From Yuma to Denver, Deacons Gather for Brotherhood — and a Final Word from Archbishop Aquila
- Sheryl Tirol
- 7 minutes ago
- 7 min read
The annual convocation became a moment of unity and gratitude as the archbishop and his deacons reflected on years of ministry and personal connection.
The annual deacons’ convocation of the Archdiocese of Denver became something more than a gathering of clergy this weekend. The annual convocation drew deacons from across Colorado's expansive archdiocese, from Yuma on the eastern plains to communities along the Northern Front Range for a weekend of prayer, formation and fraternity. This year, it carried the added weight of a farewell.
After 13 and a half years leading the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila offered his final formal address to the deacons he helped shape, a group whose program he had made a cornerstone of his leadership. The moment drew tears and laughter in equal measure.
"I want to extend my deep gratitude to all of you deacons for all of your ministry over the last 13 and a half years," Archbishop Aquila told the assembled clergy, his voice carrying evident emotion. "One of my goals and one of my desires was revamping the program, and many of you have been a product of that."
The archbishop singled out the deacons' work in prisons, hospice care and hospitals as a living witness to the Gospel. He thanked those who served in the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons, the diaconal formation arm of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, and in sensitive personnel work that brought transparency and healing to the archdiocese. He also expressed confidence in his successor, Archbishop-designate James R. Golka of Colorado Springs, calling him a friend and a man committed to the mission of Jesus Christ.
"Our main focus is always to be on Christ and putting him first in our lives and helping others to encounter him," Archbishop Aquila said, "whether we are deacons, priests, bishops, disciples or laity. Our task is always to be on mission."
A 'Shot in the Arm' Across the Miles
For many in attendance, the convocation represented a rare opportunity to be in the same room with brothers they see only once a year, if that. The archdiocese stretches across much of Northern Colorado, and deacons serving rural parishes can go months without contact with their fellow clergy.
Deacon Luke Oestman, 43, assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Yuma, roughly two and a half hours from Denver, described the gathering as "a shot in the arm." Ordained in 2023 and believed to be the archdiocese's youngest deacon, Deacon Oestman serves alongside his wife and their 10 children.
"With men in particular, the friendships just pick right back up where you left them," Deacon Oestman said. "That brotherhood, that encouragement, that's mostly what I came for."
He credited Archbishop Aquila with setting a foundational tone for how deacons are formed and supported, recalling how the archbishop consistently encouraged deacons to prioritize their marriages and families above all other ministry obligations.
"Every time we would encounter Archbishop Aquila, he was just drawn to our kids," he said. "He has always been a very beautiful spiritual father along the way, firm with the truth, but with love. And still with that sparkle when he encounters a child."
(Photos by Kaylee Stoll/Denver Catholic)
From the Bench to the Diaconate
That same spirit of familial care ran through the testimony of many who gathered. Deacon Phil McNulty, approaching retirement from a 30-year career as a Colorado district court judge, including five years as chief judge of the First Judicial District in Golden, entered the diaconate at 63, among the oldest in his ordination class. He noted the formation forged bonds he had not anticipated.
"You get to be in your 60s, and you don't think you're going to meet people who are suddenly going to become some of the best friends in your life," said Deacon McNulty, who serves at Notre Dame Parish in Denver. "It really is a fraternity."
Deacon McNulty praised Archbishop Aquila for his public advocacy on behalf of the faith and for the warmth he extended to deacons within the archdiocese. He called Aquila a “voice of truth” nationally while noting that the archbishop never let that prominence come at the expense of personal connection.
"He has a real, real soft spot for deacons," Deacon McNulty said. "He embraces the ministry we do, and you can tell he appreciates what we have to do to get here and also what we do after ordination."
Servants in the Secular World
The unique vocation of the deacon, an ordained clergy member who lives and works in the secular world, was a consistent theme across the weekend's sessions. Deacon AJ Misiti, who serves at Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada and works as director of parish engagement for Catholic Charities of Denver, said the diaconate fills a pastoral space that no other order can replicate.
"There are things people will talk to a deacon about that they won't talk to a priest about," Deacon Misiti said. "I think that's the biggest importance of the diaconate. It's really just being there for the people, being part of them and being available to them."
