Donald J. Pegg took a long, but rewarding journey to become a deacon and on May 15 he will become co-director of the Worcester Diocese’s Office of Diaconate. Bishop McManus appointed him to the position on the recommendation of Deacon William A. Bilow Jr., diaconate director for the past 5½ years. “He’ll be a tremendous help,” Deacon Bilow said. Deacon Pegg, 57, of Shrewsbury, said he didn’t decide to become a deacon, God decided for him. He had grown up as an American Baptist, but his wife, Susan, was raised Catholic and he converted in 2004. He admitted that he didn’t understand the Catholic Church many years ago. So he and Susan gave the Episcopal Church a try, but it didn’t seem right. As a result, Susan decided to take their three daughters to the Catholic Church and he went along. He heard God telling him that Catholicism was his true religion and where he belonged. So he converted to Catholicism by attending the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RICA) at St. Bernadette Parish in Northborough, while his children attended St. Bernadette Elementary School. God wasn’t finished with him, however. He kept hearing from God that more was expected of him. So over an eight-year period, he attended a handful of information sessions by the diaconate office. He found them interesting, but he didn’t get involved because he was too busy with his family and in his job as head of technology services at Amica Mutual Insurance Company in Lincoln, Rhode Island. God’s pleas didn’t stop, however. “The voice just got louder,” he said, “and louder and louder and louder, saying, ‘This is what I’m calling you to do.’” After he and Susan prayed about it, he entered formation and was ordained as a deacon in June of 2021. There was a crisis along the way, however. Deacon Michael Chase, who had mentored him, died suddenly in April 2019. “That was a challenge for me,” he said. “Going through formation, you have those challenges. He ended up being a really good friend and Molly (his wife) was very influential as well.” Deacon Pegg teared up when talking about the loss of Deacon Chase. “It really does make you stop,” he said, “and say, ‘Why, God, would you take somebody who’s being influential and helping me get through discernment and suddenly take him away?’” Deacon Pegg said prayer helped him move forward. The grandfather of four is assigned as a deacon to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish at Our Lady of Loreto. His home parish is St. Mary in Shrewsbury. He will begin as co-director three days after he steps down from his job at Amica Life Insurance. Deacon Pegg said he enjoys most helping people find Jesus in their lives. “That can be from a person struggling with their faith,” he said, “or struggling with a child who isn’t going to church anymore or just helping people find God. And that could be through all sorts of different ways, by the way I proclaim the Gospel, by the way I give a homily, by the way I just have a presence on the altar, by the way I conduct myself outside the liturgy. A lot of people just see the deacon at liturgy and that’s what they identify with and the reality is it’s so much more than that.” Deacon Pegg has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University and a master’s degree in business administration from Clark University. As part of his deacon training, he received a master’s degree in theology from St. Joseph College in Standish, Maine. The Office of Diaconate offers classes to deacon candidates and their wives are invited, but not required, to attend. Classes are held twice a week for 10-12 weeks for three sessions each year for five years. Many classes are held at Anna Maria College as part of earning a master’s degree in pastoral ministry. Subject matter includes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, world religion, homiletics and altar practicum. The office also provides opportunities for the required continuing education for ordained deacons and pastoral care for retired deacons facing medical issues. Deacon Bilow said the $26,157 that the Office of Diaconate received last year from Partners in Charity financed the formation and classes for candidates preparing for ordination as well as administrative and retreat costs. “We do get funding in our parish assessments,” he said, “to help offset much of the administrative costs for the ordained deacons, but it’s most important for those preparing for ordination.” Having been ordained fairly recently, Deacon Pegg understands the challenge of balancing working through a deacon degree program with family life. “That’s why the wife has to be 100 percent on board,” he said, “and always has the option of saying, ‘This is not for you.’ If the wife says it’s not for you and won’t agree to continuing, you’re not going to be ordained.” Deacons assist priests at Mass and they can preside at baptisms, funerals, wakes and weddings. They also can teach RICA and religious education classes, and visit the sick and homebound. Deacon Pegg said he and his wife have some trepidation about taking a pay cut to work for the church, but they agree that God has always taken care of them and he will continue to do so. A total of 116 deacons are incardinated in the diocese, some of whom are retired or on leave. There are 68 active deacons, including eight in ministry outside the diocese. One more permanent deacon will be ordained May 20. The office has 10 staff members and Deacon Pegg had been one of five assistant directors of formation. Deacon Bilow, 61, is single and is assigned to Immaculate Conception in his hometown of Lancaster. He will celebrate his 10th anniversary on June 1. “It’s not the kind of thing where you decide you want to be a deacon,” Deacon Bilow said, “like I want to be an accountant or I want to be a football player. It’s something that comes to you spiritually through a lot of prayer and spiritual guidance. So my decision to become a deacon was actually an acceptance of God’s call.” Deacon comes from “diakonos,” the Greek word for servant. “Deacons focus on the service ministry,” Deacon Bilow said. “Priests focus on sacramental ministry and bishops focus on leadership in their local diocese.”