David Scott Bohnenstiehl

David Bohnenstiehl, 46, and his wife, Carla, are parishioners at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Collinsville. They have a daughter, who lives at home, a grown and married son, and two grandchildren.

Bohnenstiehl says he had found himself drawing away from the church over things that were happening in his life. "But it wasn't until my best friend experienced tragic events that I started looking inwardly about what was going on in my life," he says.

Aware of the quandary Bohnenstiehl was experiencing, another friend of his "told me I needed to go to a Cursillo. He haggled with me about it for a month, and finally I gave in and went to one."

Standing in the food line at the Cursillo, Bohnenstiehl struck up a conversation with the man next to him. "He was a deacon, and when we got to talking, I told him about what I was experiencing, and he told me, 'Turn to God and ask for answers.' That is where it all started. I realized I hadn't been talking to God, I had been yelling at him because of all the things that were going on in my life. I kind of gave God an ultimatum. The deacon pointed me in the direction of Timothy in the Bible."Bohnenstiehl continued, "I had never even heard about a deacon, other than a transitional deacon, in the church before that."

Bohnenstiehl is employed full time as director of information technology for Bayard, a publishing firm in Fenton, Mo., that prints Living Faith, a daily devotional found in the back of churches, and Catholic Digest.

"With my work responsibilities and my family responsibilities, my first year in diaconate formation was a trial, to fit in all the reading, and writing papers into my lifestyle. We also were driving three and a half hours to Quincy, which meant I had to get off work early on Friday afternoons. Our son had just gone into the Air Force, and our daughter, who lives with us, was just getting out of high school. Still my wife was able to attend nearly all of the classes with me."

Bohnenstiehl served his internship at St. Cecilia Parish in Glen Carbon, under Father Joseph Kerber. His spiritual director is Father Charles Edwards, who will vest him at his diaconate ordination.
— By Cathy Locher

Sean Alan Caveny

Sean Caveny, 41, lives in Gillespie, and is a parishioner at St. Joseph in Benld.

He has a bachelor's degree from Blackburn College, a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and is employed with the American Water Co. at its Customer Service Center in Alton.

Caveny was working for a telemarketing firm and traveling all over the country in 2001 when he decided to move back to Illinois to help his mother after his father died. "Mom is retired from St. John's Hospital. She has always played the organ at church, and I'm a singer. But when I moved back here I got involved even more deeply in the church parish life ministry." He also earned his cantor certification in 2005.

His family has a history of ministry. "Two of my cousins are ministers, an uncle is a Holy Cross priest at Notre Dame, family members are in the Knights of Columbus," says Caveny, who is a past Grand Knight of Council 12220 in Bunker Hill.
As a single person, Caveny acknowledges he has been asked more than once 'Why be a deacon, why not a priest?'

"I considered the priesthood, but when this came along, it just seemed a better fit," says Caveny. "Deacons are people who help the priests. With all the things a priest has to do, it take some of the burden off him."

Vesting Caveny will be Deacon Leo Bistak, who was at Quincy University and helped with the diaconate formation program, and now lives in Lawrence, Kan.

Caveny has three brothers and a sister, "and two nieces, three nephews and one grand nephew."
— By Cathy Locher

Harry L. Cramer

Harry Cramer, 60, and his wife, Cynthia, are members of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy. They have two grown and married children, and five grandchildren.

Cramer is nearly four years into his second career — teaching criminal justice at Quincy University. For 30 years he was with the Quincy Police Department, retiring as deputy police chief last summer. Cramer was a deputy sheriff for two years before joining the city.

He grew up a Methodist, and says he even contemplated becoming a Methodist minister when he started college, "but then the opportunity to go into law enforcement opened up, and I jumped at the change," says Cramer.

"Cynthia is a lifelong Catholic, and I joined the Catholic Church after our son was born. Attending a Marriage Encounter as well as a Cursillo broadened my view and understanding of the church and its ministries."
He first learned about the diocese's plans to begin a diaconate program while surfing on the Internet, "but the diocesan website for the program was 'under construction.'"

Cramer continued, "It wasn't until I talked to Deacon Leo Bistak at Quincy University that I learned more. He wanted me to meet with Msgr. Mike Kuse.

"I just felt the call, the itch never went away. I had an internship, and found the work satisfying. I had always felt the desire to do something more."

For his first year in formation "we were at Quincy University, and that was nice." Then the diaconate program relocated more centrally to the Villa Maria Catholic Life and Conference Center in Springfield and, he says, offered more opportunity for people throughout the diocese to participate.

"We enjoyed the Villa," he says.