He expressed concern about the aging profile of the nation's diaconate, noting an average ordination age well into the late 50s and described his active efforts to identify and encourage younger men toward formation. Among the weekend's attendees was Frank Ruiz, a deacon candidate from Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Foxfield, who has three years of formation behind him and one still ahead.
"To see these men who have been doing this for 25 years, and men who were just ordained last year, and just to get their perspective, their experiences, it's an incredible blessing," said Ruiz, who manages freight logistics for a global company while caring for his wife, two sons and both of their mothers.
Ruiz credited Archbishop Aquila's public witness, including the archbishop's strongly worded pastoral letter on some of Colorado's laws, with deepening his own courage to speak about his faith in secular workplaces.
"He inspired me to be more bold in my faith," Ruiz said. "He was out there fighting that fight for all of us."
Launched Back Into the World
As Deacon Ernie Martinez, archdiocesan director of deacons, addressed the 185 deacons and candidates gathered at the convocation, just before Archbishop Aquila spoke, he reached for an image drawn from military precision: the disciplined choreography of an aircraft carrier flight deck. Deacon Martinez compared the Church’s mission to the teamwork required to launch a jet into the sky — and as the men prepared to return to their parishes across Northern Colorado, he invited them to carry that image with them.
“The engines are spooling up, the mission brief is complete, and the deck crew is in place,” he said. “Christ stands at the command, and then the signal comes. Two thumbs up. The catapult fires, and we are launched back into the world.”
The image gave way to a direct charge to his brother deacons.
“So here is the mission, brothers: Be the deacon others can count on. Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your priests. Support your bishop. Care for your fellow deacons. Love the people entrusted to you. Show up. Speak the Gospel. Serve with humility.”
Deacon Martinez pointed to St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians as the scriptural template for diaconal life: “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships and difficulties… in purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in genuine love” (2 Corinthians 6:4-7).
“That is the life of a deacon,” he said. “Servants of God in the middle of the mission.”
Reflecting on the weekend, Deacon Martinez said the prayer, fraternity and renewed sense of purpose among the assembled deacons reflected the enduring pastoral leadership of the outgoing archbishop.
“That kind of unity and mission is lasting fruit of Archbishop Aquila’s leadership and his deep love for the Church and her deacons,” Deacon Martinez said.
A Legacy Cemented in Stone and Trust
On behalf of the diaconate community, Deacon Martinez presented Archbishop Aquila with a farewell gift, a skateboard and bobbleheads in his likeness. In addition, another gift presented carried its own symbolism: an endowment established through the Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado for the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons to support future deacon formation.
"He knows who we are, as opposed to just what we do," Deacon Martinez said. "He knows that we are Christ's servants. And from our hearts, we thank him for all of that."
Father Matt Book, who served as Archbishop Aquila's secretary early in his tenure and now serves as vicar for clergy in the Archdiocese of Denver, called the convocation a fitting bookend to what he had witnessed at the very start of Aquila's leadership.
"When I began as his secretary, one of the archbishop's first concerns was the formation of deacons, what it looks like, how to support diaconal life," Father Book said. "So it's beautiful that he can be with his brother deacons at the close of his time here and see the fruit of that care."
Deacon Fred Torres of St. Mary Parish in Greeley, who has served the archdiocese for nearly 30 years, said the archbishop's gift was his presence.
"He blends in. He's a friend, he's a brother," Deacon Torres said. "He has a very open heart, like a magnet that always pulls people in. A shepherd who knows his sheep."
Archbishop Aquila closed his remarks with a prayer for the diaconate's future and a characteristic call to mission, grounding his farewell not in sentiment but in the same evangelical urgency that defined his tenure.
"Know my deep gratitude and thanks for each one of you," he said. "I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you and help us to build a strong diaconate program here in the Archdiocese of Denver."
Deacon AJ paused after offering his parting words for the outgoing archbishop, his voice catching.
"Thank you for living and leading us in authentic Catholic lives," he said. "That's what I'd say."
Then he smiled, shook his head and admitted he was about to cry.
