May 2, 2008

Meet our future deacons

Bill JonesBill Jones

  • Age: 57
  • Spouse: May
  • Home Parish: St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus
  • Occupation: Assistant General Manager, Mariah Foods

Who are the important role models in your life of faith?

My wife, May; my spiritual director, Father Larry Voelker; Father Clem Davis, the pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus; Kathy Davis-Shanks, St. Bartholomew Parish’s director of religious education; the members of the parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation team; and the members of my small Church community.

What are your favorite Scripture verses, prayers and devotions?

My favorite prayers are the Prayer of St. Francis and the Serenity Prayer. My favorite Scripture would be the Letters of St. Paul, and my favorite devotions or liturgies would be all the Holy Week services and the Easter Vigil.

Deacons often minister to others in the workplace. How have you experienced that already, and how do you anticipate doing that in the future?

By being more aware of the feelings and attitudes of all the employees, I have become a better listener and more worried about the welfare of all the employees as individuals, not just the corporate outlook on things. It’s more than just dollars and cents; it’s about how we treat each other and how we conduct our business. I hope to be able to keep promoting a true sense of morality and justice in our business world.

Why do you feel that God is calling you to become a deacon?

God has blessed me with so much in my life: my family, my faith, my friends and my sobriety. I feel God has called me to his service to help spread a message of love, hope, healing and reconciliation to all his children. I feel that answering God’s call to becoming a deacon is who God has created me to be.

How will being ordained a deacon have an impact on your life and family?

It will have a positive impact in that it will be another step in our journey to God. The formation process has already brought us closer to God as a family, and united us on a more spiritual basis. †

 

(Go to the Deacon formation homepage)

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