April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
YEAR FOR CONSECRATED LIFE
Pain is part of new deacon's vocation story
"When you say you have health problems, people look at you differently," explained the diaconate candidate, who'll be ordained May 23 at Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. "I just say I'm retired."
Mr. Garceau, 53, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 16. The autoimmune disease affects the lining of the digestive tract and has triggered renal failure and pancreatitis for him.
Medications have weakened his bones, leading to three repeatedly broken discs in his back. After 20 years of working for UPS, he can't work a regular job anymore and often can't move around much at all.
But, while he said he won't be climbing ladders to build houses for Habitat for Humanity or carrying groceries for an elderly Catholic, the new deacon thinks his ministry will involve a different kind of service.
Different diaconate
"I can be a deacon visible in church," Mr. Garceau declared.
He said he wants to inspire other Catholics to say, "This guy can barely move, and he's doing something; what's stopping me?" He even plans to directly ask people to do the physical work that he can't.
A native of Cohoes, Mr. Garceau now lives in Latham with his wife, Kathleen, and their children: 22-year-old Anastasia, who's finishing a Master's degree at The University at Albany in public history to become a museum curator; and 12-year-old Alexei, a dinosaur enthusiast who dreams of being a paleontologist.
The Garceaus attend Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet, where Mr. Garceau has been a lector, eucharistic minister, catechist and soup kitchen volunteer over the years, among other ministries.
"Every time I got comfortable with something, I'd be looking for something else," he said.
Seven or eight years ago, he was cooking at the parish soup kitchen -- something he's no longer able to do -- when Rev. Edward Deimeke, pastor, happened by one day.
Observing him, the pastor casually said, "Have you ever thought about becoming a deacon?"
Game-changer
"He asked me that and he was gone," Mr. Garceau recalled. "Those were life-changing words."
The more the future deacon thought about ministry, the more it seemed right. Having done "all this running around" volunteering at his parish, he realized, "This could be what I'm called to do."
Today, he laughs about the idea of "the Holy Spirit slapping me in the head, saying, 'I've got plans for you.'"
Mr. Garceau's medical issues were a serious consideration -- not just for himself, but for his family and the Diocese in accepting him for diaconate formation.
"I did tell him" he needed to think about whether he was up to the task, said Mrs. Garceau. "I don't know how it will be. But I signed up for the journey, and we're continuing on the journey. We'll do it together."
Mr. Garceau had moments of self-doubt. He said Father Deimeke was always a "guiding hand," encouraging him to continue on his path.
Father Deimeke admitted he was forceful in promoting Mr. Garceau's candidacy: "I said, 'If this man isn't accepted, nobody should be accepted.' He's the kind of guy who should be called to that ministry. Physically, he has some disabilities, but nothing that's going to keep him from being a very effective deacon."
Can-do attitude
In fact, Mr. Garceau's health crises have made him lean toward doing hospital ministry after he's ordained. He just spent a month in the hospital himself, during which he concluded that "I'm very prepared to walk into a patient's room and understand what's running through their mind. Just recently, I was the person on the other side, the person in the bed.
"When you're lying in bed, sick and in pain, you're frustrated and you want to lash out," he continued. "People need to release that." He wants to be a person to whom people can speak honestly about their fears and frustrations.
He's also interested in the "fun stuff" and "sad stuff" -- baptisms and leading funeral services outside of Masses. "Being amongst the people: That's what it's all about," he said.
At the moment, Mr. Garceau is confined to the first floor of his house because of his back problems and a compromised immune system. He joked that his wife will sometimes say, "Want to go for a ride?" and take him for a drive: "I feel like the family pet. I grab my leash and go sit in the car."
When it comes to his vocation, Mr. Garceau is more serious. He's absolutely determined to attend his ordination ceremony this weekend, and to "sneak into" the vespers service the night before "and then [it's] back home, on the couch."
During the ordination, diaconate candidates are expected to lay prostrate on the floor to demonstrate humble obedience to God. Mr. Garceau has already arranged to have friends step in to help him if he can't get back up.
Why? Why not?
Upon learning about his passion to become a deacon, he said, people have pointed out his medical issues and asked, "'What's wrong with you? Why do you want to do that?'
"I never feel more alive than when I'm doing God's work. When I'm doing something hands-on, the pain goes away."
Mrs. Garceau believes that, in order to get better, her husband needs "a focal point. It is the impetus he needs."
The soon-to-be-deacon can't wait. When people have referred to ordination as a "finish line," he tells them it's actually just the start: "On Pentecost, the Apostles are behind closed doors, afraid, and then the Holy Spirit fills them and they begin their work. I'm embracing the opportunity to be a visible sign of the Church."[[In-content Ad]]
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