There aren’t many of them, but Jack Figge at The Pillar found a few and reports on the special challenges they face:
A recent report published by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate found that of the estimated 13,864 permanent deacons in active ministry in the United States, fewer than 4% are under the age of 49, and fewer than 1% – or 138 deacons – are in their 30s.
But some of those young deacons told The Pillar they believe their youth offers a unique asset to their parish community, and they hope more younger men will answer this call.
Deacon Aaron Smith, 46, is a police officer in a command position. Since he was ordained a deacon 10 years ago, he has been surprised by the number of opportunities he has had to minister to his colleagues.
“Many people have told me ‘Oh, it must be tough trying to bring your faith into work life.’ I look at it this way: It’s actually expected,” Smith said. “People at work know me as the deacon and people of all faiths at work come to me for confidential talks. I have been asked to baptize children, witness marriages for people. I work with funerals for people that aren’t Catholic.”
“It is actually very easy for deacons to bring up their faith at work, I think it is a challenge for a lay Catholic who can just sit quietly to the side.”
With a normal day job in addition to their diaconal ministry, permanent deacons must work to find a balance between the various roles that demand their time and energy.
When a deacon has a young family as well, this balance becomes even more complicated – and critical.
Deacon Steven Callen, 43, was ordained five years ago in St. Louis, Missouri. As a project manager at Monsanto-Bayer’s crop production line and father of two sons, ages six and eight, he has had to learn how to strike this balance.
“I have to make sure consciously that I am putting my family first above everything else, because all that stuff does take up your time,” Callen said.
“It is a fear of mine I am spending too much time either being a deacon or working or something, and that is taking me away from my family and from my sons and from my wife and to their detriment as we progress on and get older.”
Callen has found that help from his wife has been crucial in determining how to juggle different roles and duties.
“Balance has been super important, and it is still a walk that we are trying to navigate,” Callen’s wife Liz told The Pillar.
“I am somebody that has always struggled with balancing and asking for help. Early on, I wanted him to do all the things, and I was kind of scared to tell him no because he was helping the Church.”
But she eventually learned that saying “no” is an important part of the job.
Photo: Lawrence, OP / Creative Commons license
