DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
During a Mass at a Steubenville North Youth Conference, Joe Utecht, 59, felt called a call to holy orders, and it initially confused him — he was already a husband and father of five. Then he realized that God might be calling him to the diaconate. A professional counselor and management consultant, he and his wife, Margaret, are members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings. He is scheduled to be ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Dec. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The Catholic Spirit asked him via email about his vocation. His answers were edited for clarity.
Q. What inspired you to pursue the diaconate?
A. The first seed was planted when I was at a social gathering with Deacon Rip Riordan where he encouraged me to think about the diaconate. Shortly after this I was volunteering at the Steubenville North Youth Conference at the University of St. Thomas and during the closing Mass there was a call to the youth to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. As I was praying for the youth to respond to this call I had a sense that I should be responding. My initial response was that I am already married with five children — how could this be a call for me? Then I remembered the diaconate and this inspired me to explore the possibility.
Q. What made you certain this was your call?
A. After that initial prompting and through discussions with my wife and other close friends and prayer, I determined that this should be something to put on the back burner due to having young children and a mother and mother-in-law who were both widows. Then about 10 years later, my oldest son, John, enrolled at St. John Vianney Seminary at the University of St. Thomas, and there was a reception for parents of seminarians at the chancery. Margaret and I went to the chancery on Sunday and Deacon Michalak greeted us in the parking lot and informed us that the reception for seminarians was on Saturday and today, Sunday is a reception for deacons. Deacon Michalak invited me in to the reception anyway.
While I was there, his wife, Ann, looked at me intently saying, “I don’t think it is a coincidence that you came on the wrong day. Have you thought about being a deacon?” This put the call back onto the front burner. I then went on a retreat at the Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, where it became clear that the Lord has been preparing me for this vocation. Then through much prayer and input from trusted friends in the Community of Christ the Redeemer and those involved in the formation process, I determined this was God’s call for me.
Q. What aspect of diaconate ministry are you most looking forward to?
A. I am most looking forward to being a herald of the Gospel by proclaiming the gospel reading during holy Mass. I would never have thought this would be my answer prior to going through diaconate formation. Now I have come to appreciate liturgy in a much deeper way, and to have such an integral part will be a great blessing.
Q. What areas of ministry are you especially interested in?
A. I would like to be involved in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and help others come to know the abundant treasures of our Catholic faith. I have also done pastoral work with the Community of Christ the Redeemer, NET ministries and St. Paul’s Outreach, and I am interested in how these experiences can inform my ministry as a deacon.
Q. What role will your family plan in your new ministry?
A. Margaret and I have previously taught baptism preparation together. This might be something we do together in the future or possibly working together in an RCIA program.
Q. Where do you see the greatest needs in the local Church?
A. The needs of the local Church will become more evident as our archdiocese prepares for the Synod over the next two years. I was encouraged to see the process start as we celebrated Pentecost. We need a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit, an awareness of the power and presence of God within us and a conviction that our true home is in heaven. As we become more aware of God’s tremendous love and mercy and the great gift of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we will see our local Church grow in ways that we could never ask or imagine. This will give us the grace to imitate Christ in loving and serving one another.
Q. What part of your formation has been the most rewarding?
A. We have the opportunity to participate in two retreats during the year: A long weekend retreat in January and a week long immersion retreat in June. These have been blessed times of deepening our relationships with each other and with the Lord as we have prayed together and grew closer to our Father in heaven, through his Son Jesus Christ, in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Q. Who has been a model for your ministry?
A. St. John the Baptist. His focus on “preparing the way of the Lord,” his willingness to lay down his life for the truth and his witness “I must decrease while he must increase” are great examples of being a servant which is the primary purpose of the deacon.
Q. What do you most hope to offer the Church through this vocation?
A. Simply to be a witness to Jesus Christ in my words and in my deeds. I hope my vocation is an authentic reflection of the scripture passage from 1 John 4:16: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.”
Q. What has been the most challenging part of pursuing this vocation?
A. Balancing all the different responsibilities (marriage, parenting, work, studies, prayer, ministry, etc.) and giving the different areas the right priority.
Q. What can the Church do to inspire other men to answer the diaconate calling?
A. Promote the diaconate more widely and educate the Church on the role of the deacon. Encourage men to pray and to spend time with the Lord so that they can hear his voice. Offer opportunities to encounter the Lord in a deeper way and help them to know that our faith is what brings ultimate purpose and meaning to life.
Q. What advice would you give another man discerning the diaconate?
A. The formation process has been a great time of spiritual growth and building up of my faith. It is definitely worth it to apply and see if this is God’s call. There are many holy men and women that assist in the formation process and help with discernment. It is an opportunity to lay down your gifts at the altar and seek to be a humble servant of Christ.
