PHOTOS | Deacon Day 2025: Renewing Promises, Celebrating Service
- Guest Contributor
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
By Deacon Ernest Martinez
Director of Deacons Archdiocese of Denver
The Archdiocese of Denver gathered in joy and fraternity on August 12 for the annual Deacon Day Mass and Celebration of Service, held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn. This yearly event honors the ministry of deacons and their wives, renewing promises of service and recognizing milestone anniversaries of ordination.
More than 150 deacons came together alongside Bishop Jorge Rodríguez, Father Randy Dollins, archdiocesan vicar general, and Father Matthew Book, archdiocesan vicar for clergy, as well as the wives and families that support them.
Renewal of Promises
Punctuated by unity, fraternity and shared mission, the day centered on the celebration of Holy Mass, where deacons once again stood and renewed their ordination promises. As the deacons responded “I am” to each promise, their voices echoed through the church, serving as a powerful reminder of their commitment to Christ and his Church.
“There’s a remarkable power and conviction in hearing, ‘I am’ resonate in a church full of 150+ deacon voices that we could never express alone,” said Deacon Mark Leonard of Good Shepherd Parish in Denver.
For the deacons, this renewal is more than a ritual. It is a realignment of hearts, a recommitment to serving Christ and his people.
(Photos by Majewski Digital Photography)
A Call to Continued Service
In his homily, Bishop Jorge Rodriguez offered both humor and challenge. Opening with a lighthearted nod to the day’s Scripture, “I am now one hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to move” (Deuteronomy 31:2), he quickly turned to Pope Francis’ teaching on the diaconate as shared in a February 2025 homily reflecting on forgiveness, selfless service and community.
“For you as deacons, selfless service is not a secondary aspect of your activity, but an essential dimension of your very being,” the bishop quoted. “You will be a bridge linking the altar to the street and the Eucharist to people’s daily lives. Charity will be your most beautiful liturgy.”
Drawing on the Gospel of Matthew, Bishop Rodriguez emphasized humility as the heart of service.
“Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,” he said. “The soul of service is humility. The heart of service is a humble heart. You are the bridge for the love of Christ reaching out to the world.”
His words resonated deeply with the gathered deacons, many of whom live out their service in jails, hospitals and parishes, as well as marriage, pro-life, human trafficking and many other ministries.
“The two most impactful parts of Deacon Day were Bishop Jorge’s support and warmth in the way he related to us. I really experienced his love and was greatly encouraged,” shared Deacon Rob Lanciotti of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins. “The renewal of our diaconal promises is also a powerful moment when I can reflect on how I have been functioning as a deacon and recommit to serving our Lord even more.”
Celebrating Service and Brotherhood
Following Mass, deacons and their wives, as well as a number of priests, gathered for a festive dinner. During the meal, deacons celebrating milestone anniversaries of ordination were honored for their decades of service to Christ and his Church.
10 Years of Service
Deacon August Cordova
Deacon Michael Daly
Deacon Tim Hathaway
Deacon Robert Hoffman
Deacon Mladen Martinovic
Deacon Marc Nestorick
Deacon Efrain Pruneda
Deacon Greg Reynolds
Deacon Stan Rymes
Deacon David Thompson
Deacon Dennis Wallisch
25 Years of Service
Deacon Russell Barrows
Deacon Peter Hung Phi Dang
Deacon Joe Donohoe
Deacon Bob Finan
Deacon John Franklin
Deacon Tim Kenny
Deacon Tim Kilbarger
Deacon George Morin
Deacon Steve Stemper
Deacon Steve Vallero
Deacon Patrick Whaley
45 Years of Service
Deacon Marty Hetzel
Deacon Chuck Lamar
As each name was read aloud, the community applauded their faithful ministry and the witness of their wives and families, who have walked every step of the journey with them.
For many, the gathering is as important as the liturgy itself. The evening offered an opportunity to reconnect, reminisce and draw strength from one another’s witness.
“Each year, Deacon Day proves to be a true blessing. It is an evening set aside for the deacons of the Archdiocese to come together to celebrate their vocation and their ministry. By experiencing the witness of my brother deacons, I am refreshed, reinvigorated and inspired to live out the fullness of my own vocation,” said Deacon Chris Tranchetti of Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Foxfield.
“Seeing all the deacons gathered, especially my classmates, was truly awe-inspiring,” added newly-ordained Deacon Bryce Glasscock of Holy Family Parish in Meeker. “It reminded me that this journey isn’t just mine alone, but one we walk together, called to serve with faith, purpose and unity.”
A Call to Renewal
This year’s Deacon Day was not only a celebration, but a recommissioning. Each deacon is called to continue being bridges between the altar and the street, to carry the Eucharist into daily life and to live as icons of Christ the Servant.
And deacons are not called to do so alone. Together with their wives, they give witness to the power of faith, hope and love in family life through their sacrifices, quiet strength and partnership in ministry.
Looking Ahead
As the Archdiocese looks toward 2026, there is renewed focus on unity among deacons, priests and bishops, and on fostering new vocations. Through partnerships with organizations like FOCUS through their SEEK Conferences, younger men will be invited to discern the joy of diaconal life, ensuring the Church continues to have servants ready to lay down their lives for Christ and his people.
Deacon Day 2025 was more than a moment of recognition. It was a reminder of what the diaconate is all about: humble service, faithful witness and joyful fraternity. And as the archdiocese goes forward, Bishop Rodríguez reminded the deacons gathered, those values must “become flesh” in order for the Gospel to be preached most effectively.
“Deacons, by your presence in the Church, besides the wonderful services you offer, you are a constant reminder that if we don’t want the truth to be crystallized in doctrine, we need to become flesh,” he said. “Your selfless service is the most eloquent preaching of the Gospel.”
