Future deacons reflect on hope as they move toward ordination
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Archbishop McKnight has summoned 14 men to the diaconate — 13 of them for the permanent diaconate and one seminarian for the transitional diaconate.
He plans to ordain them during Mass on Saturday, June 7, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City.
The permanent diaconate candidates and their wives have been preparing since 2020.
This is the second in a series of articles profiling the candidates:
How Jesus never fails
Dwayne M. “Bubby” Goodwin OFS has spent his entire adult life caring for the physical wellbeing of others.
“I hope to be able to play a larger role in caring for them spiritually as well,” he said.
A lifelong parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in Palmyra, Mr. Goodwin has been a respiratory therapist for 34 years — the first 30 at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, and for the past three years at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.
He and his wife, Rebecca, were united in marriage in 1997.
Mr. Goodwin made his Solemn Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order on May 18, 2014 — a distinction that is dear to him and helped him discover his diaconal calling.
“I want to follow Jesus in the footsteps of my seraphic father, St. Francis of Assisi, who was himself a deacon, by humbly giving of my time and talent to leading others to a closer relationship and greater love for and devotion to the Eucharistic Jesus,” Mr. Goodwin stated.
He assisted Father Patrick Dolan for nearly 10 years in ministering to Hispanic Catholics in northern Missouri.
As a deacon, “I would like to continue to assist my Hispanic brothers and sisters in any way I can to deepen their love for Jesus and strengthen their prayer life,” said Mr. Goodwin.
He believes people in the world today are hungry for someone that they can believe in and know that they can depend on to help them through these challenging times.
“I want to tell them about Jesus and how he will never fail us,” he said. “I want to show them to the best of my ability how much Jesus loves them and how he can impact every aspect of their lives in such a positive way.”
Mr. Goodwin is an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues along with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
“I enjoy serving others, being with my family and friends, reading, writing short stories, and being there for anyone who needs me,” he stated.
He’s excited about becoming a deacon during the Church-wide Jubilee Year of Hope.
“Hope is the perfect theme for this Jubilee Year because there seems to be so little of it in our world,” he stated.
He wants to demonstrate to everyone that hope springs eternal and that hope’s name is Jesus Christ.
“My ‘hope’ is that this Jubilee Year of Hope will give birth to a powerful sense of hope in the Church and in the world, and that it will spread and inspire every soul in this and future generations until the return of Christ,” said Mr. Goodwin.
He asked for prayers inspired by 1 Kings 4:29 — “May God give this man wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.”
“Live the Jubilee”
As Charles F. “Charlie” Ochoa and his classmates have studied the theology of the Rite of Ordination to the Diaconate, he’s been struck with how profoundly beautiful it all is.
“The ordination rite brings together past formation with future service in the present moment of the sacrament, with the hand of the Holy Spirit guiding all,” said Mr. Ochoa, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Columbia.
He and his fellow deacon candidates have learned in their formation and directly from Archbishop McKnight that a man is ordained to the ministry of deacon, empowered to serve the people of God in the ministries of Liturgy, Word and Charity (love).
“We further have learned that God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called,” said Mr. Ochoa. “With that in mind, I hope to serve the people of God with faithfulness to my formation and the ministry.”
Mr. Ochoa grew up in Prescott, Arizona.
He and his wife, Louise, met at a youth retreat while they were in high school.
The couple both attended Arizona State University. They have been married 44 years and have three daughters.
Mr. Ochoa recently retired from Gates Corporation, after a long career in research and development. Mrs. Ochoa is partially retired from Columbia College.
Mr. Ochoa had been discerning a call to service for several years and had been responding by serving in various roles in the Church.
“Over time and through prayer and discussions with Louise and friends in faith, I felt God calling me to the permanent diaconate,” he said.
There have been several starts and stops, proving that God is in control of the timeline, and helping Mr. Ochoa to trust in him.
“When our deacon asked me about joining diaconate formation and I ended up in this particular program with this particular group, I knew this was God’s plan for me,” Mr. Ochoa stated.
Throughout his professional career, Mr. Ochoa has found that organizational alignment and focus on process and mission produce the most success.
“Translated to the ministry of deacon, I would say that as long as I am aligned with the bishop and my pastor, with compassion for the needs of people, then we should be on the right vector toward Christ,” he said.
Beginning with this Jubilee Year of Hope, he looks forward to seizing opportunities to promote the virtue of hope in our Church and community.
“Our communities in the local and global world can be rough, and scary,” he stated. “If we can translate the hope we experience in the proclamation of the Gospel into hope shared in the world outside the walls of our Church, then we can live the Jubilee, not just talk about it,” he said.
