Photo Caption: Newly ordained Deacon William Scott (facing camera) of St. Matthew’s Parish in Champaign is embraced by Deacon Rob Heiple of Metamora, who was ordained a decade ago.

By: By Tom Dermody

In the moments before his ordination to the permanent diaconate last Saturday, Deacon Tom Gainey lay face down on the floor of St. Mary’s Cathedral with 28 of his classmates.

As the assembly that filled every corner of St. Mary’s Cathedral chanted the Litany of the Saints, the candidate from Mary, Our Lady of Peace Parish in Orion was taking stock of his five years of preparation for this moment. He recognized it not as a culmination, but rather a beginning of years of ordained ministry to God’s people.

“Am I worthy to do this? To carry out what God is calling me to do? That was my main thought,” Deacon Gainey recalled of that private, spiritual moment during a nearly two-and-a-half hour liturgy filled with ancient rites.

In fact, Deacon Gainey and other members of the Diocese of Peoria’s ninth class of permanent deacons had already been declared worthy minutes earlier by Msgr. Charles Beebe, PA, episcopal vicar for the permanent diaconate, as he presented the class to Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, for ordination.

The assembly — comprised of wives, family, friends, priests, parishioners, and members of the deacon community — voiced their agreement with applause.

A MOMENT OF RENEWAL
In his homily directed to the candidates, Bishop Jenky urged the new deacons to “do the will of God from the heart” and to “serve the people in joy as you would the Lord.”

Deacons are one of three orders of ordained ministers, the others being priests and bishops. Men who are ordained as deacons prior to priesthood are called “transitional deacons.” Those who are ordained deacons and remain in that state are referred to as “permanent deacons.”

Bishop Jenky listed the various sacramental and service roles of deacons in his homily, calling on the new deacons to “perform works of charity in the name of their bishop and pastor.”

Under the guidance of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate, the men and their wives have spent five years in the selection and formation process. Bishop Jenky called their ordination a moment of renewal not only for the candidates, their families, and their parishes, but for the entire church as well.

Entering the cathedral in a procession that included nearly 100 deacons and dozens of priests, the deacons sat in pews with their wives and families until being called by name for the ordination rites. Those rites included the deacons coming individually into the cathedral sanctuary and kneeling before the bishop three times — first for a series of promises to Bishop Jenky and his successors, next for the laying on of hands, and finally to symbolically receive the Book of the Gospels. The book used in last Saturday’s liturgy once belonged to Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose cause for sainthood the diocese is promoting.

Following the prayer of consecration, the new deacons were vested with a special band of cloth called a stole by assistants they had selected in advance. They were then greeted with embraces and well-wishes by Bishop Jenky, followed by all deacons present.

HUMBLE SERVANT-LEADERSHIP
Deacon Gayle Cyrulik, who will serve St. Patrick’s Church of Merna in Bloomington, found it difficult to find words to describe the ordination Mass.
“It was so wonderful,” he said, before settling on a very fitting phrase for the ceremony that capped years of discernment:

“It felt like home.”

Deacon Cyrulik, a retired police officer, told The Catholic Post at a reception that followed the Mass that he had felt God’s calling since childhood. His life journey, like most of the deacons, included marriage and raising a family. Deacon Cyrulik and his wife Brenda have three children.

Already active in pastoral care — he regularly visits the sick, homebound, and those in hospice care — Deacon Cyrulik is considering furthering his training in that area as well as obtaining a master’s degree in theology. Meanwhile, he has one more year of study to be certified in spiritual direction.

Deacon Michael Crummer, one of two deacons ordained from Corpus Christi Parish in Galesburg, said his interest in the diaconate was spurred by a desire to be of help to priests.

“I’ve always believed in servant leadership,” said Deacon Crummer, who credited Msgr. Beebe with “showing us the meaning of servant leadership and humble service.”

This is the final class to be formed under the guidance of Msgr. Beebe, who has served as episcopal vicar of the permanent diaconate since 1993. He will be succeeded on June 1 by Msgr. Timothy Nolan.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s ordination Mass, Bishop Jenky acknowledged and thanked the many who had a role in the liturgy, including musicians and choir under the direction of Dr. Sherry Seckler. He singled out Msgr. Beebe and Sister Diane VandeVoorde, OSF, assistant director, as “two people who have had the most to do” with the joy-filled day.

When he asked Msgr. Beebe and Sister Diane to stand, the entire diaconate community did as well, erupting in sustained applause. Soon the entire cathedral assembly was on its feet.

“Folks, why do I get the idea that we like them?” asked the bishop.

Following are the members of the ninth class of permanent deacons ordained for the Diocese of Peoria. The list includes the names of their wives and their parishes:

The ninth class of permanent deacons

Deacon Patrick J. Comfort (Silvia), St. John the Baptist, Clinton
Deacon Michael P. Crummer (Janice), Corpus Christi, Galesburg
Deacon Gayle E. Cyrulik Jr. (Brenda); St. Patrick’s Church of Merna, Bloomington
Deacon Donald J. Fraley, St. Matthew’s, Champaign
Deacon Thomas C. Gainey (Debra), Mary, Our Lady of Peace, Orion
Deacon J. Gillan (Nanette), St. Anthony’s, Spring Valley
Deacon Gabriel Guerrero (Diana), St. Hyacinth’s and St. Patrick’s, LaSalle
Deacon James F. Heatwole (Liz), St. Mark’s, Peoria
Deacon Harold (Tony) Herdrich (Lana), Sacred Heart, Dallas City
Deacon Antonio X. Herrera, St. Mary’s, Bloomington
Deacon Aaron Hoste (Elaine), St. Patrick’s, Colona
Deacon Thomas C. Jagiella (Kathy), St. Joseph’s, Peru
Deacon Loren F. Keim (Mary), St. Mary’s, Bloomington
Deacon Mark Kelsch (Marlynn), St. Thomas the Apostle, Peoria Heights
Deacon Donald P. Koeberlein (Debbi), St. Mary’s, Pesotum
Deacon Gary D. Koerner (Connie), St. Mary’s, Downs
Deacon Jose Lopez (Estela), Holy Cross, Mendota
Deacon Michael A. Marvin (Kathryn), Holy Trinity, Bloomington
Deacon John W. Merdian (Jane), St. Edward’s, Chillicothe
Deacon Thomas L. Mueller (Therese), Holy Family, Peoria
Deacon John R. Nelson (Sonia), St. Thomas the Apostle, Peoria Heights
Deacon Craig L. Reaktenwalt, St. Ann’s, Peoria
Deacon Robert L. Rodriguez (Minda), Corpus Christi, Galesburg
Deacon Michael C. Schallmoser (Anne), St. Philomena’s, Peoria
Deacon William S. Scott (Jacqueline), St. Matthew’s, Champaign
Deacon Terry L. Stalsberg (Brenda), St. Joseph’s, Roanoke, and St. John’s, Benson
Deacon Steven R. Tamburini (Linda), St. John the Baptist, Clinton
Deacon Samuel W. Taylor (Kathleen), St. Mary’s, Canton
Deacon David Zola (Susan), St. Patrick’s, Urbana