Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain 14 men to the permanent diaconate during a 10 a.m. Mass Sept. 30 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. A permanent deacon differs from a transitional deacon in that he is not later ordained to the priesthood.
After their ordination, the new deacons will proclaim the Gospel at Mass, preach homilies, assist at the altar, lead general intercessions and distribute Communion in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore. They will administer the sacrament of baptism, witness marriages and preside at rites of Christian burial. The clergymen will also minister in the wider community at hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and other institutions.
The ordination Mass will also be livestreamed on the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen’s YouTube page here.
Below are capsule profiles of the new deacons:
Manuel Aliaga
Home parish: St. John the Evangelist, Columbia
Family: Married 22 years to Marianela Estrada; two children
Diaconal Internships: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City, and St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore
Employment: Pastoral associate to the Eastern Vicar (Archdiocese of Baltimore); pastoral associate for Hispanic Ministry, St. John the Evangelist, Columbia; director of Hispanic Pastoral Affairs (Archdiocese of Washington); assistant to the director of Hispanic Ministry (Diocese of Charlotte).
Quote: “I wish to serve the archbishop and help the priests in their pastoral ministry to the people of God, with an emphasis in serving immigrant families and Spanish-speaking Catholics. I look forward to reaching out to and strengthening our accompaniment, evangelization and catechesis of couples, families and young adults as they seek to come to the Lord, participate in the sacraments and grow in the faith.”
Did you know? Aliaga is originally from Peru. He has lived in six states on both the East and West coasts, as well as in the Southwest.
Juan Orlando Beltran Argueta
Home parish: St. Gabriel, Woodlawn
Family: Married 21 years to Glenda Beltran; three children
Diaconal Internships: St Agnes Hospital, Baltimore
Employment: Restaurant manager
Quote: “I want to help spread the word of the Lord and also to serve.”
Did you know? Beltran is fluent in multiple languages and serves now as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion.
Christopher James Cosentino
Home parish: St. Ann, Hagerstown
Family: Married 27 years to Dawn Cosentino; two children
Diaconal Internships: St. Anthony Shrine in Emmitsburg and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Thurmont; Chesapeake Detention in Baltimore
Employment: Religion teacher at Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg and visitor experience facilitator at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg
Quote: “I want to be a deacon so I can serve the people of the church. I am hopeful to be able to be a help to those in need. I look forward to being a part of a family’s most important times in their faith, either at baptism, marriage and even when they are called home to God.”
Did you know? Cosentino has been involved in all levels of Catholic education for nearly 30 years – serving as a classroom teacher, athletic director, principal, dean of students, college professor, president and associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Magnus Okwudili Ezeani
Home parish: St. Thomas More, Baltimore
Family: Married 12 years to Lilian Ihuoma Ezeani; four children
Diaconal Internships: St. Matthew, Northwood; Catholic campus ministry at Towson University
Employment: Lead clinical coordinator, People Encouraging People, Inc.; previous positions include work in mental health and store management
Quote: “I am looking forward to assisting the local church in harnessing and channeling the rich cultural, deep spirituality, vibrant liturgical experience and individual gifts of the immigrant community, especially within the city parishes.”
Did you know? Ezeani was born and raised in Nigeria. He loves sports, especially soccer.
David Wayne Glassman
Home parish: St. Isaac Jogues, Carney
Family: Married 37 years to Debra Glassman; four children, two grandchildren
Diaconal Internships: Our Lady Queen of Peace, Middle River; Towson University Newman Community, Towson
Employment: Assistant manager of facilities maintenance, Baltimore County Public Schools; supervisor, environmental services and industrial hygienist for BCPS; senior industrial hygiene specialist, The Travelers Insurance Company
Quote: “I want to be a deacon because God called me and I desire to do his will. I am looking forward to serving the people of God’s church in whatever way he asks. Formation has drawn me closer to Jesus in the Eucharist and helped me to find the peace and joy that comes from a relationship with our Lord.”
Did you know? Glassman and his wife enjoy lighthouses, wineries and minor league baseball on vacation. He is a fan of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of the English Premier League.
Kenneth Joseph Goedeke Jr.
Home parish: St. Ignatius, Hickory
Family: Married 19 years to Bridgit Cupp Goedeke; two children
Diaconal Internships: St. Stephen, Bradshaw; Church of the Holy Spirit, Joppatown; University of Maryland Medical Center Upper Chesapeake Hospital (Chaplain’s Office)
Employment: Director of mission and ministry at The John Carroll School, Bel Air; former religion teacher at John Carroll and Calvert Hall College High School, Towson, and coordinator of youth ministry at St. Isaac Jogues, Carney.
Quote: “We each have God-given gifts and are called by God to use those gifts to build the Kingdom of God. As a permanent deacon, I am most looking forward to teaching others about God’s word, serving those most in need through acts of service and charity, and walking with couples as they prepare for the sacrament of matrimony and the baptism of their children.”
Did you know? Goedeke recently went on a mission immersion trip to Guatemala with Maryknoll Missionaries, visiting the martyrdom site of Blessed Stanley Rother.
