2 county Catholics to be ordained deacons
Two of Butler’s faithful will be among those being ordained as permanent deacons Saturday by Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Zubik will ordain 17 deacons at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh. The Mass will be available for viewing via several broadcasts, including a livestream and on the diocese YouTube channel.
Bruce D. Beaver, of Clearfield Township, serves the St. Claire of Assisi Parish, which covers Catholics in Carbon Center, Chicora and northern Oakland Township.
He serves the parish as a lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and member of the pastoral council and the Knights of Columbus.
Beaver is a chemistry and biochemistry professor at Duquesne University. He and his wife, Gina, are the parents of two sons and a daughter.
Michael Kaufman serves All Saints Parish in Butler, Center Township, Meridian and Lyndora.
Kaufman serves the parish as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, altar server and lector.
He is a supervisor for care in the community at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department in Butler.
He and his wife, Jayni, are the parents of a daughter. They live in Connoquenessing Township.
As ordained ministers of the Catholic church, deacons assist priests at Mass, preach on occasion and preside as needed at baptisms, weddings, funerals and other liturgical functions, according to a news release from the diocese.
They also help provide pastoral care to people in hospitals and nursing homes, jails and prisons, and various other settings.
The deacons share their faith by word and example, coordinating a typically part-time ministry with job and family responsibilities, the release said.
“These men have deeply immersed in the diocesan Deacon Formation Program for more than five years,” Zubik said. “The process has helped them discern their vocation to this ministry, deepen their relationship with the Lord, and model their lives on Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve.”
