THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 44, NO. 9 | OCTOBER 7, 2022
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
John Lawrence performs sacristan duties at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood. Lawrence is one of 20 men who make up the fifth cohort of those exploring whether they are called to become permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
Fifth cohort of deacons younger, more diverse By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org
K
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — While he was growing up in India, John Lawrence and his siblings were fairly marinated in the Catholic faith by their
parents. That meant daily Mass, catechism study, the Legion of Mary and a rich devotional life — especially the rosary. But later, when he was trying to determine a direction in his life, Lawrence got some surprising direction from his father. “After I finished my college, I had interest in becoming a priest,” said Lawrence. “I approached my dad. I talked to a few other priests. They encouraged me, but my dad did not encourage me. “Because I was the only one studying
engineering . . . my parents thought I would be the breadwinner for the house. They did not allow it; they did not encourage me to go to the priesthood.” The door to being a cleric was firmly shut. Dutiful son that he was, he continued his education, consented to a traditional arranged marriage and took up the vocation of marriage and family. Eventually, Lawrence and his wife Acushla Anthony moved to the United States (he in 2005, and she in 2007) to pursue education and their respective careers. They joined St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood in 2019. It was there that he discovered the permanent diaconate — one of the three orders of cleric in the Catholic faith. He signed up. “At St. Michael the Archangel, they
have two great deacons,” said Lawrence. “They influenced me a lot.” Lawrence is one of 20 men who make up the fifth cohort of those exploring whether they are called to become permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The aspirants of Cohort Five received their letters of acceptance in June and had their first weekend formation event Sept. 9-11. New permanent deacon cohorts are formed every three years. Since Cohort One was ordained in 2011, the number of permanent deacons serving in the archdiocese has increased to nearly 60. It’s a fluid number because some permanent deacons move to the archdiocese, some move away or die and some cease their ministry. Despite slightly more than a decade of experience with permanent deacons
in the archdiocese, some laypeople aren’t sure who they are or what they do, said Leon Suprenant, co-director of the archdiocesan office of the permanent diaconate. “We try to inculcate in the men a diaconal imagination,” said Suprenant. “We want them to think outside the boundaries of the parish. Some deacons will be assigned to the parish and mostly they’ll assist the pastor. “But deacons are meant to be at the cutting edge of evangelization, working with marginalized communities like prisoners, the homeless and patients in hospitals — all these places outside the sanctuary where the priests operate. The diaconate is a bridge between the church and the world. Deacons are clerics living a lay life.” >> See “NEW” on page 6
A LIFE OF MEANING
PATH OF DESTRUCTION
Joseph Krause didn’t live a long life. But what little time he had on this earth left a meaningful impact on his family.
Hurricane Ian devastated entire towns in Florida, wreaking billions in damages. Catholic agencies were among those first on the scene.
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