Raised with strong Catholic values, Dcn. Marvin Silva learned much about the faith from his family and through Catholic elementary school in his native city of Managua, Nicaragua.
In 1980, he married his wife, Isolda and eight years later, the couple immigrated to Canada with their sons, Marvin, Jr., and Ricardo. Their youngest son, Joshua, was born in Canada. While living there, Dcn. Silva completed his doctorate in geoenvironmental engineering. While he always had a strong faith, Silva’s spiritual life changed after he and Isolda participated in a Marriage Encounter weekend in 1990.
“I fell in love with Jesus and realized that God had a plan for my life,” he explained. “Since then, we have been following Jesus and serving his Church in different ministries. I have participated in music ministry as well as Marriage Encounter and charismatic retreats.”
Silva accepted a job and moved to Boston in 2000. Five years later, he took another position and moved to Arizona, where he began serving at St. Mary Parish in Chandler as a lector and extraordinary minister of holy Communion. He and Isolda both serve as safe environment teachers.
Two years later, Silva had a dream that God called him to serve. He wasn’t sure what the dream meant, he said, since he was already serving in the Church. In 2011, he received an invitation to attend an orientation meeting for the diaconate and he started to understand the dream.
“I have continued to discover God’s plan in my life,” he said. “I am looking forward to bringing Jesus to many people and to bringing a message of love and hope. There are many who feel loneliness and there is so much hatred in our society. Jesus is not the center of people’s lives and I would like to bring Jesus to them by preaching and being a living testimony.”
When Silva told his wife that God was calling him to become a deacon, she wasn’t caught off guard.
“He had been serving the Church for many years and I saw him following God in different ministries and always serving,” she said. “He has much love for his neighbor.”
Click here to read more about the Permanent Deacon Class of 2016.
Isolda said she will support Dcn. Silva in his role and will be doing her part in being a living testimony of their faith as a couple.
“He is a good father, always thinking about the well-being of our sons. He is a good husband, balancing his working time with the family and the Church,” she said.
Assigned to St. Mary Parish in Chandler, Dcn. Silva will assist at Mass, baptisms and funerals, especially with the weekly televised Spanish Mass.
“My non-parochial assignment will be at Maricopa County Medical Center, visiting the sick, delivering Communion, praying with them and bringing them God’s love,” he said.
