Dear Lord, I thought, I am so confused by Your timing. After living apart from my parents for 20 years, this anticipated reunion was now being put into question and the future seemed uncertain.  

Nine months later, I am here to say that Dad fought the battle for his life. He underwent a major surgery and six months of chemotherapy. Then in a 24-hour span,  he finished treatment on July 31 and began his new assignment as Deacon Rick Loftson with St. Bernard and Our Lady of the Assumption Parishes in Calgary on August 1, 2024.  ​​

One of the pillars of Diocesan Renewal is to form Missionary Disciples in Christ, primarily by practicing the faith and inviting others to encounter God. This is the driving force for the Diocese of Calgary’s newest Permanent Deacon, Deacon Marc O’Loughlin, ordained June 1, 2024.

“It’s time to actually go forth and spread the gospel, living out the servant mysteries as I am called to do,” Deacon Marc vows, “To fulfill God’s will in a way I never imagined possible.” Indeed, Marc’s entire life has been about going forth to places around the world and being a witness of Catholic faith wherever he found himself.

It is interesting to see the myriad ways in which God calls his disciples, and the many ways in which they respond. Among this wonderful variety, Deacon Marc’s diaconate journey is notable, for starters because he was ordained in Vancouver although he lives in Calgary.

After another move in 2016, to his company’s global headquarters in Germany, Deacon Marc's parish priest “out of the blue” invited him to consider the diaconate during a post-Mass conversation. “I was astounded and knew that I simply had to explore this, I just couldn’t ignore it any longer!” However it would still be awhile before the spark became a flame. “God demonstrated utmost patience with me”, Deacon Marc said, referring to a favourite poem of his by Francis Thompson called “The Hound of Heaven” which speaks of God’s relentless pursuit of us. Deacon Marc went on, “We all need to stop and pay attention to the inner voice that’s calling to us, listen for prompts, be open and honest and listen to others. If they tell you to take that first step then just take it and see where it leads. God calls each of us in some way or another. The fruits of our efforts will tell us if we’re on the right track. I am still amazed at the blessings that have come my way while on this journey.”

Deacon Marc immediately began a period of intensive discernment. He read Scripture and over time began to attend daily Mass. He sought Our Lady’s intercession, committing himself to daily recitation of the entire Rosary, all habits which endure till today. “I really believe Our Blessed Mother guided me,” Deacon Marc said, “I’m amazed at how I was accompanied after taking each step.” Although he was still located in Germany, Deacon Marc persevered. “Everything has been about just taking one step and seeing where it leads.” Almost miraculously, in 2019 an opportunity to move back to Vancouver materialized. “It was yet another sign to me of God’s providence,” he said. Upon his return, Deacon Marc applied and was accepted into the diaconate program, along with eight other men.  

​Deacon Bob Wilson has died at the age of 90. He was ordained with Formation Group One on June 23, 2002 by Bishop Frederick Henry and spent most of his active ministry at St. Mary’s in Brooks. He died peacefully on Tuesday at his home in Brooks, surrounded by two of his four children. Bob is survived by his children and by his wife Rosalie, who is 92 and resides in a Brooks nursing home. Funeral details are being arranged by the family. 
 
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

Faith & Journey to Canada
​When asked about the source and centre of his faith, Deacon Carlos talks about his love for Christ and how that love radiates outwards into his life, his family, his Church community, his ministry and out into the world. He says, “It all begins and revolves around Christ being the centre of my life, with Mary walking right beside me.” His favourite Bible verse, “just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28), has guided his ministry through the years, and is the spiritual core of his calling.

Deacon Carlos and his wife moved to Calgary in April 2022 to be near their daughters, Celeste and Cecilia, and their families. Although it has been challenging leaving home and their parish back in Quilmes, they did not have to think twice when the opportunity to move to Canada arose. Now, Deacon Carlos and Christina find delight in spending time with their two grandchildren, Milagros and Franco, taking leisurely walks and showering them with love and affection.

Hopes for the future
​Ever since they moved to Calgary, they have been amazed by the kindness and affection they have received, and they hope to channel this goodness into dedicated service for God and His people. 

