Seven deacons ordained to the permanent diaconate
Jose Bishop Michael Olson recites the prayer of ordination as seven new permanent deacons kneel during Mass on August 8, 2025 at St. Mark Parish in Argyle. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
ARGYLE — The first seven men ordained in the early Church as deacons were chosen for their faith, wisdom, and dedication to the Christian community.
Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch were ordained by the Apostles (Acts 6:1–7) for the special vocation of assisting widows and the poor.
Two millenniums later, seven men in the Diocese of Fort Worth, who embody the same qualities of prayerfulness, compassion, and willingness to serve have followed in their footsteps as permanent deacons.
Kendall Robert Coffey, Weldon Alan Franklin, Wilfried Axel Lampka, Jose Rafael Mateo, Peter Thang Cao Nguyen, Hilario Hoang Huy Trinh, and Michael Hugh Waldon received the sacrament of holy orders from Bishop Michael Olson during an ordination Mass on Aug. 8 in St. Mark Church. Celebrated on the Memorial of St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order of Preachers, the evening liturgy in Argyle brought together more than 1,000 people from across the diocese.
Addressing the congregation, the bishop described St. Dominic as a mendicant priest who lived a life of poverty as he preached the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“He is certainly an example and friend for our new deacons who today are ordained as ministers of the Word, ministers of the altar, and ministers of charity,” he said in his homily.
Like the first seven deacons named in the Acts of the Apostles, the diocesan candidates for ordination will use their new ministry to spread Christ’s Word and sacraments.
“To be the conduit of what Christ offers His people, these ordinands must be formed, informed, and transformed by the Word — as He comes to us in sacred Scripture and sacred tradition,” the bishop continued.
Advising the soon-to-be ordained men, he added, “My brothers, welcome the Word, worship the Word, proclaim the Word, and witness to the Word with deeds of justice, mercy, and charity. This is how we follow Christ, lose our life with Him, and preserve it for eternity.”
Invoking the Holy Spirit
The sacred ordination rite began with each candidate stepping forward as his name was called, signifying a willingness to undertake the responsibilities of the diaconate and obedience to the bishop and his successors.
Demonstrating a total surrender to God, the men then lay prostrate on the floor of the sanctuary as worshippers chanted the Litany of the Saints.
Rising from prayer, they approached the altar individually. With a gesture passed down from the Apostles, Bishop Olson imposed hands on the head of each ordinand to confer the power of the Holy Spirit. A prayer of ordination followed.
The newly ordained deacons were then vested with a stole and dalmatic, symbols of their office within the Church.
Approaching the bishop again, they received the book of the Gospels with the words: “Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.”
A life of prayer, service
Ordination was the culmination of five years of theological, pastoral, and spiritual formation for the men who will now assist the priest at the altar, proclaim the Gospel, preach, conduct prayer services, baptize, witness marriages, bring viaticum to the dying, and officiate at funerals and burials. Unlike a transitional deacon who is preparing for eventual ordination to the priesthood, a permanent deacon remains in the same ministry for life.
One of the biggest challenges facing candidate Hoang Trinh during formation was the return to intense studying after being out of school for so long.
“The Blessed Mother helped me go through all this,” said the Lockheed engineer. “She helped me have a life of prayer. I pray constantly. When I open my eyes in the morning, I thank God for a new day and want to glorify Him in everything I do.”
Growing diversity
The 2025 class of deacon candidates reflects the growing diversity of the diocese, according to Deacon Rodney Asebedo, director of diaconal formation. One man was born in Germany and another in Puerto Rico. Two of the new deacons came to the U.S. from Vietnam and three speak Spanish fluently.
“The Church is blessed by that. They also have a servant’s heart to serve the Lord and those on the margins of society,” he pointed out. “As candidates, these men have been ministering reverently in prisons, hospitals, and soup kitchens. Without question, they are willing to serve the invisible.”
Biographies of the men are “telling,” and demonstrate how personal life experiences will impact their new ministry, the formation director observed.
When Thang Nguyen’s 21-year-old son, Michael, was killed in a car accident two months before his December 2021 college graduation, the Vietnamese Martyrs parishioner remembers how people were there to “stand by me and hold me up” at the worst moment of his life. That’s why he finds hospital ministry, and reaching out to grieving families, so rewarding.
“It’s not about what you can do for them. It’s just being present with them,” Nguyen explained. “That’s the most important thing.”
The software engineer believes the death of his son will make him a better deacon.
“I became more holy, attended more daily Masses and have a family Rosary every night,” he added, describing the spiritual practices that led to acceptance and healing. “Michael would be very proud, and I know he’s with us here tonight.”
Connecting with people
Ken Coffey believes the pastoral skills learned during formation enriched his ability to connect with people as a licensed counselor and therapist.
“They come to me with dysfunctions, problems, and things that are troubling them, and I try to listen intently to what’s really going on inside,” explained the Good Shepherd parishioner.
A former investment banker who became heavily involved in parish ministries before applying for the diaconate, Coffey was once a counselor who prescribed modalities to help clients cope with depression, anxiety, and relationship problems.
“Now I deal with who they are as people — mind, body and spirit — and that just comes from who I’ve become as a deacon,” he said. “I want to find out what needs to go on in their heart to affect change. That’s what Jesus asks of us. He doesn’t just ask us to do things but to be different and conform to His will.”
When God calls…
Raised a Baptist in West Texas, Alan Franklin wasn’t practicing any religion when his wife Sara attended a Youth 2000 retreat. A cradle Catholic, she married outside her faith but returned to the Church after moving to Weatherford and joining St. Stephen Parish.
Wanting to validate her marriage, the retreat chaperone asked a priest at the retreat for advice.
“He told me to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for my husband for 30 days and I did,” recalled the mother of three, who asked the parish’s youth director and her sister to join the novena.
His wife’s heartfelt prayers “hit me like a ton of bricks,” Franklin admitted.
He started going to Mass and taking RCIA (now OCIA) classes. Learning about the faith kindled a desire to serve the Church as a deacon.
“They didn’t pray me into the Church. They prayed me through the doors and up to the altar,” the convert quipped.
Frankin said he’s humble God called him to ministry.
“When God calls, He continues to call. And yes, I’m glad He didn’t stop pursuing me,” he added.
Ready to serve
While all Christians are called to serve others, deacons exemplify Christ the servant. They are the hands and feet of the Church and are often the first to notice when a family is hurting or in need. As ordained members of clergy who often have other professions, deacons are called to be attentive, compassionate, and ready to offer support.
Jose Mateo, Michael Waldon, and Wilfried Lampka said the final moments before ordination felt surreal after years of study and prayer.
“We’re anxious to get going and serve the Lord,” Lampka said. “It’s what we’ve been formed to do.”
With the addition of the newly ordained, the diocese now has 110 permanent deacons.
Newly ordained deacons (left) Alan Franklin and Jose Mateo are pictured with Bishop Michael Olson as they process out of a Mass where seven permanent deacons were ordained by the bishop on August 8, 2025 at St. Mark Parish in Argyle. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)