“I was crying tears of joy”

Diaconate ordination Nov. 5

Twenty-seven deacon candidates from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will be ordained to the permanent diaconate by Archbishop Coakley on Nov. 5 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help after spending four years in formation.  

One of the deacon candidates, Patrick Gaffney, and his wife Amy Gaffney spoke to the Sooner Catholic about the ordination and being ordained a deacon. 

Name: Patrick and Amy Gaffney 
Family: Three grown children, daughter, Erin, who is expecting their first grandchild; son, Kevin; and daughter, Sheila.
Home parish: Saint Eugene Catholic Church, Oklahoma City
Occupation: Physician scientist, genetics research

Q: How did you know you were being called to the diaconate? 
Pat: I felt a call to be a deacon over the course of many years, probably 30.

Gaffney said the thought of enrolling in the diaconate program was given to him by a friend from college who is now a priest. Gaffney said after his friend was ordained a priest, he brought up the idea of the diaconate over dinner. Gaffney said he didn’t think about it too much until recently when he felt tugged to move in that direction. 

The Gaffney family moved to Oklahoma from Minnesota about 14 years ago. 

Q: How did you feel when Pat told you about his call to join the diaconate?
Amy: It has been very good. When he first told me about his calling, I was crying tears of joy because I was so happy for him.
 
Amy Gaffney said the journey of going back to school and working alongside her husband has been a good experience. She said having the opportunity to do homework together, share ideas and discuss theology, has been a great part of their journey together. 

Q: What are you looking forward to most about becoming a deacon?
Pat: What I’m looking forward to most is just being a servant to Jesus Christ and his Church in a way I haven’t ever done, in a unique way. I’ve done a lot of stuff with the Church, served on a lot of committees, but I’m looking forward to serving in this way and keeping an open mind for how he is calling me to serve. 

Amy: I’m just excited to see where it takes Pat and where it will take us. There will be new opportunities for growth for both of us wherever we go, and it is just a way to grow in trust of God because we know he is there.

Q: How did your family respond to your calling to enter the diaconate?
Amy: The kids are very excited, very supportive. Our daughter has talked about the fact he will probably be able to baptize our grandbaby. They are all excited to come to the ordination. It has been fun for them.

Q: What do you foresee as being a challenging aspect of being a deacon? 
Pat: The formation process helps with the intellectual formation of the Church and theology but also with the spiritual formation. I think it prepares us for a way that helps you orient yourself to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. I have much more of an inner peace with things that used to bug me with as a result of this whole process. 

Amy: Something we really appreciated were the close friendships we developed in the formation process. The couples have been real inspirations for spiritual growth with the strong sense of prayer they bring and the faith they have. 

Q: In what ways have you grown in your spiritual life because of your diaconate formation journey? 
Pat: I find myself saying if there are difficulties, for instance, challenges at work, staying focused on prayer allows God to take care of those things. If Jesus wants me to be a deacon, he will take care of these other things and make it possible for that to happen. This process has been a real orientation of, I don’t have to do everything, it is not about me being in charge of everything, and I can hand off some things to the Lord, which is very comforting. 

The Gaffney’s both expressed deep appreciation for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, including the deacons who helped them through the four years of formation, especially with finding ways for them to continue classes through the pandemic through the use of online meeting technology. 

“Throughout this journey, I have been so moved and humbled by hearing of all the people who have been praying for us regularly,” Amy Gaffney said. “It always reminds me how important it is to pray for all vocations every day!”

Eliana Tedrow is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.