10
Gulf Pine Catholic
•
July 1, 2016
Nine men are candidates for permanent diaconate
Class of 2019
James Balentine
James Balentine, 56, is mar-
ried to Tina. They have five chil-
dren and two grandchildren. They
are parishioners of Most Holy
Trinity Parish in Pass Christian,
where Balentine serves as an
extraordinary minister of the
Eucharist, lector, commentator,
CCD teacher and RCIA instructor.
He is involved in prison ministry and is a member of
the Knights of Columbus. Balentine is a job coach and
works in maintenance.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“My wife is a cradle Catholic and I became Catholic
at the age of 22, four years after our marriage. I have
come to love my faith and my church. I want to serve
the church, the people,” he said. “I teach CCD to the
pre-confirmation age and the one question that I ask
each class every year is ‘Why are you here?’ I ask that
of myself every time I am at Mass and I want to do the
most that I can every time I am there. Being a deacon
will allow me to take what I can do at Mass and take it
out into the community. It will give me the ability to
serve to the utmost of my gifts and talents, putting them
to full use. I have wanted to be a deacon since I was 31
and hopefully all will go well.”
Sean Fink
Sean Fink, 49, is married to
Judy. They have four children and
are expecting their first grand-
child. They are parishioners of St.
Thomas Aquinas Parish in
Hattiesburg, where Fink serves as
an extraordinary minister of the
Eucharist and lector. He is also
involved in the RCIA program and
is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Fink is a
gastroenterologist.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“I am not sure that I pursued this ministry. It feels
more like responding to the nudging of the Holy Spirit.
We are called to know God, love God and serve God.
When the door was opened and I was invited to attend
an informational session, the process flowed forth with-
out any stumbling blocks,” he said. “Judy and I have
been blessed by our new friends and the formational
growth we have experienced during the Aspirancy year.
We are blessed to have this opportunity to serve Christ
and his church through the diaconate if it is God’s will
to see us through to ordination.”
Mardoqueo Magaña
Mardoqueo Magaña, 51, is
married to Graciela. They have
three children and three grandchil-
dren. They are parishioners of St.
Alphonsus Parish in Ocean
Springs, where he serves as an
extraordinary minister of the
Eucharist, choir director and con-
firmation class instructor. Magaña
is a construction worker who specializes in drywall and
painting.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“I have served the church of God all my life but,
when he called me for the diaconate program I had to
stop to think about it because it is a challenge for me,”
he said. “I don’t feel worthy to serve on the altar of the
Lord, but if that is his will I receive it with an open
heart. It is a huge privilege to serve the Lord and his
people.”
Earl Saucier
Earl Saucier, 51, is married to
Charlotte. They have two children
and two grandchildren. They are
parishioners of Sacred Heart
Parish in Dedeaux, where he is an
extraordinary minister of the
Eucharist, altar server and lector.
Saucier also serves on the parish
council and is chairman of the
Sacred Heart Parish Bazaar. He is also a member of the
Knights of Columbus. Saucier is employed as a main-
tenance area manager.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“I have heard the call from God to serve several
times during my life. Earlier in my life I didn’t listen or
decided that I knew what was best for me. I would jus-
tify it by telling myself that priests or people of reli-
gious orders were better than me. That they weren’t like
me at all, they don’t live typical lives or enjoy the same
things the rest of us do,” said Saucier. “Answering
God’s call to serve is something more perfect Christians
do, right? Wrong! ‘God doesn’t call the qualified, but
qualifies those whom he calls.’While on retreat several
years ago, I heard God calling me to serve again. This
time I listened, putting my trust in the Holy Spirit to
help guide me in how I was to serve. So here Charlotte
and I are, beginning our first year of Candidacy in the
Diaconate with eight other faithful and loving couples
ready to serve Christ and his Church.”
SEE PERMANENT DIACONATE, PAGE 11
John Williams
John E. (Johnny) Williams, 54,
is married to Sondra. They have
three children and two grandchil-
dren. They are parishioners of
Nativity BVM Cathedral, where
he serves as an extraordinary min-
ister of the Eucharist. Williams is
also involved in Cursillo. He is
employed as a Licensed Certified
Social Worker (LCSW) / Director of Customer
Satisfaction at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“I have heard the call to active ministry since I was
a teenager when I became involved with CYO and with
the Diocesan Search program,” said Williams.
“Throughout my teens and adult years, I served primar-
ily as a minister of music, and enjoyed this aspect of
ministry. However, there was always something ‘miss-
ing,’ something more that I felt I should be doing.
Cursillo helped me to better understand the call of God
to active ministry, and has also helped me to develop
and enrich my spiritual life. I truly believe that God
places certain people in our paths who direct and
encourage us, and who help us to recognize and
respond to His call. I am blessed to have had many of
these people throughout my lifetime that have helped to
guide me to candidacy and hopefully to ordination.”
William Stentz
William Stentz, Jr., 59, is mar-
ried to Carol Ann Stentz. They are
parishioners of Our Lady of
Fatima Parish in Biloxi, where he
serves in a variety of ministries
including: extraordinary minister
of the Eucharist (he also brings
Communion to the sick and shut-
ins), lector, RCIA, altar server,
choir, Bible study and juvenile detention ministry.
Stentz is also a member of the Knights of Columbus
(Fourth Degree). He is a retired Air Force dentist.
On pursuing the call to diaconal ministry
“At a critical juncture in my Air Force career in
2009, I was praying before the tabernacle for guidance
and peace of mind. It became clear as day that I was to
serve His Church through the diaconate, and I was left
with an overwhelming sense of peace and joy,” said
Stentz. “I didn’t discuss this with anyone but my wife
initially, but the topic kept reappearing in different situ-
ations and from different people who did not know
about my Tabernacle experience. I continued to serve
my country overseas for the next four years which did
not allow me to investigate this calling any further
other than through prayer, reading and discussions with
priests. After retiring and returning to Biloxi, the timing
and pieces of the puzzle just fell into place with the
diaconate information session, followed by the
Aspirancy application process and ultimate acceptance
into the Aspirancy year that next summer. Everything
in God’s time!”
