THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 45, NO. 41 | JUNE 28, 2024
The 14 men that were ordained permanent deacons on June 22 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Leawood lay prostrate before the altar.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Fourteen men ordained to the permanent diaconate By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
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EAWOOD — After Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann ordained 14 men to the permanent diaconate at St. Michael the Archangel Church here on June 22, there are now a total of 80 permanent deacons in the archdiocese. And this new group is perhaps the most diverse ever. In his homily, the archbishop noted that the group being ordained included machinists, engineers, a farmer, a veterinarian and a retired U.S. Army major, among others. If there’s one attribute all 14 deacons share, though, it’s a willingness to serve God’s people, laying down their lives in service to others — a trait the archbishop stressed as important, especially within their marriages. “You’ve been called to the diaconate as married men, and your diaconate ministry must never detract from your marriage, but rather must deepen your commitment to be a husband who cherishes your wife and who strives to lay down your life in love for your bride. “Your love, as it is for every sacramental marriage,” he continued, “is called to be an icon of the Lord’s love for his bride,
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
Deacon Leon Suprenant, left, is vested by his son-in-law Deacon Nicholas Moragues. “We’re more than son-in-law and father-in-law. We’ve become quite close over the years — as friends and confidants,” Deacon Moragues said. the church.” The archbishop later instructed the men to “proclaim the Gospel with joy and enthusiasm,” something which doesn’t seem to be a problem for Deacon Curtis Keddy, associate director of formation for the archdiocesan office of the perma-
nent diaconate. From his earliest years, he recalls wanting to imitate his parents who served as full-time Protestant missionaries. “I wanted to have their kind of faith. I wanted to give my whole life to minis-
try,” he said. In 2004, while researching the foundations of Christian worship and reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he realized he had to become Catholic — a fact that “absolutely devastated” him. He longed to be a pastor, a husband and father, just like his dad. In 2005, he met Deacon Denis Zaun, a permanent deacon, and learned that he, too, could serve the Lord in full-time ordained ministry while also being a married man. And that intrigued him. He didn’t know such a role existed within the church. Over time, he started discerning a call to the permanent diaconate. At age 43, with five children under the age of 12, the deacon said he realizes that he is now “an envoy, a herald, a messenger” who lives “in between two realities.” Deacons, he explained, lay down their lives as “a living bridge between the altar and the priest and the Mass and the people and what’s happening in the world. . . . A deacon goes out into the world and brings people to Christ and the sacraments. . . . That movement is, of itself, a sacramental sign of Christ who left the throne and emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, and went all >> See “DIVERSE” on page 16