16 new Permanent Deacons for the Archdiocese of New Orleans

 

New permanent deacons thankful for mysterious journey

For the 16 married men who were ordained as permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of New Orleans June 25 at St. Louis Cathedral, their respective journeys to the altar were a mix of prayer, accompaniment and mystery.

Some recalled they were nudged by friends to discern a call to the diaconate. Others said they might have been called at an earlier age but had either missed the signals God was sending or realized too late in life that God might be asking them to consider an ordained vocation.

Deacon Bruce Trigo, who will serve at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Destrehan, said a friend asked if he had ever considered the diaconate, and he and his wife Lisa actually had thought about it but believed the time wasn’t right as they were raising their three children.

“I just figured I had missed the boat,” Deacon Trigo said. “And then, out of the blue, two people called Lisa and said, ‘Has your husband thought about being a deacon?’”

That push prompted Deacon Trigo to start the five-year diaconate formation program in 2017, and the process strengthened both their faith and their marriage.

“We’ve definitely drawn closer to one another,” Lisa Trigo said. “We’ve been married for 40 years, but the last five years have definitely been a really good journey for the two of us in our relationship. We’ve been going to Mass together since we were 19.”

In his homily, Archbishop Gregory Aymond made a special point to thank the newly ordained deacons’ wives for their support during the rigorous formation program.

“(The new deacons) hold in their hearts today a special gratitude for their wives,” Archbishop Aymond said. “They are indeed grateful to you, their wives, because in their married love, you have taught one another to love, to forgive and to grow in faith. To the wives, you have been part of your husband’s formation, and for this I humbly thank you. You have given tremendous support, consent and sacrifice for them to answer God’s call.”

Deacon Mark Pennington wasn’t even Catholic until 2008, when he told his wife Cindy he wanted to go through the RCIA program at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Slidell. He had gone to Mass with his wife, a cradle Catholic, for many years at St. Luke but couldn’t receive Communion, which had led to an ebb and flow in his church attendance. 

“We cycled through that for a long time,” Deacon Pennington said, “and, then, finally the Holy Spirit just tugged on my heart, and I made the phone call to the RCIA program, and Deacon Harold Burke got a hold of me.”

Cindy Pennington said once her husband entered the church, he began participating in a variety of parish organizations at St. Luke.

“I know that he had a calling because once he became Catholic, he joined the RCIA (teaching) team and the Knights of Columbus, and it just kept going,” she said. “I didn’t have any idea (about the diaconate) until he came home and said, ‘I have to go to go to this meeting.’ I was like, ‘OK’ and it’s been fabulous.”

Deacon Duane Cruse, who will serve at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in New Orleans, said he’s always recognized that he had gifts of serving and listening to others, but he never envisioned 20 years ago that he might become a deacon.

“I couldn’t imagine it, but I knew something was on the brink – I just didn’t know what,” he said. “God’s been calling me since I was a young child, and I didn’t recognize it until this process.”

Deacon Cruse’s wife Joyce said going through the program with her husband “strengthened us.”

“We always talked about God, and we always have God in the center of our lives, not only with us, but with our children,” she said. “If he comes home (from work) and he’s frustrated, we pray. If something’s going on in the family, we pray.”

The archbishop stressed the importance of prayer as the new deacons take on their roles as ministers of “radical” charity, proclaimers and preachers of the word, and servants to those who are on the fringes of society.

“A deacon is called to lead the church in acts of charity,” the archbishop said. “In a sense, you become the conscience of the church. You must find and call us to serve the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the lonely, the undocumented, those with special needs, prisoners, the sick, those at nursing homes and hospitals – wherever the needy are, your heart should reach out to them.”

Robicheaux, a former football and basketball coach at Hahnville High School, said one of the gifts he hopes to bring to St. Anthony Parish in Luling is his ability to step into any role that is needed. As a coach, he had to learn flexibility and pay attention to those who needed more guidance.

“I’m willing to serve – just serve the people in whatever is needed,” Deacon Robicheaux said. “One of the things that I think is a strength of mine is going into something and being whatever is needed – whether it’s a follower, a leader. I’m looking forward to serve. It really gets me excited serving others.”

Erica Robicheaux said going through the formation process with her husband reaped so many benefits for their marriage.

“Definitely, as a person and as a couple, we’re not the same as we were 5 1/2 years ago,” she said. “Our personal relationship, our marriage and our relationship with our grown children have all grown stronger.”

Deacon Eduardo Melendreras, who will serve at St. Louis Cathedral, was a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church when someone asked him if he had ever considered becoming a deacon.

“I said, ‘I’m not sure I know what a deacon does’ because we had never had a deacon at Guadalupe,” he said.

One day, two deacons came to his house at different times of the day and asked the same question.

“I knew God had something special in store for him because he was going to daily Mass and just the way he prayed, trusting God all the time,” Maria Melendreras said.

Deacon Mike Sorensen, the facilities director at Archbishop Chapelle High School, said many of the students and most of the faculty at Chapelle knew he was going through diaconate formation. He will serve at St. Benilde Parish in Metairie, but he also believes he will be a resource at Chapelle for those who need someone to talk to.

“I’ve seen the faculty and the staff – the adults – have gravitated toward me for just little things,” Deacon Sorensen said. “A lot of time it’s just because they’re having a bad day and they need someone to tell them it’s OK. And that’s what I seem to do well.”

Deacon Kerry Winder, who will serve at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish in New Orleans, said he found God transforming his life during the diaconate formation. He also served on the pastoral council.

“I just changed my ways and related to people in a different way, and they have been receptive to me,” Deacon Winder said. “They got some good ideas from me and I learned from them. I was just basically kindness to one another.”

His wife Kim said the diaconate program, through their prayer and interaction with other families, “has brought us together more in our whole relationship.” 

The other newly ordained deacons, their wives and their first assignments are as follows:

Deacon Jason A. Binet (Gretchen), Holy Family, Luling; Deacon Michael A. Cardella Jr. (Vanessa), St. Christopher the Martyr, Metairie; Deacon Greg A. Flores (Dania), St. Rita, Harahan; Deacon Tim Kettenring (Beth), St. Francis of Assisi, New Orleans; Deacon Julius Laurent Jr. (Erin), Ascension of Our Lord, LaPlace; Deacon Bryan McAuley (Natalie), St. Dominic, New Orleans; Deacon Paul J. Ory (Tanya), St. Charles Borromeo, Destrehan; Mike Rivault (Deborah), Most Holy Trinity, Covington; and Francisco J. Rodriguez (Brenda), St. Peter, Covington.