William Walter Hyde
Home parish: Holy Family Catholic Community, Middletown
Family: Married 32 years to Mary Hyde; two children
Diaconal Internships: Pastorate of St. John the Evangelist, Frederick/St. Joseph on Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown; Frederick Rescue Mission
Employment: Incident manager for AARP, formerly worked as a web services project manager
Quote: “Four years ago, I finally stopped resisting the call to ministry that had been pulling me for 40 years and entered diaconal formation. My pastoral and institutional assignments have helped me recognize that I can help – and serve – the people of the world and the church. I have learned to relax my barriers and open myself to listen and reach out in love to people of all backgrounds.”
Did you know? A convert from Methodism, Hyde has sung with classical choruses, church choirs and barbershop quartets. He sang in a madrigal choir while in graduate school.
James Charles Johnson
Home parish: St. Timothy, Walkersville
Family: Married 35 years to Rebecca Ann Johnson; three children
Diaconal Internships: St. Katharine Drexel, Frederick, and the Frederick Rescue Mission
Employment: General manager of Owner Direct Relationships for Limbach Company; previously worked for the University of Maryland, Siemens and the U.S. Navy.
Quote: “It’s not a question of whether or not I want to be a deacon; rather I have to be a deacon. I am most looking forward to working with the poor, forgotten and discarded in our communities.”
Did you know? Johnson spent 30 years in military service, both active and reserve in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service and U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue and Oil Spill Response teams.
Michael Scott King
Home parish: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City
Family: Married 19 years to Diane Lord King; one child
Diaconal Internships: UMBC Catholic campus ministry; Catholic Community of St. Augustine, Elkridge, and Church of the Ascension, Halethorpe; St. Martin’s Home for the Aged, Catonsville
Employment: Technical director at Department of Defense
Quote: “I am most looking forward to helping my upcoming assigned parish extend ministries to the retirement homes in our parish and also the prisons in our parish. Additionally, I look forward to working with my wife, Diane, in providing marriage prep to the couples in our upcoming assigned parish.”
Did you know? King is a professed secular Franciscan from the St. Joseph Cupertino Fraternity at the Shrine of St. Anthony, Ellicott City. Becoming a deacon was a “call within a call,” he said.
Brian Christopher Olsen
Home parish: St. Margaret, Bel Air
Family: Married 28 years to Bethany Olsen; five children, one grandchild
Diaconal Internships: St. Mark, Fallston; Women’s Care Center, Fullerton
Employment: Owner-architect of Skorpa Design Studio; former architect/associate at Frederick Ward Associates
Quote: “Service to others has always been an important part of my life and my faith. I feel God is calling me to be a deacon to continue that service in a special way, to be of service to God and his people, to his church.”
Did you know? As an architect, Olsen is passionate about the design of worship and sacred spaces. One of his favorite service activities is participating in a work camp in Preston County, W.Va. He also enjoys hiking with his family.
Johnpaul Ubah
Home parish: St Joan of Arc, Aberdeen
Family: Married 10 years to Joy Ubah; 10 children
Diaconal Internships: Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Institute for Evangelization; Catholic Center, Baltimore
Employment: Officer for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police
Quote: “To serve God and his church, the formation has improved my understanding of the Gospel of Christ. I look forward to helping my church continue the mission of Christ in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Did you know? Ubah was born and raised in Nigeria. He is from a family of five boys and three girls. He speaks five languages and loves music, soccer and football.
Daniel Ignatius Webster
Home parish: St. Margaret, Bel Air
Family: Married 28 years to Michelle Ann Webster; three children
Diaconal Internships: Women’s Care Center, Baltimore
Employment: Financial planner for AGK Financial Services
Quote: “The ministry to the diaconate is a response to God’s call to serve his people. As a husband, father, brother and son, this ministry allows us to marry, baptize and bury. It calls us to proclaim the Gospel and walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I am looking forward to seeing where God takes me as I journey with his people.”
Did you know? Grief ministry has become an integral part of Webster’s married life since the death by suicide of his son, Teddy.
Oscar Rolando Velasquez
Home parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Highlandtown, and St. Patrick, Fells Point
Family: Married nine years to Fatima Velasquez; one child
Diaconal Internships: St. Clare, Essex; Institute for Evangelization – Office of Parish Renewal
Employment: IT specialist with the Social Security Administration
Quote: “I want to respond to God’s call to a life of service by imitating Christ’s love and compassion in all my interactions with those with whom I come in contact. As a bilingual individual, I would like to use my language skills to serve at a multicultural parish.”
Did you know? Velasquez enjoys amusement parks with his family and riding roller coasters. He attended World Youth Day in Poland in 2016, fulfilling a longtime dream to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet at the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow.
Thomas R. White
Home parish: St. Joseph, Sykesville
Family: Married 38 years to Valerie Jean; two children, one grandchild with another due this fall
Diaconal Internships: St. Louis, Clarksville; St. Martin’s Home for the Aged, Catonsville
Employment: Hiring manager with the Carroll County Sheriff’s office; former investigator with several federal agencies; owned a consulting firm
Quote: “I have felt the call to ministry for more than 20 years. My desire is to bring as many people as possible to Christ through his one true church. I look forward to working in all aspects of the marriage ministries with my wife and working with OCIA classes.”
Did you know? White is a member of the Fire Brigade of Greater Baltimore Pipes and Drums and has piped Archbishop William E. Lori into the Baltimore Basilica at multiple St. Patrick’s Day Masses.
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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