Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
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CHURCH
MEET
Deacon John Nelson EMBRACING A DIVINE CALLING
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n Aug. 29 at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Cleveland, the Most Reverend Martin J. Amos, Bishop-Emeritus of Davenport, ordained John Nelson to the diaconate, along with two other men. The story of how John unearthed the gem of his calling to the diaconate is inspiring, testifying to the capacious mercy of God, so alive in the world today. “About 15 to 20 years ago, my pastor gave an incredible homily about what God is calling you to be in life,” John says. “As he spoke, it felt like the Holy Spirit was calling me that very day, and it built a fire up inside of me.” Ultimately, his vocation story also shows us just how patient Our Lord really is, and how He makes His will known to each one of us in truly creative ways. “However, it took me a long time to do something about this call,” John says. “In 2014, I went to a men’s retreat, and about three different times during it people told me I’d be a great deacon, but I just told them I didn’t think so. Following the retreat, I became more involved in my parish, but I never did do much about the idea of being a deacon. Then my wife, Raquel, asked me if I
Deacon John Nelson celebrates his ordination to the diaconate with his family.
had given any more consideration to ‘the deacon thing.’ I wanted to ask her, ‘Did someone pay you to say this to me? Because that’s what the men at the retreat just said!’” Soon afterward, John decided to go for “the deacon thing” after all, right along with Raquel at his side. He officially entered the diaconate formation program in 2015. “We have picked up our cross and carried hand in hand all these years,” John says. “It has been such a wonderful journey! Every year, the diocese asks our wives to sign a letter saying they are supportive
of us being in diaconate formation. The bishop also tells them at our ordination that there is ‘no way your husband could do this without you.’” Throughout his years of formation, John enjoyed taking courses at the Center for Pastoral Leadership, as well as catching glimpses of what life as a deacon would be like. “We are truly blessed in the Diocese of Cleveland by having such amazing professors at our diocesan seminary, and I really appreciated being able to learn from them,” John says. continued on page 5