He is looking forward to his ordination. "I will present my homilies and pray to the Holy Spirit. Those who need to hear, will hear it."

Father Donald Knuffman, his spiritual director during formation, will vest him at ordination.
— By Cathy Locher

Robert Francis Crosby

Robert Crosby, 60, and his wife, Marian, are parishioners at St. Jerome in Troy. They have three grown children, two of whom are married, and one grandchild.

Crosby was born in central New York State. His father was in the military, first in the Air Force and later in the Army, "so I grew up living on military bases around the country," says Crosby, who as an adult joined the Air Force as a commissioned officer, and spent 25 years in the military, retiring in 2000.

"I'm a meteorologist, so I traveled quite a bit when I was in the service. I went to a number of places by myself, but as a family we lived on Guam, in California, Washington, and Oklahoma. My last assignment was at Scott Air Force Base here in Illinois, when I retired." He now works as a business manager for a defense contractor.

"Many times we went to Masses on the military bases, but in some places, like on Guam, we got to experience being part of a different sort of parish than in the U.S.," he says.
He says he has always been active at his church, "as an extraordinary minister, in the choir, lectoring, in RCIA …"

But in recent years he felt a call to do more. "It blossomed and grew over a period of time."

For the past two years, he has served at Ss. Peter and Paul in Collinsville, under the direction of Father John Beveridge. "I've been very blessed with my parish. This is a very good community, there is good diversity here," he says.

Deacon Ben Hoeffler will vest him at his diaconate ordination.
— By Cathy Locher

James Rolland Hill

Dr. James Hill, 60, and his wife, Diane, are members of Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Collinsville. They have five grown children and five grandchildren with another one due in July.

"I've followed the example of my parents, and have always been active in my parish," says Hill, a licensed veterinarian. He is an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, and with his wife, belongs to two different church choirs and the booster club.

His wife, a registered nurse, works full time at Our Lady of the Snows in the geriatrics division. "She attended as many of the formation sessions as she could," he says.
A series of events triggered Hill's decision to enter the diaconate program. "One factor was my Cursillo experience, which was sort of the icing on the cake. Back in 1988 my wife and I attended a Marriage Encounter weekend. Then Father Bob Porter told me, 'You would make a good deacon.' But it was when Deacon Jim Ghiglione was here in our parish and he asked me, 'Did you ever think of becoming a deacon?' that kind of pushed the whole process into high gear," Hill says.

"After some amount of prayer and reflection, and no less than a lot of the work of the Holy Spirit, I'm finally here. I've been fortunate to be able to hire other veterinarians to fill in for me on weekends when I have to be gone for formation."

Hill served his internship under Father Charles Edwards at St. Paul in Highland. Father Pat Jakel, his spiritual director, will vest him at his ordination.
— By Cathy Locher

Leland Bernard Johns

Lee Johns, 64, is from St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Staunton, where he owns and operates a Radio Shack franchise. He and his wife, Janis, have three married daughters and nine grandchildren.

He and his wife have both been Catholics all their lives. "We were living in Nashville, when the Belleville diocese started its diaconate program, and I thought it was something I might be interested in, but I didn't pursue it," says Johns.

They have lived in the Springfield diocese for over 30 years.

"Throughout my life I've had things happen to me, faced some tough obstacles, and survived. My decision to go in the diaconate is a way to give back — a thanksgiving for making it through the tough things I've faced in life," says Johns.

He describes his deacon formation program as "quite a journey," and says Janis has been very much a part of the process. "She only missed one weekend session during the entire time, and that was to go to one of our granddaughter's gymnastic meets."

During formation he was assigned to what is now Blessed Pope John Paul II Parish in Mt. Olive, under the direction of Father Larry Anschutz. Father Anschutz will vest him at his ordination to the diaconate.

As a businessman, he has first hand knowledge of the growing ethnic diversity in central Illinois. "A lot of what we do at work is helping people. We have a lot of people from China, Mexico and the Philippines come into our business for help. Treating them fairly, justly, and helping them to not feel like they are outsiders is important. The same thing applies to our churches."

The about-to-be ordained permanent deacons have yet to receive their parish assignment. "When you think of leaving the security of your home parish and going to other parishes to serve, it is a challenge, but I'm comfortable with that. I want to go where God wants me to be," says Johns.
— By Cathy Locher

Paul Edward Koch

Paul E. Koch, 58, is from Holy Family Parish in Mt. Sterling. He and his wife, Charlotte, have three grown and married sons and two step-grandchildren.

"I was considering the diaconate almost from the time I first heard about it," says. Koch. "My pastor had brought it up and encouraged me to look into it." But at that time his wife was finishing her degree in educational administration to be a certified school principal, "so I kept it in my mind, and waited to sign up when they announced the 2012 class was forming."

