(Left to right) Dcn. Tony Carmona; Dcn. John Knight; Dcn. Frank Bosh; Bishop William F. Medley; Dcn. Bill Clark; Dcn. Gayle Rhodes; Dcn. T.J. Dennison; Dcn. Hal Jones; and Dcn. Paul Bachi, assistant to the director of the Diocese of Owensboro’s Office for the Permanent Diaconate, following the Sept. 11, 2021 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
‘Filled with grace’
Seven men ordained to permanent diaconate
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
As a newly-ordained permanent deacon, Dcn. T.J. Dennison said it felt “very humbling” to realize he is “a sacramental image of the Good Samaritan.”
“I will be making myself available in any way I can… to serve God and love my neighbor as myself,” said Dcn. Dennison after the Sept. 11, 2021 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro, during which he and six other men were ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop William F. Medley.
Deacon candidate Hal Jones of St. Jude Parish in Clinton stands with his six candidate brothers before Bishop William F. Medley during the Sept. 11 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
Dcn. Dennison told The Western Kentucky Catholic that it was a “gorgeous day,” and that he was grateful for the “strength of the Holy Spirit in this journey” of discerning that he was called to be a permanent deacon.
The ordination followed five years of formation, discernment and study for the deacon candidates, who came from various parts of the Diocese of Owensboro.
Dcn. Frank Bosh’s home parish is St. Thomas More in Paducah; Dcn. Tony Carmona’s home parish is Fort Campbell Catholic Community on the Kentucky and Tennessee border; Dcn. Bill Clark’s home parish is St. John in Lone Oak; Dcn. Dennison’s home parish is St. Joseph in Leitchfield; Dcn. Hal Jones’ home parish is St. Jude in Clinton; Dcn. John Knight’s home parish is Holy Name of Jesus in Henderson; and Dcn. Gayle Rhodes’ home parish is Sts. Joseph and Paul in Owensboro.
Dcn. Rhodes told the WKC that he and his deacon candidate brothers had prayed a novena to the Holy Spirit ahead of their ordination, with each day focusing on a different gift of the Holy Spirit.
He said he was particularly caught up in the moment during the Litany of the Saints – during which the candidates lie prostrate on the ground before the altar – thinking of all the people he was praying for, and who were praying for him, such as his friends, family and fellow parishioners.
“We had all been looking forward to this for five years,” he said. “There has been a lot of growth, tremendous growth in our families and in our spiritual lives.”
He added that since the Mass was by invitation-only, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “hopefully those who couldn’t attend could view it via livestream.”
Assisted by seminarian Conrad Jaconette, Dcn. Frank Bosh incenses the faithful during the Sept. 11, 2021 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro, during which he and six other men were ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop William F. Medley. RILEY GREIF | WKC
(The recorded livestream of the Mass can be accessed at facebook.com/StStephenCathedral/videos/375256884247848.)
The ordination was bittersweet for Dcn. Bosh. While he and his wife belonged to St. Thomas More Parish in Paducah when he entered the discernment process for the permanent diaconate, he later learned he would be transferred by his employer to Tennessee.
Though ordained by Bishop Medley with the rest of his diaconate class, Dcn. Bosh was actually ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., where he would be assigned to the local St. Patrick Parish in Morristown, Tenn. The arrangement was approved by Bishop Medley and Knoxville’s Bishop Richard F. Stika, so that the deacon could still be ordained alongside his deacon brothers, with whom he had studied and bonded over the years.
By prior agreement among the deacon candidates, Dcn. Bosh served as the deacon of the altar, assisting Bishop Medley during the Eucharistic Prayer.
“Serving with the bishop today was a great moment for my family and myself, and filled me with grace,” Dcn. Bosh told the WKC.
Fr. Ken Mikulcik, the director of formation for the diocese’s permanent diaconate program, said he looks forward to the “ministries they will serve,” and that he was blessed to have been “involved in the formation of these deacons and see the grace of God in their lives.”
“This was a blessed day in our diocese,” he said.
Bishop William F. Medley lays hands on the head of deacon Bill Clark as part of the Rite of Ordination during the during the Sept. 11, 2021 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
In his homily prior to the Rite of Ordination, which took place in the middle of the liturgy, Bishop Medley told the deacon candidates that they were called to be “instruments of transforming the Church – the people of God – in holiness.”
The bishop said a special tribute was due to the men’s families, their wives and children, for the sacrifices made so that the candidates could study and receive formation in discerning their vocations.
“Your sacrifice will bear fruit for the Gospel, and I pray you will continue that partnership,” he said. “And as with any holy sacrifice, you are richer for it, and so is the Church.”
Bishop Medley told them that just like the men chosen by the first apostles for works of charity, “you must be men of good reputation, filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit.”
“Do the will of God generously… serve God and humanity in love and joy,” he said. “Show before God and humanity that you are above every suspicion of blame, true ministers of Christ and of God’s mysteries – men firmly rooted in faith.”
Meet the new deacons
Click here to read the profiles of the seven new permanent deacons!
Originally printed in the October 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