Deacon Carlos looks forward to his years in Calgary serving the Lord, beginning with his new assignment at Holy Spirit Parish in Calgary.  Both he and his wife are excited to build a strong community around them. ​They hope to reach out especially to the Spanish speaking population. To all the faithful in the Diocese of Calgary, Deacon Carlos would like to express his gratitude, saying, “Thank you for the warm welcome and pray for me.”

Written by Cecilia DMello for Faithfully. Cecilia lives in Calgary with her husband Neil and her two-year old daughter Azaelea. She attends St. Joseph's Parish in Calgary and is passionate about bringing young families to/back to Christ. She enjoys reading, painting, crocheting and hiking. Photos courtesy of Deacon Carlos Lozano. 

A Few Memories and Reflections on the 20th Anniversary 2022 of the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Calgary 

The primary movement for the restoration of the order of deacons in this century occurred in the death camp at Dachau. The identity of the deacon is conceived in the midst of indescribable human suffering. A “new” diaconate is envisioned as a permanent hope to those who are without hope.
 
During World War II, a group of Catholic priests, interned at Dachau prison camp, provided support and encouragement to many of the nameless and voiceless victims of injustice around them. Somehow they kept faith alive, sustained hope and witnessed to God’s unconditional love even in an atmosphere that viciously opposed and denied these gifts. One of these priests, Fr. Otto Pies SJ, who was seriously ill when released from the concentration camp, published an article titled “Cellblock 26 - Experiences of the Priestly Life in Dachau” - dealing with the sufferings of priests imprisoned here. He also reports about those topics that were the subject of the discussions among priests who were ready to discharge their responsibilities in the face of death. In conjunction with the increasingly more serious shortage of priests, Fr. Pies poses the question as ‘to whether or not it was time to act upon the nudges that were - apparently - being initiated by the Holy Spirit’ and to permit the diaconate to rise again.
 
Knowing that their aspiration required decisive action, these priests after their liberation, continued to meet and work to awaken in every Catholic a commitment to justice through personal service and advocacy. Many people came to join these survivors, who named their group the Deacon Circle. In time, additional groups convened throughout Germany, France and Eastern Europe.
 
In 1962 Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council and within this growing awareness of the church’s obligation to be actively engaged in the world, the original members of the Deacon’s Circle, the Dachau survivors and those who had joined them in Munich wrote a letter in 1962 addressed directly to the council fathers in which they state:
 
“Would it not be a living testimony to the church’s concern for the temporal and supernatural needs of all peoples to have ordained deacons engaged in actual necessities of temporal life to the poor and the suffering, bringing  Christ both sacramentally and also in their committed care for the lowly and oppressed into places of neglect and destitution, of hunger and sickness?”

The rest of the story is our history
​
Vatican II reconstituted the diaconate in the western Catholic Churches, and taught that deacons are helpers to the bishop at the altar and in the ministry of the word, while caring always for those who might otherwise be overlooked by the successors of the apostles.
 
Three reasons behind the Council’s decision:

1. a desire to enrich the Church with the functions of the diaconate, which otherwise, in many regions, could only be exercised with great difficulty;
2. the intention of strengthening with the grace of diaconal ordination those who already exercised many of the functions of the Diaconate; and
3. a concern to provide regions, where there was a shortage of clergy, with sacred ministers.

 
Deacons are ordained to make visible Christ, the servant of his people. The bishop is responsible for the selection, personal formation, ministerial training and assignment of deacons. 

Prior to my arrival in Calgary, I recall a discernment weekend experience in the Diocese of London. Our topic was to try and attuned ourselves as a selected and balanced group of leaders in the diocese - bishops, ordained priests, religious women, catechists, male and female lay leaders -  to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit through prayer and discussion led by a Jesuit priest whose expertise was discernment in the Ignatius Tradition.  Our question was straight forward: “Should We Introduce the Permanent Diaconate in the our Diocese.” At the end of our session, marked more by turbulence than peace, we held a vote - 60% yes, 40% no. Bishop Sherlock decided that the margin was not large enough to proceed and it would only divide the diocese. I was one of the 60%. My main argument was that our local church would be stronger with the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders - bishop, priests, and deacons.
 