Koch says he was active in his parish when he entered the diaconate — visiting shut-ins, reading petitions at Mass and doing other things when needed. He is also an active member of the Knights of Columbus. Father Christopher Brey at St. Alexius Parish, Beardstown, was his parish supervisor.

Charlotte, now a retired school principal, helps out at the St. Alexius parish office in Beardstown.
Koch works in the inventory control office at Dot Foods in Mt. Sterling.

"I have enjoyed the formation process," says Koch. "It has been a while since high school and college, so it takes time to get through the readings and the papers to write. But we persevered.

"I think the diaconate formation people have prepared us well. Everything they have taught us, everything that St. Meinrad's has taught us, depends on the grace of the Holy Spirit to take us the rest of the way."

Father Jeffrey Stone is Koch's spiritual adviser. Father Brey will vest Koch at his diaconate ordination.
— By Cathy Locher

Robert M. Lundberg

Bob Lundberg is the only deacon candidate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois who lives in Missouri. He and his wife Mary Ann reside in Maywood, Mo., but have always been members of Quincy parishes.

"Maywood is just a tiny town that is just across the (Mississippi) river," says Lundberg, who was member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy (and before that the former St. Boniface Parish) until 2010.

Raised a Methodist, Lundberg converted to Catholicism at age 18 and takes his faith very seriously. "I have always felt like I needed to do something for the church," he says. "I have been a (extraordinary) Communion minister and a lector. I have always thought I'd like to be a deacon, but until now the time wasn't right."
As a member of St. Boniface Parish, Lundberg says he didn't have to look far for a spiritual mentor. "While I was at St. Boniface, Father John Carberry was an inspiration for me," he says. "He is such a holy man." For the past two years, Lundberg has been serving an internship with Father Leo Enlow at St. Peter Parish, where he is now a member.

Lundberg, 62, has been a grain farmer since he was just 14 years old. "I began farming then because my dad died," he explains. He and his wife Mary Ann married young, and have been happily married for 43 years. They have four sons, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Lundberg is thankful that his family has been extremely supportive of his calling. "I really couldn't have done this without them," he says, adding that all the soon-to-be-ordained deacons have helped, too. "We are just a really tight-knit group. The wives are that way, too."

Lundberg, who will be vested by his spiritual director, Father Don Blaeser, OFM, says there is one person who he will miss at his ordination. "I lost my mother, Ruth Ann Lundberg, in October," he says. "She wasn't a Catholic, but she was so looking forward to my ordination. I miss her immensely, but I know she'll be there with us in spirit."
— By Diane Schlindwein

John Harold Murphy

Although John Murphy has long been interested in the diaconate program, he can distinctly remember the moment he realized that God really intended for him to become a deacon.

"At the beginning I would see stories about the diaconate program in Catholic Times, and then I'd hear somebody mention it, so that piqued my interest," Murphy says, noting that he eventually went to an informational meeting and began filling out the paperwork.

"I had filled out the paperwork and I still wasn't sure," he says. "So one Sunday morning my wife and I were at church before Mass and I was praying, 'Lord, if this is what you want me to do, send me some kind of sign.'

"I sat down and my wife handed me a pamphlet that was in the pew. It was about the diaconate program. I had never seen one of the pamphlets there before. So I figured that was God's way of telling me that this is what I was supposed to do."
Since those days, John and Lita Murphy have been doing a lot of traveling. They live on a farm in Worden but call St. Boniface in Edwardsville their home parish.

Moreover, since 2010 he has been serving an internship at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Bethalto. During the week John works at FASTechnology in Glen Carbon. Of course, some weekends he has been traveling to Springfield to meet with his fellow deacons-in-training.

John and Lita have three daughters, Lisa Schmidt, Alicia Augustine and Meghan Herbeck. They also have three grandchildren. Lita is retired from a government job and is an advocate for the annulment process in the diocesan Tribunal.

Now that his ordination is so close and they know life will be even busier, John and Lita have closed a business that they've had for quite a while. "We've been in the alpaca business, which we started while we lived in New Jersey. We bred and raised alpacas and were up to having 28 of them," he says. "We've been selling them off and we just sold the last one. My wife will continue knitting and spinning, but we don't have the alpacas anymore."

Murphy, 59, has asked one of his mentors to vest him at his ordination: Deacon Jim Ghiglione, parish life coordinator of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Mt. Zion and St. Isidore in Bethany. "Deacon Jim has spent many of the (training) weekends with us. He is a great guy."

