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Last month, the second class
of permanent deacons in the Oakland Diocese celebrated the 25th anniversary
of their ordination. Below we pay tribute to these men and their wives
for their years of diaconal service in parishes throughout the diocese,
with their reflections.
Deacon Nicholas Bruckner
Wife: Paula
Children: 5 Grandchildren:
5
Occupation: Custodian (retired)
Parish: St. Edward, Newark
Deacon assignments: St. Edward Parish, Newark; prison
ministry, Santa Rita; be-reavement ministry
My prison ministry at Santa Rita was my most
significant service be-cause the inmates and their families appreciated
that someone cared. My wife Paula and I ministered there for 10 years.
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Deacon Frank Bustos
Wife: Graciela
Children: 3 Grandchildren:
5
Occupation: retired
Parish: St. Anthony, Oakley; St. Anne, Byron
Deacon assignments: St. Anthony Parish (1982-1985,
2005-present); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Brentwood (1985-2005); St.
Anne, Byron (2007)
It doesn’t seem possible that 25 years
have gone by. But it’s understandable when you are doing something
you love that time flies. My wife Graciela and I have been blessed
in our ministries; we work together. For 21 of the 25 years we worked
under the supervision of our beloved Father John Garcia. May he rest
in peace.
One of my favorite things is doing quinceañeras, not a sacrament,
but a cultural event rooted in the Hispanic community and a chance
to evangelize. Sometimes they are girls I have baptized. To see the
teary eyes on parents and the young lady who becomes a “princess
for a day” is very rewarding to me.
I treasure the times when a couple approaches us at the supermarket
and says, “You remember us? You gave us the pre-Cana class 15
years ago and we are still together.” Or a couple we have counseled
tells us, “You saved our marriage.”
Our continuous prayer to God is that He grants us health to continue
serving Him in whatever capacity we can for another 25 years |
Deacon
Robert Dowling
Wife: Kathleen
Children: 6 Grandchildren:
7
Occupation: Corporate manager
of human resources, Safeway Stores, Inc. (retired)
Parish:
Our Lady of Grace, Castro Valley
Deacon assignments: Assistant director of deacon
formation, Diocese of Oakland; chaplain, Santa Rita Jail; coordinator
of visitors to the sick, Our Lady of Grace Parish.
For close to 10 years, I was a volunteer
chaplain at Santa Rita jail, under the full-time chaplain, Deacon
Frank Beville. It was an opportunity for me to reach out and serve
the men and women who were struggling most in our society. One of
my assignments was to hold a communion service for the inmates in
their chapel. My wife would accompany me to this service and play
the piano for the hymns we sang. It was my first time leading congregation
singing, but with Kathleen’s leading us on the piano, we did
it.
The other ministry I was very much involved with was coordinating
visitors to the sick and homebound. The men and women volunteers who
worked with me did an outstanding job of service to these parishioners
and were an example to me of what it means to love and reach out to
the sick in the parish.
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Deacon Gaston Duhe
Wife: Vera
Children: 6 Grandchildren:
5
Occupation: Retired
Parish: St. Columba, Oakland
Deacon assignments: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Oakland;
St. Anthony Parish, Oakland; St. Patrick Parish, Oakland; St. Columba
Parish, Oakland
I enjoyed visiting and providing pastoral
care to the sick and elderly in rest homes. Many of the people I visited
were alone and looked forward to the visits and weekly companionship.
I looked forward to the visits as much as they did.
As a deacon, I was able to meet and minister to many wonderful people.
I was also fortunate to have four different parish assignments over
the course of my service, which allowed me to meet and work with so
many people.
It was a wonderful experience and I feel very blessed to have been
part of this religious community. |
Deacon Ernest Perez
Wife: Josephine
Children: 6 Grandchildren:
10
Occupation: Educator (retired)
Parish: St. Edward, Newark
Deacon assignments: Director of RCIA, St. Edward
Parish, Newark
Revealing the beauty of God through Jesus
to those coming into the Church has been the most significant part
of my ministry as a deacon. |
Deacon David Rezendes
Occupation: Bishop’s representative and director
of deacon personnel for the Oakland Diocese; chairman of the board
and president of Security Eye Patrol, Inc.;
Parish: St. Michael, Livermore
Deacon assignments: St. Michael Parish, Livermore;
secretary general of Santa’s Secret Service.
The most significant part of my ministry
as a deacon is helping those in need. Having one foot in the clerical
state and one foot in the outside world has helped me reach people
who have been estranged from the Church be able to return home to
the Church. I feel humbled that I am an instrument in God’s
plan for the People of God.
The love of God is witnessed countless times in people — baptisms,
weddings, funerals, parishioners, visits to the Livermore farms and
ranches, Santa’s Secret Service ministry, the ministry of the
lights, and those who await an invitation to return to church. What
excitement!
I wonder if they know how much they in turn minister to me. God works
in mysterious ways and I have learned that throughout these 25 years.
I am humbled in God’s call for me to minister to his people.
Diaconate has been an exciting ministry and even with the challenges
and the ups and downs of life, I have no regrets. I ask for your prayers
for our priests, deacons, and religious. In these challenging years
of Church problems with child abuse, there remain thousands upon thousands
of very spiritual, faithful and law-abiding priests, deacons and religious.
Looking back, I would not trade the experience of serving God as a
deacon for anything. |
Deacon Hector Victoria
Wife: Martha
Children: 4
Occupation: Teacher (retired)
Parish: St. Raymond, Dublin
Deacon assignments: Director, Office for Hispanic
Affairs; St. Elizabeth Parish, Oakland; St. Raymond Parish, Dublin
My greatest satisfaction came in serving
the Latino community in the Oakland Diocese. Additionally, being able
to serve my extended family — performing baptisms, officiating
at weddings, and preparing couples for marriage — has been a
great joy. |
Also celebrating their ordination jubilees:
Deacon Dennis Davis,
St. Leander Parish, San Leandro
Deacon Paul Frumkin,
St. Clement Parish, Hayward (retired)
Deacon George Peters,
St. Alphonsus Ligouri Parish, San Leandro |
