June 6 is remembered as D-Day, the day in 1944 when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, during World War II. But in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, June 6 this year marked a different kind of D-Day, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski remarked: Deacon Day.
Nine men were ordained to the permanent diaconate by Archbishop Rozanski at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, taking on a ministry of liturgy, word and charity.
Deacons are called to be self-sacrificial as they bring the presence of Christ to people in many different ways, including in parishes, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and prisons, the archbishop said during his homily.
“Deacons are ordained to serve the Church, allowing her ministries to flourish so that God’s people can be drawn closer to Christ,” he said. “The gifts of many are necessary for the Church to accomplish its call to bring the Gospel of salvation to the world.”
Dying to oneself is not simply an ideal to uphold but an active way of living every day, the archbishop said. He encouraged the new deacons to serve others with joy “as you would serve the Lord.”
“Do not allow yourselves to be turned away from the hope of the Gospel, which you must not only hear but also serve,” he said. “Hold fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience and express by your actions the word of God which your lips will proclaim, so that the Christian people, brought to life by the Spirit, may become a pure offering, acceptable to God.”
The second reading, taken from Timothy 3, outlined the qualities of a holy deacon. Newly ordained Deacon Matthew Surdyke closed his eyes as he listened, knowing that now applied to him.
Deacon Surdyke is a lifelong parishioner at Our Lady in Festus, where he is now assigned to assist the pastor along with Sacred Heart in Crystal City and Good Shepherd in Hillsboro. He’s looking forward to continuing his involvement in outreach, including men’s ministry and prison ministry, but also taking on a new role in the liturgies of the parishes.
“I really fell in love with the Mass and making it as beautiful as possible,” he said. “So it’s serving at the altar, but it’s also just being there for people…we have three parishes and two priests, and I know everybody, so to be a resource to help people out, pray for them, do something for them or point them in the right direction.”
Eli Surdyke, Deacon Surdyke’s eldest son, said his father’s diaconate ordination feels “like it’s been a long time coming.”
“Growing up, the Church has always been really important to the whole family, and he took small steps toward that direction over time,” he said.
Another of Deacon Surdyke’s sons, Little Brother David of the Community of the Lamb, traveled to the ordination with a few members of his religious community in Kansas City. His father started his formation around the same time that Little Brother David entered religious life, so “it was cool to kind of take those steps together, and then now to see it coming to fruition is really meaningful,” he said.
“Our parents have always had kind of a heart for the vulnerable and those who needed a little more love, and it’s been really cool to see how even in the formation over the past years, he’s gotten really involved, for example, with prison ministry,” Little Brother David said. “To see how the horizon of people who he serves is growing — that’s beautiful.”
After Mass, newly ordained Deacon Michael Forget reflected on how moving it was to have the archbishop lay his hands on his head, knowing that he was receiving an indelible mark on his soul, changing him forever through the grace of the sacrament.
During the Litany of Supplication, “Lying down and having everybody pray for you — that’s got to be one of the highlights. That was very moving for me,” Deacon Forget said.
His wife, Emma Forget, presented him with the stole and dalmatic — deacon’s vestments — during the ordination Mass. She’s looking forward to seeing how her husband shares his love for the sacraments with others, especially after witnessing his spiritual growth throughout diaconate formation.
“There’s been an increase in humility and patience and reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist,” she said.
Holy orders
Deacons share in the sacrament of holy orders with priests and bishops. At the ordination mass, the nine men declared their willingness to undertake the responsibilities of the diaconate and their obedience to the archbishop and his successors.
During the Litany of Supplication, also known as the Litany of Saints, the men lay prostrate on the floor of the sanctuary, while the congregation prayed through the intercession of the saints for God’s grace and mercy for them.
Archbishop Rozanski then laid hands on the heads of each ordinand, conferring the power of the Holy Spirit through a prayer of consecration. He then said the prayer of ordination, asking for each man to be configured to the person of Christ.
Afterward, the new deacons are vested with the stole and dalmatic, vestments that symbolize their office within the Church. The deacons’ wives presented the vestments to priests and deacons who were chosen to vest the new deacons. The deacons then knelt in front of the archbishop in turn and held the Book of the Gospels, a sign of their role as heralds of Christ.
Tim Brown
Age: 59
Family: Wife, Cheryl; children, Maddie, Sophie and Nick
Secular career: Operations executive
Parish assignment: St. Clement of Rome in Des Peres
The call: As a convert, I was drawn to the Mass from the beginning. The more I learned and participated, the more I wanted to be involved. Even without fully understanding the role of a deacon beyond Sunday Mass, I felt a steady pull to explore it further, and that led me to where I am today. I’m especially grateful for my wife and children, and for the deacons and priests whose encouragement and example helped me see and respond to that call.