He requested prayers for him and his fellow candidates to “keep the mission of the Church before us in all we do so that we can increase the virtues of hope, charity and faith.”
Ultimate hope
A decade ago, Mark L. Oligschlaeger never would have believes that he one day would be preparing to be ordained a deacon.
“I would have laughed in disbelief,” he stated. “It was not part of my plans then. But God had other plans for me.”
He suddenly got a strong feeling several years ago that he could and should do more to serve God and his people within the Church.
“Thanks largely to the example that Deacon Mark Aulbur and other deacons at my parish had set, I believed that the diaconate would likely be the most appropriate way for me to be of service,” he stated.
Mr. Oligschlaeger grew up in Jefferson City and has been a member of Immaculate Conception Parish for most of his life.
He and his wife, Linda, have been married for 35 years. They have four children and 10 grandchildren.
He graduated from what is now Rockhurst University in Kansas City in 1981 with a degree in accounting.
He retired after working for over 40 years as an auditor for the Missouri Public Service Commission.
He said he’s eager to serve God by serving other people.
“I hope to be a kind and helpful presence while I represent a face of the Church in various ways,” he stated.
Mr. Oligschlaeger and his wife are involved in nursing home and hospital ministry.
“I’m open to many things, but we would like to continue this in some fashion,” he stated.
“Whatever I may be assigned to do as a deacon, I believe that connecting with those I minister to with kindness and compassion is the most important thing I can do as a model for Christ and the Church,” he said.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, he noted that “the ultimate hope any Christian has is for God’s mercy to lead us to eternal salvation.”
“As a deacon, if I can truly demonstrate by my words, actions and demeanor a belief in Jesus Christ and all that He taught, then by my example, others may see the hope that motivates us as Christians,” he stated.
Mr. Oligschlaeger asked for patience as he continues striving to grow into being an effective ambassador for Christ in his role as deacon.
“I also ask for prayers for me to have the persistence to overcome the inevitable roadblocks and obstacles to fully being a servant of Christ; and most of all that I will always be open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in my work as a deacon,” he said.
“Giddy up!”
Louie R. Delk is looking forward to putting his gifts for welcoming and encouraging to best use as a deacon.
“With these qualities, along with my enthusiasm for our beautiful faith, I think that I can make a difference in people’s lives,” said Mr. Delk, a member of Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish in Jefferson City.
Mr. Delk said he wants to do the work and service that’s necessary to help people spend their eternity with God.
“Ultimately, I want to help God get more people to heaven,” Mr. Delk stated. “Me. My family. The people in my parish. And, the people of my community.”
Mr. Delk grew up in Northeast Columbia, South Carolina.
Having started out in another Christian faith tradition, he and his parents, pastors, and much of their faith community were received into the Catholic Church in the early 1980s.
Mr. Delk and his wife, Lisa, got married in St. Louis. They have three children — one in the U.S. Army and two in college.
The couple moved to Jefferson City and joined the Cathedral parish in 2007.
Mr. Delk holds a degree in business with an emphasis in marketing from the University of South Carolina. He started working at a credit union while in college and has continued to work with credit unions throughout his professional career.
Mrs. Delk has a degree in physical therapy and continues to work part-time as a physical therapist.
Mr. Delk entered diaconal formation because he felt called to a greater commitment to the Church, the diocese and the people of his community.
“I believe that ordination as a deacon better positions me to offer both practical and spiritual support to a variety of ministries — such as serving at Mass, witnessing weddings, baptisms, funerals, proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, charitable services, etc.,” he said.
He’s excited about being able to serve the diocese, parish and community more fully as a deacon.
“I look forward to supporting my bishop, my pastor and my parish community,” he said. “I am really good at following directions, and, I cannot wait for the opportunity to serve the charitable needs of our community as an ordained member of the clergy.”
Mr. Delk is filled with enthusiasm and love for God and the Catholic faith.
“I feel like I will be really good at sharing that enthusiasm, and thereby helping to bring people closer to Christ,” he said.
He believes that he’ll be able to promote the ideals of this Jubilee Year of Hope by remaining positive and remaining calm through difficult situations.
“As I am able to demonstrate these qualities while working through tough times both in my secular life and my faith community, I believe that I can strengthen and promote the virtue of hope during this Jubilee Year,” he said.
He’s grateful for God’s abundant blessings.
“I feel like I am in such a great place in the life of my faith and my family,” he stated. “But, I can always use more patience. Please pray for me to become more patient in all the things that I do.”
He said he’s completely open to the direction the bishop will give him in finding his particular ministry within the diaconate.
“The Holy Spirit will make sure I am doing the work I am supposed to do,” said Mr. Delk. “So, let’s giddy up! We’ll see what’s coming next.”
