YEARS MARRIED: 35
YEARS AS A DEACON: 8
HOW THEY MET: “A blind date at the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration at Camp Pendleton. We were both assigned to that base at the time. Mutual friends introduced us.”
WHAT THEY DO FOR FUN: “Mostly we have enjoyed going on cruises as a couple.”
HIS ROLE AS A DEACON: “I feel my role as a deacon is to be out in the community serving in whatever capacity I can as my gifts from God call me to give. And to bring the needs of the community back to my parish.”
HOW HE WAS CALLED TO THE DIACONATE: “This started while I was still on active duty in the military. I was asked to consider becoming a deacon by a Navy chaplain. However, at the time, it was not realistic. Upon retirement, I began discerning and praying about this, I finally came to the conclusion that being ordained to the permanent diaconate was what I was being asked to do by God.”
HIS MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE: “My most memorable experience was my involvement with Lights On outside of the Central Jail in Santa Ana. I did this for 10 years. Meeting these men and women at a critical juncture in their lives and hoping to convey that they are welcomed back into the community was a life-changing experience for me.”