Desire to preach, proclaim the Gospel draws man to diaconate

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Feb. 22, 2007

After attending Mass with his wife Jolene for several years, Dick Billings decided to take the plunge and join the Catholic Church in 1987. In about a week's time, this Blessed Sacrament parishioner will be ordained to the permanent diaconate with four other men in a March 3 ceremony at Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.

Since joining the church Billings has taken an active role in the life of the church, participating in a variety of ministries. He is a cantor, Eucharistic minister and serves on his parish's RCIA and Re-Membering teams. He also has served on the parish's endowment board, the Diocesan Priests Pension Board and was a founding member of the Serra Club of Siouxland.

He credited the late Mary Frances Minette, a former organist at his parish, for planting the seed about the diaconate. In the mid-1990s Minette mentioned to Billings that he would make a good deacon.

"It hadn't really crossed my mind because at that point I had only been a Catholic about eight years," said Billings. "I ran home and told my wife."

He recalled that he wanted to jump in, but his wife had some reservations because they still had three young children and he had a business to run - R.L. Billings and Co. Besides he was already involved in numerous church ministries.

Billings proceeded slowly with this process, attending an informational meeting and seeking input about the ministry from fellow parishioner Deacon Fred Karpuk. In the end, he opted to put these aspirations aside until a later time.

"It was during the Easter Vigil of 2000 and she leaned over to me and said I think it's okay for you to become a deacon," noted Billings. He remembers that they hadn't spoke about the diaconate in months.

The deacon candidate recalled how he spoke about the diaconate with then Blessed Sacrament pastor, Father Tom Geelan. The priest had reassured him that it was okay to start the formation classes while continuing to discern the call to the vocation.

At that point he applied and entered the formation program in the fall of 2000. He dropped out for one year because the weekend theology formation classes conflicted with his boys' soccer games when they were in high school.

Billings noted that his wife would describe him as task-minded. With that in mind, he mentioned that through the formation process his greatest growth has been in the area of spirituality and truly listening for God's guidance.

He has come to realize that when God is talking to him, it is usually through his wife Jolene.

One of the biggest attractions to the diaconate for Billings is preaching.

"I can do a lot of things in the church without being a deacon, but the main reason I would like to be a deacon is to proclaim the Gospel and preach," he said. "Preaching is something that appeals to me because I am in sales and I have no trouble talking in front of people."

Serving the church is something that has been important to Billings, but he stressed that becoming an ordained member of the clergy is one more facet to that service.

The Billings have three children: Amber Allan and her husband, Drew, of Georgia; Michael and his wife, Renae, of Sioux City; and Matthew, who is a student at the University of South Dakota.

The deacon candidate said he believes his children are pleased with his decision to become a deacon but they are still gaining an understanding as to what exactly it means and how it will impact their lives. When the children are at home, they have noticed that he must pull away to a quiet area at certain times of the day for prayer.

Jolene said that while she was a little leery about her husband becoming a deacon (due to commitment of time), she has grown into a supportive role.

"I have gotten to know the deacons and their wives and they are very friendly," she said. "They have made us comfortable ... and answered our questions about commitment - a balance between family and the diaconate."

After speaking with the others, it made her much more assured that this was the right thing to do.

"To see how strongly he felt about becoming a deacon was also a good motivator for me," said Jolene.

His outgoing and friendly nature, confidence in public speaking, ease with evangelization and good organizational skills are just some of the traits that Jolene believes will make her husband a good deacon.

Billings mentioned that his wife played a significant part in his reasons for seeking to become a member of the Catholic Church, but in time the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy and other rituals have gained substantial meaning in his life.

As the ordination approaches, he said all of the candidates have discussed feelings of unworthiness. With that in mind, he encourages men and their spouses to attend the deacon informational meetings.

"I think people would be surprised at what they can do and if they don't make it into the program, they shouldn't worry about it. They can still be a faithful Catholic without being a deacon," he said.