James Shope

A member of St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church is one of eight men ordained as a permanent deacon Saturday morning by Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

James Shope, 58, of Center Township, was ordained at a special Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh.

A five-year journey precedes ordination as permanent deacon, which is “an ordained minister of the church with a distinctive calling to perform works of charity and service, proclaim the word of God and assist in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church,” according to a diocesan news release.

“Their ministry is needed more than ever during this challenging time for the church,” Zubik said. “It is a tremendous witness of discipleship.”

Although a lifelong, practicing Catholic, Shope said he was unaware for many years of the permanent deacon position within the church until a coworker asked him to fill out a reference form to witness that the coworker would make a good deacon.

“That's when I said 'Boy, what is this?'” Shope said.

He put the idea on the shelf as work and family life claimed his time and energy, but revisited it in 2014 when the church called for members to consider becoming a deacon.

He explored the idea in depth with the priest at St. Andrew at the time.

“I thought it was something that was of interest to me,” Shope said.

He said by that time, he had worked hard and achieved success in his career.

“But something was missing,” Shope said.

It then occurred to Shope that the time might be at hand to consider becoming a deacon.

He was accepted and began his journey through the program's Pillars of Formation — which includes spiritual, personal, intellectual and pastoral elements — with the required one-year application process to ensure the candidate is a good fit for the deacon position.

Academic and practical components then follow. Shope served the latter in a summer assignment ministering to inmates at the Butler County Prison and patients at Butler Memorial Hospital, in addition to those attending community dinners held every Tuesday at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler.

“I'm prepared,” Shope said. “God has been so good to me and my family and the church has been so good to me and my family,” Shope said. “I'm looking forward to serving.”

Shope will assist the parish priest during Mass and can preach the gospel, administer wedding vows, perform baptisms and preside over funeral services that are not part of a Mass.

“A priest is the only one who can celebrate a Mass,” Shope explained.

He did not yet know Friday where he would be assigned after his ordination.

“When you are ordained, you pledge obedience to the bishop and his successors and the bishop will give me an assignment,” Shope said.

Looking on at the ordination were his wife, Carol, daughter Christine, and daughter Rebecca Abraham and her husband, Anthony.

Shope is anxious to begin his service as a permanent deacon.

“I've always had an interest in serving the church,” he said.