When speaking about the many years he's spent in training for the diaconate, Murphy credits Lita for providing important support. "If it wasn't for my wife, I probably wouldn't have made it through," he says, adding that he is truly looking forward to June 16.
— Diane Schlindwein

Gregory Wayne Parquette

Springfield resident Greg Parquette says that up until about 10 years ago he didn't realize that the permanent diaconate existed in the Catholic Church; however, now he is about to be ordained a deacon himself.

"Really, becoming a deacon was really nothing that I ever thought of," says Parquette, who is 55 years old. "Then one time I was at a Mass in the Joliet diocese and saw someone else up at the altar with the priest. Later he explained that he was a deacon and was at Mass to help promote that vocation."

Parquette says his wife, Betty, had always told him she thought he had a religious vocation of some sort. So when the diaconate program opened up in the Springfield diocese, it was Betty who encouraged her husband to consider it.

"Finally, I made an appointment with (then) Msgr. (Kevin) Vann," says Parquette. "When I told him why I was there he said, 'I wondered if you were going to ask about that.'"
A member of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Parquette has been interning with Father Robert Jallas at St. Agnes Parish.

"I attend weekday Mass at Blessed Sacrament but I've been at St. Agnes on the weekends," he says, adding that his spiritual advisor is Father Peter Harman. Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Fort Worth is scheduled to vest him at his ordination.

The father of five children — two grown and three still at home — and two grandchildren, Parquette retired from the Illinois State Police about a year ago. He now teaches race driving for Skip Barber Racing School as well as working as a private performance driving instructor who sometimes contracts with police agencies.

"I don't teach young people how to drive, except for my own," he says with a chuckle. "I have a 16-year-old right now."

Parquette feels grateful for all that his wife, who converted to Catholicism seven years ago, has done along the way. "Betty has really shared in the formation, as much as she could because of the kids — and of course, we had our youngest daughter, Veronica, during that time," he says. "But she really has done a lot to help."

Now that ordination is imminent, Parquette says he is truly looking forward to his work in parishes. "I actually believe I was called to this," Parquette says. "The more I research the diaconate program, the more doors were opened. I just responded to the call."
— Diane Schlindwein

James Michael Schwartzkopf

As he approaches his ordination, James Schwartzkopf says it was pretty much blind faith that led him to the permanent diaconate program. He credits his wife, Donna, for supporting him "100 percent" as he and the other candidates have gone through classes and internships over the past years.

"Donna and I kind of jumped into this blind. My only experience with a deacon was with someone who was out of state," he says. "I really had no idea what a deacon was but I checked into this through the suggestion of Father Shawn Monahan (OMV), who is a good friend."

He may not have known about deacons but the idea of having a vocation was not a new concept to 55-year-old Schwartzkopf, who grew up being taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame. "Back then you were asked about vocations every day," he says.
The Schwartzkopfs have always been active members of a very large parish, St. Mary (Immaculate Conception) in Alton. They are lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and take Communion to the homebound.

Although they belong to a parish in Alton, the Schwartzkopfs actually live on 35 acres in Dorsey. "Dorsey is a small farming town. I grew up on a farm but I don't farm now," he says. "I am my own boss, however." He owns a commercial Alton-based printing company called Schwartzkopf Printing Inc.

He and Donna are the parents of two daughters, Monica Fischer and Laura Manns, and have four grandchildren.

For the past two years, Schwartzkopf has been interning at St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville, under the direction of Father Jeffrey Goeckner. His spiritual director is Father Thomas Horan, OMI. Father Monahan will vest him at his ordination.

"You know, I had a call to serve God and this is where I ended up," Schwartzkopf says. "This was God's choice, not mine."
— Diane Schlindwein

Charles Edward Theivagt

Charles "Charlie" Theivagt says that for the last 10 years or so he has felt God calling him to "serve the church in a more significant way." After enrolling in the lay ministry program, he moved forward and eventually joined the diaconate program.

"I enjoyed learning more about the Catholic faith and knew that if deacon formation involved even more intense instruction, that's what I wanted," he says. "I have been not been disappointed."

An attorney and real estate broker in Carrollton, Theivagt and his wife, Patricia, call St. Michael's in Greenfield their home parish. However,as a deacon candidate, 60-year-old Theivagt has been involved in many parishes.
"I have so enjoyed my pastoral assignments, initially working with Father Raphael Paul at St. Alphonsus Parish in Brighton and St. John Parish in Medora … . And more recently I have had the pleasure of working with Father Henry Schmidt at St. John the Evangelist in Carrollton, St. Michael in Greenfield and All Saints in White Hall.