Michael Forget
Age: 62
Family: Wife, Emma; children, Elizabeth, the late John Paul, Jerome, Megan, Dominic, Rose, Sister John Henry Marie, RSM, Anna, Michael, Alice, Timothy, Abraham and Bernard
Secular career: Business manager
Parish assignment: Immaculate Conception in Augusta, St. Ignatius of Loyola in Concord Hill and St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow
The call: I have enjoyed serving in the Church for some time. When I started working in parishes, I got a chance to meet and work with many holy men and women and dedicated priests. These people inspired me to consider a life of service instead of taking a normal retirement track. With the grace of God, I hope to remain attached to Jesus, the true vine, and bear much fruit.
David Friedrichs
Age: 64
Family: Wife, Alicia; children, Tony, Matthew and Olia
Secular career: Chief financial officer at Covenant Technology Partners
Parish assignment: St. Joseph in Cottleville
The call: I have served others in many different ways over the years, including mission trips and serving at my parish. The calling to the diaconate has come to me before, but I perceived there were obstacles. In time, God removed those obstacles and I answered His call.
John Hermann
Age: 57
Family: Wife, Cynthia; children, Jonathan, Thomas and Matthew
Secular career: Cabinet maker at Gulfstream Aviation; farmer on the side
Parish assignment: St. Agnes in Bloomsdale and St. Joseph in Zell
The call: At mass on Holy Thursday in 2020 (a couple weeks prior to the application deadline for the formation class of 2026), during the offertory I was focused on watching our pastor prepare the altar. I was listening to the choir sing in the background, and when they got to the refrain of the song “Turn to Me,” a voice spoke to me the same words. I immediately broke down in tears and quietly responded emotionally to what had happened. My wife nudged me, not knowing what was happening at the time, but when I explained to her what happened after Mass, the first words out of her mouth were, ‘Well, you know what you have to do,” and I said “yes, I know.” Now here I am.
Matthew Olinger
Age: 54
Family: Wife, Yolanda
Secular career: Tungsten carbide solutions engineer
Parish assignment: Sacred Heart in Crystal City, Our Lady in Festus and Good Shepherd in Hillsboro
The call: I simply wanted a way to better serve Jesus and the Church — in addition to being able to learn deeply about my Catholic faith and nurture my love for the Eucharist!
Matthew Surdyke
Age: 56
Family: Wife, Jennifer; children, Eli, Little Brother David of the Community of the Lamb, Jonah, Zeke, Micah and Kaleen; foster children, Shyanna, Ariana, Carter and JD
Secular career: President of Surdyke Motorsports
Parish assignment: Sacred Heart in Crystal City, Our Lady in Festus and Good Shepherd in Hillsboro
The call: I have always felt a call to service and been drawn to beautiful liturgy. I find great joy in helping people develop and grow in their relationship to Christ and His Church. As I dove deeper into my own faith and really developed a love for it, I started more actively doing ministry work, particularly gathering men and helping them recognize the importance of their role in the family and Church. As I prayed and discerned how God wanted me to live this out in life, the answer kept coming to me as the diaconate.
Daniel Watkins
Age: 59
Family: Wife, Maria; children, Dominic, Katia and Jonah
Secular career: Digital product owner at Edward Jones
Parish assignment: St. Paul in Fenton
The call: In 2013, I was on an ACTS retreat and was praying for a break or at least some rest from my many obligations of service. God answered that prayer with a very clear message — that I could do so much more to serve others! I got more involved in ministries at my parish and, with my wife’s blessing, ultimately decided to apply to the diaconate formation.
Stephen Zaegel
Age: 43
Family: Wife, Emily
Secular career: Theology teacher at St. Louis Priory School
Parish assignment: St. Joseph in Manchester
The call: I felt the call begin in my early thirties when I know that I had something to offer to the Church more than just teaching theology. I entered the world of prison ministry in 2015, then began thinking further about diaconate ministry shortly after that. I said no to the 2022 and 2024 cohorts but finally said yes to the 2026 ordination class.
Atilio Zardetto
Age: 55
Family: Wife, Lizette; children, Aidan and Ellie
Secular career: Quantitative financial analyst
Parish assignment: St. Peter in Kirkwood
The call: I felt a call to vocation from an early age, though my path took a different direction for a time. Through those years and experiences, I have been led back to that call, now with the hope of serving as a deacon, placing all that I have learned at the service of the Church.
More photos from the permanent diaconate ordination:
