A ‘PASSION FOR CHRIST’

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger will ordain four permanent deacons and one transitional deacon for the Diocese of Albany at a Mass and Rite of Ordination at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on May 22 at 11 a.m. The liturgy will be livestreamed on the diocesan website at rcda.org/livestream.

The four permanent deacons are James Agnew, 43, of  St. Joseph’s in Troy; Craig Dempsey, 61, of St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park; Thomas M. Poznanski, 45, of Christ the King in Guilderland; and Gregg Wilbur, 50, of St. Joseph’s in Broadalbin.

The transitional deacon is Russell Bergman, 50, of Burnt Hills. He is preparing for ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Albany at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

Once ordained, permanent deacons may preach and administer the sacraments of baptism and marriage. Transitional deacons are granted these same faculties but continue their studies in anticipation of ordination to the priesthood.

Here is a look at the five men to see what inspired them on their faith journey.

TRANSITIONAL DEACON

Russell Bergman

Age: 50

Parish: Mater Christi in Albany.

Family: My immediate family is made up of my father, Fred, and brother, Chris, who live nearby. God called my mother, Lois, home in 2004. I’m the only member of my family born in the Capital Region. All of my family originated in New Jersey, where many of my extended family still reside, while others live in Delaware and Florida.

Seminary: Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

When did you first think about becoming a priest?  When I began preparing for Confirmation in high school.

Talk about your formation process? It’s been going well, mostly a blessing, but with a few challenges, too. I’m amazed about how fast it’s been going.

What are your plans for the next year? To grow into the transitional deacon role and continue formation for the priesthood.

PERMANENT DEACONS

James Agnew

Age: 43

Parish: St. Joseph’s in Troy.

Family: Wife, Jody; sons, Hunter and Jude; daughter, Anne, and step-daughter, Lynn-Marie.

What started your journey to the diaconate? The one constant in my life has been an abiding commitment to the Church and seeking a deeper relationship with Christ.  Looking back, I always admired those who give their life in ministry. That admiration was simultaneously magnetic; I was drawn to it. I see the work of the Holy Spirit in that attraction. Other folks saw this in me, too, and encouraged me. My wife, Jody, has given me stalwart support and was the one who encouraged me to take the first formal steps in applying to the Diocese.

Who inspired you the most? There have been several individuals in my life that have inspired and (have) personal qualities I’d like to emulate. Yet, most of my inspiration has been drawn from the Scriptures. There are certain figures in the Scriptures that inspire. I think of Elijah’s zeal, Paul’s missionary and theological impetus, and Our Lord in his perfect humanity. There are verses that I return to often: the image of the “vessels of clay” in 2 Corinthians 4:7 has provided me with continued reflection throughout formation. Recently, I encountered the men who “turned the world upside down” in Acts 17:6; talk about inspiration! That’s the kind of deacon I hope to be!

What do you want to accomplish most as a deacon? The diaconate is marked by service, but this is not an end. Every act of service is ultimately evangelical because it points to Our Lord! So, I would like others to be encouraged and evangelized through my diaconal ministry. I firmly believe the Church is an unmatched force for good, a sign of the living God! I want to help others find the depth of Christ’s love and the beauty of the Church as I have. “Come and see!” (John 1:39)

Craig Dempsey

Age: 61

Parish: St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park.

Family: Wife, Maria; sons, Corey, 34, married to Bethany, Justin, 31 and Brendan, 29.

What started your journey to the diaconate? It was the people at St. Edward’s who encouraged me to discern for the diaconate. Those who approached me to attend Kateri (Institute) and consider becoming a deacon were among the most faithful people we had in our parish, and the deacons there at the time and others that followed encouraged me. They saw something in me. I was active in the parish and was a lector and Communion minister but hadn’t given any serious thought to the diaconate since I left Hawaii in about 1988 to come to Clifton Park. My wife, my children and my job all demanded my time in my 30s, 40s, and early 50s Faith was integral to all of these areas of my life and I was most drawn to God by the Scriptures and the transformative power of the Eucharist, but I had not imagined becoming a publically ordained minister for Jesus. Once I was approached by my brothers and sisters at St. Edward’s and started the journey, the idea of serving the people of God as a visible sign for Jesus began to dominate my thinking. The fact that they felt I could be a public minister, coupled with my deep sense that the Church needed public ministers who would be dedicated to teaching by the example of their lives and their passion for Christ, created an irresistible gravity that has been pulling me in ever since.