Before the subject was revisited several years later, I was transferred to the Diocese of Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario in March of 1995. Fortunately, they already had introduced the permanent diaconate. We were a very large missionary diocese (geographically), many indigenous peoples, few clergy and  heavily reliant on the religious communities and the international community to staff our parishes and missions.  Both groups tended to be serving on a contract basis. Our married deacons were local - many were born and raised in the north, involved in business industry, recreation, etc. They and their wives who were part of the formation sessions were a terrific addition to our pastoral care delivery system. I was now more committed than ever.
 
Arriving in Calgary as the local Bishop, I was surprised that one of the most frequently asked questions, in addition to “when are you going to build us a church?”, was “What do you think of the permanent diaconate?” “I’m all in favour. It’s simply when and how?”
 
There was no permanent diaconate program west of St. Boniface. I recall an exchange at the one of the Western Conference of Catholic Bishops Meetings. I announced  that we were establishing a permanent diaconate program in Calgary and one of the senior bishops interjected “That here in the west we have opted for lay formation.” I replied: “I didn’t think that it was an either/or proposition, we can do both. Beside, I’m simply telling you, not asking for permission.”
 
First west of St. Boniface Diocese but happily, not the last!
 
There was also local opposition from many individuals and groups in the Diocese but not strong enough to stop the forward movement of the Holy Spirit. The biggest decision was to pick Developers and Coordinators who were of “good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom whom we may appoint to this task” (Acts.6:3). Fr. Bill Trienekens and Sr. Maria Nakagawa’  graciously accepted the appointment and set about building our program, selecting and forming our candidates, individually and communally. They have rendered enormous service to our local church! As my mom would say “And the proof is in the pudding.”
 
We were assisted in many way by the Archdiocese of Toronto who readily shared their experience and helped us walk in the direction of our hope.
 
In God’s providence, we were also assisted by the timely publication in 1998 of the two Vatican Documents:

1. Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons - Congregation for Catholic Education
2. Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons - Congregation for the Clergy

 
I suspect that these two documents will influence the development of the Order of Deacon for years to come and therefore will directly influence how the faithful are shepherded by bishops and priests with the help of deacons. Practically, the deacon’s responsibilities are explained, the professional demands of his ministry are regulated, his juridical status and spiritual life are described. Most fundamentally, however, his identity is clarified.

Identity

In the first years after the restoration of the permanent diaconate, pragmatic considerations often seemed to shape its purpose and identity.
 
In some places, it seemed that the diaconate was intended, in particular, for catechists and delegates of the Word, so that familiar ministers and leaders of small communities would, through becoming deacons, make ordained ministry visible in their communities and throughout their diocese.
 
The new directory makes clear that local church cannot simply put the new label of deacon on the familiar reality of catechist without changing the life of the Church. The diaconate is a gift from God which changes not just the deacon but all of God’s people.
 
The diaconate was restored just when the Church’s relationship to the modern world was changing. The line between openness to the world and becoming “worldly’ was often not clear, and this lack of clarity influenced pastoral policy and, at times, teaching. Consequently, the permanent deacon, ordained but with a secular job, was sometimes hailed as the Church’s agent in the workplace and marketplace, as if this were not the vocation of every baptized Christian. Behind this seeming openness to the world lay a clericalism that assumed that only the ordained make the Church present in the world. The selection of candidates was often limited to those whose secular profession was proof of their position in the world and therefore of their value as deacons.
 
A second moment in the development of the restored diaconate brought forward candidates who were already visible in their parish communities as lay ministers and helpers in numerous church activities. Generous men who were obviously of good character and servants of the Lord and his Church sometimes were invited to become deacons as a kind of acknowledgment by their pastor that they were exemplary Catholics and helpful members of their parish. The diaconate became almost unique tied to parochial service.
 
