Fifteen Permanent Catholic Deacons will be Ordained on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago
Chicago, (May 6, 2025) – Fifteen permanent Catholic deacons will be ordained at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., Chicago. Bishop Lawrence Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago, will be the main celebrant at the ordination and will offer the homily. The newly ordained deacons will be assigned to parishes in Blue Island, Chicago, Cicero, Des Plaines, Flossmoor, Inverness, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Niles, Oak Lawn, River Forest, Skokie, Wadsworth, Wauconda and Waukegan.
The ordination will be livestreamed on the archdiocese’s YouTube channel Catholic Chicago: https://youtube.com/live/_6-fNLTvEYU?feature=share
“As we ordain these men to the sacred order of the diaconate, we rejoice in the gift they are to the Church,” said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago. “Deacons serve as visible signs of Christ the Servant called to be the hands and voice of Him in our communities proclaiming the Word, assisting at the altar and reaching out to those in need. Their ministry strengthens the mission of the Church and reminds us that true greatness is found in humble service.”
In the Catholic Church, deacons preparing for the priesthood are known as transitional deacons. They are seminarians ordained after their third year of theology studies at Mundelein Seminary and will return for one more year of studies as deacons before ordination to the priesthood in 2024. Those not planning to be ordained priests are called permanent deacons. Married men may be ordained as permanent deacons. Single men who commit to celibacy may be ordained as permanent deacons.
The newly ordained deacons will assist the bishop and his priests in ministries of the Word, Liturgy and Charity. These include proclaiming the Gospel, leading intercessions, preaching, preparing the altar, celebrating baptisms, leading the faithful in prayer, distributing holy communion, witnessing marriages, and conducting wake and funeral services. Deacons also identify the needs of the poor and underserved, and shepherd the Church's resources to meet them.
Diaconate formation for permanent deacons requires completion of a comprehensive, four-year archdiocesan program (offered in both English and Spanish) at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. The programs include human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions of formation and a year-long parish pastoral ministry internship. The program is mandated by both the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Please see below for the list of this year’s candidates for the diaconate
Permanent deacons, their wives, if married, and home parishes:
Deacon Miguel Garcia Prado – Saint Donatus, Blue Island
Deacon Gabriel Gomez and Ilda Rivera – Most Blessed Trinity, Waukegan
Deacon Rodrigo and Angelica Gomez – Our Lady of Fatima Saint Pancratius Parish, Chicago
Deacon Juan and Laura Franco – Our Lady of Czestochowa and Charity Parish, Cicero
Deacon Francisco and Martha Naranjo – Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Des Plaines
Deacon Alfredo and Lizette Yepez – Good Shepherd and Epiphany, Chicago
Deacon Matthew and Susan Jones – St. Gerald, Oak Lawn
Deacon Robert and Kristin Lanigan – Holy Family, Inverness
Deacon James Bratager – St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest
Deacon Victor and Rowena Alcaraz-Gomez – Ss. Peter and Lambert, Skokie
Deacon Kenneth Michaels – Transfiguration, Wauconda
Deacon John and Linda McNichols – St. Veronica, Flossmoor
Deacon Dennis and Edina Holley – St. Brigid Parish, Wadsworth
Deacon Pablo and Ines Janowicz – Church of St. Mary, Lake Forest
Deacon Marl and Fritzie Albarillo – St. John Brebeuf Niles
* Deacon Gregory Fidanzia – St. William, Chicago (will be ordained on July 19, 2025 at Santa Maria Del Popolo, Mundelein, by Bishop Mark Bartosic)
* Deacon William and Marie Aquino – Santa Maria del Popolo, Mundelein (will be ordained on July 19, 2025 at Santa Maria Del Popolo by Bishop Mark Bartosic)
The Archdiocese of Chicago has the largest Catholic diaconate community in the world with 459 active deacons involved in 184 parishes and agencies. Since 1972, the archdiocese has ordained 1,514 men as permanent deacons. Active, retired, and inactive deacons total 637, while another 62 Chicago deacons serve in dioceses around the country – from Florida to California.