Who inspired you the most? My practi­cum at Corpus Christi, even though it was cut short by COVID, validated the call that started with my brothers and sisters at St Edward’s. I deeply felt the love of this new community and their affirmation that I was welcome to serve them in all humility. It brought home the idea of the universality of the Church and its saving power. I felt there was no place I could go and fail to connect with the people of God because of how they embraced me without reservation and I embraced them in the same way. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we were Christ to one another. I was still the person God called into existence as Craig Dempsey but I felt I was evermore growing into the person He wanted me to be for Him with a new identity. Serving in the hospital and in the Schenectady Mission and other formation activities began to stitch together a seamless cloth that ran from the Gospel as proclaimed in the liturgy and the table of the Lord’s supper into every encounter with every person in my life. Formation changed my marriage, my approach to leading as an executive in my secular profession, the kind of father I am, the sort of friend I am, how I greet a stranger and how I serve the afflicted.

What do you want to accomplish most as a deacon? I recognize that there are ways to advance the cause of Christ as a lay person and even to do so publicly through various lay ministries, but I also felt called to a more formal role, one that would make my encounter with Christ and the people of God as intimate and loving as it could be. I saw this intimacy clearly as proclaiming the Gospel with conviction, serving the table of the Lord in reverence for Him and His priests and then taking that passion back to the faithful who gather there in Mass and also out into the community where many thirst for God without knowing that they do or what Christ offers them in our celebration of the sacraments. Indeed, every place I have gone throughout this journey combined the salt of sweat and tears with the sweetness of God’s amazing love and grace. Publicly standing up to own the message of Jesus in every facet of my life as an ordained deacon is not only something it seems He and His church and His Spirit has made me capable of doing, but has compelled me to do for Him through the overwhelming weight of His Gospel. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit has brought about these changes in me so that I can be In Persona Christi and serve Him by serving the people of God for the rest of my life and do so publicly for my good, His good and the good of His Church.

Thomas M. Poznanski

Age: 45

Family: Wife, Tricia.

Parish: Christ the King in Guilderland.

What started your journey to the diaconate? Several years ago, I was serving at Christ the King as a catechist, lector, Eucharistic minister, and as a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Pastoral Council. 

While serving at Christ the King, I prayerfully asked God to please bring me to where He wanted me to be. And that prayer was answered when I received the “Called By Name II” letter in the mail. I spoke with my wife, Tricia, about the diaconate and shared my feelings about serving as a deacon. She supported my decision, and together we prayerfully walked with Jesus through the diaconate formation process.

Who inspired you the most? My service in ministry is not about me; it is about giving God all of the glory and serving Him. Jesus is the one who inspires me the most. He is my savior and apart from Him I have nothing and can do nothing. I also drew inspiration and support from my wife and our families. They have all supported my decision to become a deacon and helped me every step of the way. I also found inspiration from everyone around me. Especially my pastor, Father Jim Fitzmaurice; Deacon Tony Cortese; all of the formators in the diaconate process; The Knights of Columbus; my spiritual directors; and the professors at Saint Bernard’s. No one accomplishes anything on their own and I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way — those whom I know and those whom I do not know but who were praying for me.

What do you want to accomplish most as a deacon? The diaconate ministry celebrates the gift of life by ministering to everyone. The heart of the diaconate is service; service to the community and prayerfully bringing the needs of the community before the altar of God. The diaconate ministry is not mine. It belongs to Jesus Christ and I will prayerfully walk with Him while I serve in this ministry, for as long as He allows me to serve. As a deacon, I want to meet people where they are and prayerfully walk with them in their journey of faith.

Gregg Wilbur

Age: 50

Parish: St. Joseph’s, Broadalbin

Family: Wife, Kim; sons, Josiah and Caleb, 18; daughter, Rachel, 16.

What started your journey to the diaconate? For years I had felt called to serve the Lord, but was not sure what direction to take. Then I read about the diaconate and it matched the inner yearnings I had been experiencing during that time. Soon afterward a beloved pastor asked me if I had ever considered the diaconate. When I told my wife, Kim, about that conversation, she said that she had been thinking about that for me as well. So I began to look into it.

Who inspired you the most? I have had periods of both great encouragement and discouragement during the formation process. Deacon Frank Berning, Father Jeff L’Arche and Kim are among those who, along with fellow deacon candidates, encouraged me at times that I needed it most. But inspiration to do this has come from occasional moments of spiritual clarity that have occurred while serving — times such as bringing Communion to a person at the back of the church who was physically unable to come forward, and serving at a small memorial Mass for a mother’s deceased sons. Jesus is involved in every moment of each of our lives. The importance of it all and the magnitude of His love are tremendously inspiring.

What do you want to accomplish most as a deacon? I would like to share the truths of the faith in ways that help people want to follow Christ more closely. But in the end, I simply want to serve Jesus in the ways and for the reasons that He desires. He likely has plans of which I am not yet aware. I want to be devoted enough to Him to allow Him to lead my ministry where He wills.