RIP, Deacon Alex C. Jones
Word has been circulating on social media this afternoon that a giant in evangelization, Deacon Alex C. Jones, has died. I haven’t heard additional details.
He is something of a legend: a popular public speaker and congregational minister from Detroit who underwent a remarkable conversion experience that culminated with his entering into full communion with the Catholic Church—in the process, bringing along many members of his congregation.
From his bio, in his own words:
Story published by Deacon Greg Kendra
He is something of a legend: a popular public speaker and congregational minister from Detroit who underwent a remarkable conversion experience that culminated with his entering into full communion with the Catholic Church—in the process, bringing along many members of his congregation.
From his bio, in his own words:
I am in my early seventies, born in 1941, and married to Donna Camille. Donna and I have three grown sons: Joseph, Benjamin, and Marc, twelve lovely grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. I graduated from Wayne State University in 1965 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education, and received a MAPS Degree (Masters in Pastoral Studies) from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2007. I taught in the Detroit school system for twenty-eight years.I’ll add more when I learn more. For now, please remember him and his family in your prayers. Well done, good and faithful servant!
From April 1975 to December 2000 I was the senior minister of two churches in the city of Detroit: Zion Congregational Church of God in Christ (1975-1982), the second oldest Pentecostal church in Michigan, and Maranatha Christian Church (1982-2000), an Evangelical/Charismatic church.
In March of 1998, while reading the apostolic fathers and subsequent church history in preparation for a Wednesday evening bible study, I discovered the Church to be charismatic/liturgical, hierarchical, and Eucharistic-centered. In light of that discovery, Donna and I began a two-year journey into the Catholic Church that culminated in fifty-four members of my previous congregation, including fourteen members of my family, entering the Catholic Church. We entered R.C.I.A. at St. Suzanne Catholic Community on September 10, 2000, and were welcomed into the Catholic Church through confirmation during Easter Vigil on April 14, 2001.
I was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Detroit on October 1, 2005. On May 31, 2007 I retired from the position of evangelization coordinator for the Archdiocese of Detroit. As of July 1, 2013 I have retired from both my positions as deacon at St. Suzanne/OLGH and as Pastoral Associate at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church. My Archbishop is Allen Vigneron. I am a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Church, and my pastor is Fr. Ronald Jozwiak.
I am also the author of No Price too High! – a book chronicling my journey into the Church.
Here is an execrpt from that book:
“Some of the reactions I got when Catholics found out I was coming into the Church were disheartening. One priest actually asked why I would want to come into the Church. And there were other Catholics who expressed similar sentiments. There was no universal concept. They felt everyone has his own religion and it works for him–so great! They believed the unity lies in the belief in God and in Jesus Christ, not in the governmental unity of the church. Hey, we’re all going to heaven, so just stay where you are! They are trying to be magnanimous. What they failed to realize is that when a person’s heart has been stirred to see the truth of the Church, that kind of thinking comes across almost as that of an apostate….I don’t think those people know what they are saying. It is a tremendous hindrance to tell someone seeking the truth to say where he is.”
Story published by Deacon Greg Kendra
Sometime people wonder whether they will be mourned when they die, and if they have had an impact. It would be nice to think that we had a place in people's hearts. It is hard to restrain the tears and sadness at our loss. I hope that Deacon Alex's family had the consolation to know how loved the Deacon was and what an inspiration to many. Rest in Peace, Deacon Alex.
ReplyDelete