Name: Patrick Spencer
Age: 63
Spouse: Dawn
Home parish: St. Vincent DePaul in Brooklyn Park
Residence: Brooklyn Park
Profession: Family nurse practitioner at a clinic
Children: Ben (40), Annie (38), Daniel (37), Mark (32), Mary (31)
Birthplace: Minneapolis
Q) What inspired you to pursue the diaconate?
A) My wife has always been my inspiration. A strong role model for me was my dad, a daily communicant with a strong devotion to the rosary. Our pastor asked him to be one of the initial deacons at Immaculate Conception Church (in Columbia Heights) in the 1970s, but he declined for health reasons. Another mentor was my father-in-law, Deacon Mike Gerdts. He was a very faithful man and had a long ministry in this archdiocese.
Q) What made you certain this was your call?
A) The Institute for Diaconate Formation and guidance of the Holy Spirit via Our Lady have confirmed this call.
Q) What aspect of diaconate ministry are you most looking forward to?
A) I hope to be a better husband, father, grandfather and to serve the local Church at Mass and via the sacraments.
Q) What areas of ministry are you especially interested in?
A) I am especially interested in the family (from womb to tomb), and how we can support, strengthen and protect it. Also, caring for the sick, suffering and the poor.
Q) What role will your family play in your new ministry?
A) My lovely wife has been and continues to be very supportive. She has made many sacrifices, and her prayers and friendship will be my strength.
Q) Where do you see the greatest needs in the local Church?
A) Standing up for life in its most vulnerable stages and preaching the good news, in and out of season. Families and those with young children need support. Evangelizing our fellow Catholics to recognize their great dignity and obligations due to their baptism. How can we get all children into Catholic schools and families coming to Mass? How can we make our parishes and their facilities a ‘home’ so that all parishioners can come together for prayer, support and fraternity?
Open wide the parish doors and let Christ heal us all.
Q) What part of your formation has been the most rewarding?
A) Well, hopefully, I’ve been able to take off about a million years in purgatory. I digress. The leadership and staff of the Institute for Diaconate Formation and St. John Vianney are outstanding. Deacons (Joseph) Michalak, (Eric) Cooley, (Stephen) Najarian, (Paul) Buck, (Lawrence) Lawinger, along with so many others, are unsung heroes. The men in my class are remarkable and I am blessed to be in their company.
Q) Who has been a model for your ministry?
A) All the deacons mentioned above, but especially my father-in-law who was a deacon for many years in this archdiocese and passed away in 2008. Here’s a vignette about the heart of a deacon. About one and a half years ago, I told Deacon Larry Lawinger that my 4-week-old granddaughter was hospitalized and was very ill. Without my prompting, he offered to go to the hospital and baptize her. At that moment I realized this is who the deacon is for the Church. Christ the Servant.
Q) What do you most hope to offer the Church through this vocation?
A) I desire to be a faithful witness to Christ and his Church.
Q) What has been the most challenging part of pursuing this vocation?
A) Trying to get past the guy in the mirror. He can be stubborn, but God loves him so much and his wife is extraordinarily patient.
Q) What can the Church do to inspire other men to answer the diaconate calling?
A) Always preach Christ crucified and remember that Christ always calls us to follow him. Encourage men to live out their baptismal call. Inspire them to live their primary vocation in life right now. If they are married, be a husband like St. Joseph; if they are single, be like Blessed Pier Frassati. Be a man of prayer, humility, perseverance and gentle strength.
Pray to the Blessed Mother, respect and defend life, women and the family.
Q) What advice would you give another man discerning the diaconate?
A) Go to confession at least monthly, attend daily Mass, live your current vocation with gusto and keep your eyes on Christ. Remember: We all struggle, but Christ came to heal us so that we could live life to its fullest. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a brother if you need help or support. Christ does not call the qualified; he qualifies the called.