"I especially thank the people of St. Michael Parish who have blessed me these past five years with a good will offering to assist me with books and other expenses," he says. "Pat and I wish to thank all who have prayed for us and encouraged us along the way."

Father Patrick Gibbons will vest Theivagt at his ordination. "Father Gibbons has been my spiritual director for the entire period of my diaconate," he says. "I am deeply thankful for him for his dedication to my formation."

Theivagt says he is also grateful for the support of his wife, with whom he shares a son and a daughter and four grandchildren. "My wife, Pat, has been such a blessing, joining me on nearly all of our formation weekends, following me to my pastoral assignments and being active herself as a lector, extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and as a youth leader.

"Nearly all of our weekends or retreats have fallen on her birthday, our wedding anniversary, Mother's Day or Father's Day and Pat has been very understanding," he says. "Our children and grandchildren have also been very supportive and encouraging every step of the way."

Theivagt says he is looking forward not only to his June 16 ordination, but also to what follows. "I've felt such a desire for ordination for the past year-and-a-half and am looking forward to serving the church to the fullest extent possible. I am somewhat anxious, as I realize that I have much to learn yet, but look forward to the adventure."
— Diane Schlindwein

Eugene V. Uptmor Jr.

Gene Uptmor says his personal journey to the diaconate has been a long one. Married to Pamela and the father of two grown daughters and four grandchildren, he once considered another type of life.

"When I graduated from high school (St. Anthony in Effingham) I entered Divine Word Seminary in Techny with the intention of becoming a missionary brother," he says. "After I discerned that wasn't what God wanted of me, I left, served my country in the Marine Corps and graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in political science."

Now part owner of Windsor Supply Co., which is a hardware store and lumber company, Uptmor is a carpenter by trade. "After all that I still had the desire to serve God and his people in some way and eventually felt the call to the diaconate," he says.
"Deacon John O'Brien, who was in the Class of 2007, was assigned to my home parish during his formation and he was instrumental in my quest to become a deacon. He has accompanied me on my journey by being present when I became a candidate, a reader and an acolyte. I am honored to have him vest me."

Uptmor, 63, lives in Windsor and calls Immaculate Conception in Shelbyville his home parish. He's currently serving at Immaculate Conception in Mattoon. His current pastoral supervisor is Father Dennis Kollross while Father John Titus, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Charleston is his spiritual director.

Although many people were helpful along the way to ordination, Uptmor says he is immensely grateful for his family and their support. "I would never have been able to do this without the help of my wife and best friend Pamela, who sacrificed a lot of her time with me so I could do my formation," he says.

Although he looks forward to his ordination, Uptmor admits to feeling a little emotional about the future. "It is kind of a bittersweet situation now that ordination is near and formation is nearly over. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve God and his people as a deacon after ordination, but now realize that I won't have the camaraderie and friendship of my classmates every month.

"We are a close group, so I imagine that we will stay in touch," he says. "That being said, I am truly excited and humbled about the plans that God has for me, no matter where he sends me."
— Diane Schlindwein

Thomas W. Wilkinson, Sr.

Thomas "Tom" Wilkinson, 61, says he has long been interested in becoming a deacon — he just waited patiently until the diaconate program came to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

"As a young man, I thought about the priesthood, but a priest talked me into waiting until I was older," he says. "I met my wife and that avenue became closed to me. I was very much aware of the diaconate program in other dioceses and finally answered the call when I had the chance five years ago."

Wilkinson, who is married to Susan, calls Ss. Peter and Paul in Alton his home parish, but has been serving with Father Steve Pohlman at St. Ambrose Parish in Godfrey since 2010. He is employed as a customer service representative for Express Scripts.
Though five years is a long time to study, Wilkinson says his wife and family have helped him immensely. Tom and Susan have four grown children — Thomas Wilkinson Jr., Katherine Stark, Theresa Washington and Clement "CJ" Wilkinson — and 11 grandchildren. "They all have been very supportive and proud of what I have been doing," he says.

Wilkinson feels confident that two other people, now passed away, would have been pleased with him, too. "I have been blessed that I've had two major shepherds in my life, during my formative years, (the late) Msgr. (James) Suddes and then (the late) Father Roger Schoenhofen, OMI, who provided guidance for me to join the diaconate," he says.

Now that his ordination draws near, Wilkinson looks forward to when his long-time spiritual advisor, Father Mark Dean, OMI, can vest him. "I am surprised that five years of training has gone by so quickly," he says. "I'm also anxious for ordination and to be able to finally serve God and my parish with a fervent grace provided to me by the Holy Spirit."
— Diane Schlindwein