Matt Damiani, 39, and his wife, Lisa, have eight children. A business manager, Damiani said diaconate formation has taught him to be open to moments of service and experiences of God’s presence when they are least expected. He hopes to be open as a deacon to God’s working in his family, job and ministry, and “to be ready to serve him at any moment.” A parishioner of St. Peter in Forest Lake, he is scheduled to be ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Dec. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The Catholic Spirit asked him via email about his vocation. His answers were edited for clarity.
Q. What inspired you to pursue the diaconate?
A. At the time I didn’t realize it, but I would trace it back to the priestly ordination of a friend of mine. During Mass I really felt drawn to be a servant of the altar, especially when the candidates for ordination were lying flat on their faces in the sanctuary. It was only a couple of years later that I could trace the thoughts of diaconate back to that experience. I was an altar boy growing up and I always enjoyed serving at Mass. As I grew older, I was a regular lector at my parish. All those experiences came together and something just hinted that I should look into the diaconate.
Q. What made you certain this was your call?
A. All along the way I tried to be open to what God was asking of me in that moment. So I tried to discern if he was calling me to apply, and then if he was calling me to enter formation. Through each year, discerning if I should stay in formation was always on my mind. Not doubting or debating with myself, but just continually asking God if this was what he wanted. In the final year, it became more real to me with all the preparations for ordination, and then I received the call to orders from the archbishop. Certainty was growing each year, but at that moment it finally sunk in. Even now, I still ask daily for God to help me to do his will as I prepare for ordination.
Q. What aspect of diaconate ministry are you most looking forward to?
A. I really love to serve at the altar, being so close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, especially at the moment of consecration. I also really look forward to being able to bring those I meet in ministry, at work and my family to the altar, while sharing the love of Christ with them.
Q. What areas of ministry are you especially interested in?
A. Of all the internships we participated in, I enjoyed prison ministry the most. The men and women who are incarcerated have many spiritual needs and I have witnessed God working in those meetings in a very powerful way.
Q. What role will your family plan in your new ministry?
A. With eight young children (although one is almost a teenager) I see my ministry as a deacon as a large part of our family life. We pray together and my older children are involved at church as altar servers, lectors and singing in the choir. As they get older I hope I can be an example of service that leads them close to God and their vocation.
Q. What part of your formation has been the most rewarding?
A. Going into the deep. Learning how to pray and going deeper and deeper into prayer has really helped me to grow as a man of God. I can look back at who I was at the beginning of the process and see that God has really changed me. In formation you quickly learn to let go of your plans and desires and eventually learn to love his plan. I wouldn’t be able to learn my faith, homily techniques, how to conduct any liturgical rites, etc. without that conversion.
Q. What do you most hope to offer the Church through this vocation?
A. Only myself and the gifts God has given me. Formation has taught me to expect the unexpected. The most effective moments of service and experience of God’s presence usually happen when you least expect them. Just being open to God’s working in my family, job and ministry to be ready to serve him at any moment.
Q. What has been the most challenging part of pursuing this vocation?
A. Having a young family, there are questions about whether this is the right time to pursue a call to the diaconate. There is no getting around the fact that it is a big commitment to attend all the classes over four years, plus time for reading, homework, preparation, retreats and the internships. I had to get creative on how to find ways to get all the work done, without giving up too much family time. In the end, our whole family had to make sacrifices and I am appreciative of all the support they gave me during formation.
Q. What can the Church do to inspire other men to answer the diaconate calling?
A. There is great momentum in our local church surrounding the diaconate. Growing up I never heard of a deacon. Over time I’ve seen more and more of them leading up to my time in formation. The interest is growing and as we have more deacons serving in parishes and ministries, more men will be attracted to see if God is calling them. The most important thing is for people (both lay and clergy) to personally encourage men who are considering the diaconate or who seem to be a good candidate.
Q. What advice would you give another man discerning the diaconate?
A. If you are at all open to serving God and his Church, I would recommend you find out what it means to be a deacon. One way to do this is talking to other deacons, especially if you encounter one in a similar situation as you. You can also read about the theology of the diaconate or the deacon saints (like Stephen and Lawrence to name a couple) and attend the next Deacon Discernment Day. If you still feel open after that, take the next steps and keep going with the application and formation process. Don’t listen to those small doubts you have about not being worthy or good enough, that is not how God will let you know his plans for you. The Holy Spirit is the one who calls men to be deacons, so you just have to listen, pray about it, and follow the guidance of the Church.
