 2018. For more information, please visit https://www.diocesephoenix.org/diaconate-office.php
