17 Hawaii men from diverse backgrounds to be ordained this month and next in ceremonies on five islands

By Anna Weaver | Hawaii Catholic Herald

It is graduation time for 17 Hawaii men.

After four years of preparation, the members of the sixth permanent deacon class of the Diocese of Honolulu will be ordained by Bishop Larry Silva between Jan. 13 and Feb. 10 in six ceremonies on five islands.

“In this diocese we have a rich history of permanent deacons being formed and serving our church,” said vicar of clergy Father Gary Secor. “It’s been a great blessing for us, and I expect that these new deacons will continue in that tradition.”

Members of the class range in age from 44 to 67 and will serve on Oahu, the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and — in a first for the island — Molokai. The candidates, who come from a wide diversity of professional backgrounds, include an electrician, a firefighter, a parish business manager, a welder, a retired bartender, a cafeteria manager, and government and military employees.

All have long been very active in their parishes. All are married except for one who is a widower. Three are former seminarians who had studied previously for the diocesan priesthood in Hawaii.

With the ordination of this diaconate class, the number of deacons in Hawaii will outnumber diocesan priests for the first time. Hawaii has 57 active diocesan priests. After these ordinations, the diocese will have 61 active permanent deacons.

“I think it’s just a sign of another vocation in the church that is experiencing growth,” Father Secor said. “And I suspect we’ll continue to experience a growth in priestly vocations in the diocese as well.”

Deacon Bill McPeek, who with his wife Florence directed the formation of this class over the past four years, said, “I think this class may be exposed to a little more as far as different ministries than past classes.”

He said that many of the deacon candidates are involved in prison ministry, more so than in the past. McPeek also said several of them are fluent in Spanish and may possibly go into part-time Hispanic ministry.

Commenting on the obligations of the diaconate, McPeek believes that people sometimes forget the extent of the commitment.

“I think people don’t realize this is a vocation for a deacon, it’s not a voluntary service,” he said. “When they are ordained they become part of the clergy, the hierarchy of the church, and it’s permanent.”

Deacons in Hawaii

The Diocese of Honolulu has had permanent deacons since 1981. The first class celebrated its 25th anniversary last month. The new deacon class will add to the 44 permanent deacons now active in parishes throughout Hawaii. Pastors who already work with deacons find them to be great assets.

As of February, St. John Vianney Parish in Kailua will have four permanent deacons and one transitional deacon, one who will eventually be ordained a priest. For pastor Father Tom Gross, they are “an invaluable assistance.”

Because many permanent deacons are married, he said, “they witness in a different way and can maybe relate to people in a different way because of that experience.”

At Sacred Heart Parish in Waianae, deacon Jerome Vito Lefua contributes greatly to the Samoan community and the parish in general, according to pastor Father Sebastian Chacko.

Although Lefua is a full-time bus driver, Father Chacko said, on weekends he is generous with his time. “His positive attitude brings about a good change among the people here.”

For Father Khan Pham-Nguygen of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Pauoa Valley and St. Stephen in Nuuanu, deacon Ronald T.Y. Choo helped him adjust when he took over the administration of the parishes a little more than a year ago.

“I came out a stranger not knowing much about the parishes and also the culture,” Father Pham-Nguygen said. “He kind of eased me into the parish life.”

Father Halbert Weidner, pastor of Holy Trinity in Kuliouou, has two deacons at his parish, Dan Guinaugh and Sam Taylor, whom he finds essential.

“They are the liturgical representative of the whole church and the parish church where they function,” Father Weidner said, “and I could not do without them both theoretically and practically.”

Looking to the future, Father Secor said that after a diocesan study of diaconal ministry takes place, the seventh deacon class will be assembled.

Deacon McPeek said, “Priests are asking for deacons already so they see the benefit that they offer in the parishes in the various ministries as well as outside the parishes.”