The Directory comes providentially at a new moment in the developing understanding of the diaconate and the consequent criteria for the selection of deacon candidates. Full time work in the world certainly does not disqualify a man from the diaconate nor does prior ministry or service in a parish. But the Directory explains clearly that a deacon makes Christ the servant visible through ordination for a particular Church, a diocese, and not only for a parish. The relationship to the local bishop is central to the deacon’s ministry as servant to those who might otherwise be overlooked or neglected, especially the poor, as the local Church assembles around her bishop. The deacons’ sensitivity to the sick, the handicapped, the religiously illiterate, the victim so prejudice of every sort, the despised and those estranged from the community of believers will lead him to bring them to the altar of Christ. The greatest service a deacon offers is to invite others to the table where they can learn who Christ is by becoming members of his body. Having gathered the poor around the altar of Christ, the deacon proclaims the Gospel, which is always good news for the poor.

MINISTRY
(para 23-42) the Directory’s description of his service of the word, of the altar and of charity cannot be separated. Even though one or the other may be more emphasized in the course of a deacon’s ministerial life, he is always called to all three.
 
SPIRITUALITY
(para.43-62) Ordination as a deacon is a call to convert, to conform one’s heart and mind ever more closely to Jesus Christ, servant of his people; service as a deacon is a call to constant conversion so that a deacon’s ministry is not just a function. His spiritual life begins in relationships that are his by reason of ordination.
 
FORMATION
(para 63-82) the Directory gives special attention to the ongoing or continuing vocational and professional formation of deacons.

Deacons ordained in 2002:
Dcn. Paul Coderre – Sacred Heart, Strathmore
Dcn. John Hagan – Retired, Calgary
Dcn. Paul Heffernan – Holy Spirit, Calgary
†Dcn. Albert Henri – Deceased
Dcn. Allan Hinger – now in the Diocese of Prince Albert, SK.
†Dcn. Louis Lapointe -- Deceased
Dcn. Alex Martinez-Lievano – Holy Spirit, Calgary
Dcn. Clarence Otteson – now in the Archdiocese of Edmonton
Dcn. Robert Risling –Holy Family, Medicine Hat
Dcn. Albert Riendeau—Retired, Calgary
Dcn. Robert Wilson – Retired, Brooks
Dcn. John Wu – Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Calgary

Written by
Bishop Emeritus
Frederick Henry
​for Faithfully

June 2022

Written by Mario Toneguzzi for Faithfully. Mario is a veteran writer living in Calgary with his wife Marlene and their three children. They attend St. Peter's and St. Stephen's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Calgary. Mario was recently named one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the world.  Photos courtesy of Deacon Larry and Fr. Mariusz Sztuk.

The call to become a Permanent Deacon began soon after Dale’s confirmation. “I dismissed it out of hand, but over the years, the thought was whispered into the ears of my mind, sometimes even at 2 a.m.,” says Dale. Eight years ago, another deacon serving at St. Thomas More approached him after mass and asked him if he’d thought about becoming a Permanent Deacon. 

Suddenly, the whisper had a voice—and that voice revealed the path to a new vocation.

Both spouses are part of the rigorous formation process that leads to the husband being ordained as a Permanent Deacon. The first weekend of that process “was a bit overwhelming,” admits Susan, who works in the business office at Bishop McNally High School. “All the way through the process you’re discussing what you’ve learned and processing what that means in your own lives. But after a while, you learn to trust in God’s plan for you. It gets easier.”

Her husband agrees. “You absorb ideas from sitting in the pews and listening to the readings and homilies. But the Permanent Diaconate process goes so much deeper and it changes how you understand the Church and its teachings.”
​
Dale, who manages one of the many parts departments at the City of Calgary, says he’s still learning what his new role at St. Thomas More demands. Sitting in the church narthex, he points to a display of flags that represents the diversity of a parish whose people come from more than 80 different nations. The soft-spoken grandfather of three knows this is a special place—and having raised three kids in the pews of this church, he’s excited about what lies ahead.

“I can now see the progression of God’s hand in my calling, from a simple thought to midnight urgings, to other people recognizing the light of Christ within me, to my joining my voice with that of Mary in saying ‘Yes’ to God’s call,” says Dale.

Written by: Joy Gregory