Deacon Charlie Moomaw and Deacon Jerry Rutherford: Living the Diaconate with Gratitude

Later in life, Deacon Charlie Moomaw began to seek the Truth with all of his heart, which brought him to do plenty of deep soul-searching.

“I sought God at 40!” he says. “I was raised in a scientific family that believed if you can’t see or prove or measure something, then it doesn’t exist. However, that view didn’t answer all of the questions I had in life, such as, ‘Why am I here?’”

By God’s infinite mercy, Deacon Moomaw did indeed find the Truth of Christ and His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church — along with his vocation to the diaconate.

“I was baptized in 2007 by Fr. Festus Maliwa, and married sacramentally by Fr. Jim Caldwell after 30 years of being married civilly to my wife, Tracey,” he says. “The joy of receiving the sacraments led me to study for two years at the Pastoral Studies Institute, which I recommend to everyone in our diocese. I then went through six years of the Diaconate Formation Program, which taught me and formed me.”

One good step led to another, and in 2017, he was ordained by Bishop Konderla and has served at St. John’s ever since.

“I see my service as walking with those who are poor, sick, in trouble, and lonely,” he says. “God asks us to take the first step in faith, and I have been trying to run towards Him ever since. We have such a beautiful and rich Catholic Church with the fullness of the faith. I am so thankful to the Lord and to the people of our parish.”

Deacon Moomaw enjoys serving Holy Mass, leading our Thursday Adoration and Rosary service, and training altar servers.

“Over the years, Tracey and I have trained at least 50 children,” Deacon Moomaw says. “I have loved sharing our faith with them, walking alongside them, and watching them grow up. I very much enjoy our older parishioners as well. I like to fulfill ‘honey-do’ lists for them, as well as hear their great stories and share laughs with them.”

In 2017, Deacon Charlie Moomaw was ordained by Bishop Konderla, and has served at St. John’s ever since.

In 2017, Deacon Charlie Moomaw was ordained by Bishop Konderla, and has served at St. John’s ever since.

Deacon Jerry Rutherford also has an inspiring story of how God called him to be a deacon despite a couple of “curve balls” that were thrown his way.

“When I was working for Conoco Oil Company in Houston, we were very involved in our parish by training altar servers, helping with Religious Education, and more,” he says. “We were at church almost all the time! My pastor there told me that they were looking for diaconate aspirants to enter their upcoming class, and he thought I would make a great deacon. My wife, Lucille, felt I should pursue the diaconate as well, so we started our first year of formation, but then I was transferred to Oklahoma for work.”

After moving to Oklahoma, Jerry and Lucille decided to take a step back from being actively involved in parish life, and simply attend Mass — but this didn’t last for long.

“We decided to just sort of sit in the pews,” he says. “At that time, I also decided I wanted to work part-time at a radio station as a DJ. One night, I was driving home and the word ‘diaconate’ came into my mind very clearly. I knew this was a very unusual word to just pop into my mind, so I talked to my wife about it, and she suggested I ask our pastor about it.”

Soon afterward, Jerry went to a penance service and was surprised by what happened to him there.

“After I had made my confession, the priest reached over to me and told me I have a special calling,” Deacon Rutherford says. “I asked him, ‘What did my wife tell you?’ and he told me that she had said nothing to him. It didn’t take long for him to set me up to resume diaconate formation, and I was ordained in 1998.”

Presently, Deacon Rutherford serves as the Business Manager for St. John’s and St. James parishes and is assigned as a deacon to St. James Parish.

When asked what he most enjoys about being a deacon, he offers a grateful response.

“I appreciate being able to work for the two parishes because the parishioners and staff members are so wonderful,” he says. “My favorite aspects of the diaconate are being able to offer the Sacrament of Baptism, witness marriages, and help parishioners in their time of need, such as when they are experiencing a death in the family.”

Deacon Rutherford and Lucille have four adult children and 15 grandchildren.

Let us keep all four Deacons of our community in our prayers, including Deacon Dan Pickett and retired Deacon Joe Richard. May Our Lord and Our Lady bless them in their endeavor to lay down their lives for the Church!

Deacon Jerry Rutherford and his wife, Lucille, celebrate at a family birthday party.