Bishop McManus is to ordain nine men permanent deacons at a 10 a.m. Mass June 1 at St. Paul Cathedral, 15 Chatham St., Worcester. All are welcome. The Mass is to be streamed live at worcesterdiocese.org.
Deacons assist in the celebration of Mass as ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and by proclaiming the Gospel and preaching. They can assist at marriages and preside over funerals, and are dedicated to works of charity.
Following are the biographies of the men being ordained. Those with bachelor’s degrees are to receive their master’s of theology in advanced diaconal studies from St. Joseph’s College of Maine after their ordination.
Martin W. Beck Jr., son of Carol Ann Beck and the late Martin W. Beck Sr., was born Dec. 27, 1956, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His home parish is Our Lady of the Lake in Leominster.
He and his wife, Judith Ann (Kernen) Beck, have four children: Sarah Marie Beck, 34; Pamela Jean Larson, 33; Megan Elizabeth Beck, 30, and Emily Erin Grahn, 28, and two grandchildren.
He attended Waukesha South High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He got his bachelor’s in chemistry with a minor in math from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 1980 and his master’s in chemical engineering from the Institute of Paper Chemistry in 1987.
He is a senior technology engineer for Hollingsworth & Vose Corp. He previously worked for Paper Chemistry Solutions, James River Corp., Beloit Corp. and Kimberly Clark Corp.
He is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Fathers C. Michael Broderick and Carlos Ruiz at 9:45 a.m., June 2, at Our Lady of the Lake in Leominster.
Thomas Robert Creamer, son of the late John Joseph Creamer and Elizabeth (McGrath) Creamer, was born Dec. 3, 1957, in Worcester. His home parish is St. Joseph in Charlton.
He and his wife, Jeannine Sue (LaFratta) Creamer, have three children: Jane Mirzaie, 42; Thomas Robert Jr., 40 and Allison LaFratta, 36, and two grandchildren.
He attended St. Peter Central Catholic High School in Worcester. He got his bachelor’s equivalent in civil defense/emergency management from the Marine Corps Institute/Emergency Management Institute, SUNY, in 1984.
He is a retired Worcester firefighter and EMS/Special Operations Coordinator. He was previously employed by the Departments of Defense (U.S. Marine Corps), Justice and Homeland Security.
He received the 1998 City of Worcester Thomas S. Green Award, 2002 Firehouse Magazine Community Service Hero Award and 2001 Red Cross Community Service Award.
He is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Father Michael Lavallee at 11 a.m., June 2, at St. Ann Parish in North Oxford, with a public reception following.
Alex Matias Garcia, son of Jose Matias and Zenaide Garcia Matias, was born Nov. 3, 1975, in Resplendor, Minas Gerais, Brazil. His home parish is Holy Family in Worcester.
He and his wife, Rubia Fazzolo Matias, have three children: Bruna Fazzolo Matias, 17; Natalia Fazzolo Matias, 14, and Luiza Fazzolo Matias, 13.
He attended high school at Escola Comendador Nascimento Nunes Leal.
He is an animal technician for Davinci Biomedical Research. He was previously a line cook at the Sole Proprietor Restaurant.
He is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving in Portuguese celebrated by Fathers Adriano Lessa, Steven LaBaire, Dario Acevedo and Victor Sierra at 11 a.m., June 2, at St. Joseph Church in Worcester, with a public reception following. Deacon Israel Fernandez is assisting at Mass.
Paul Gialanella, son of Josephine (Vella) Gialanella and the late Victor John Gialanella, was born March 16, 1961, in Newark, New Jersey. His home parish is St. John Paul II in Southbridge.
He and his wife, Donna Marie (Bottiglieri) Gialanella, have two children: Paul Joseph Gialanella, 25, and John Charles Gialanella, 22, and two grandchildren.
He attended Seton Hall Preparatory School, then in South Orange, New Jersey. He got his bachelor’s in industrial engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1986 and his master’s in project management from Keller Graduate School of Management in 1999.
He is a project manager for The TJX Companies Inc. Previous employers were Harcourt Brace and Revlon.
He is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Father Larry Huber and Father Daniel Moreno at 10:30 a.m., June 2, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Dudley.
Juan Jesus Guzman, son of the late Jose Guzman Ramos and Joaquina Santiago, was born Nov. 24, 1953, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His home parish is St. John Paul II in Southbridge.
He and his wife, Misa Lee Guzman, have two children: Juan J.L. Guzman Jr., 32, and Francisco L. Guzman, 29.
He attended Central High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He got his bachelor’s in accounting and business administration from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico in 1975, and his master’s in operations management from the University of Arkansas in 1985.
He worked for Science Applications International Corporation and the Knights of Columbus and is now retired.
He served in the United States Air Force from 1977 to 1997 and was discharged with the rank of major. He received numerous military medals and recognitions and other awards.
He is to preach at a bilingual Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Fathers Juan Herrera, Kenneth Cardinale and Peter Joyce at 10 a.m., June 2, at St. John Paul II Parish’s Notre Dame Church, with a public reception following.
Gilberto A. Javier-Almonte, son of Maria R. Almonte-Almonte and the late Diego R. Javier-Fermin, was born Nov. 19, 1969, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His home parish is St. Peter in Worcester.
He and his wife, Isis Gomera-Ceballos, have three children: Gilberto, 24, Rafael, 23, and Alexis, 23.
He attended Medardo Carazo High School in Puerto Rico. He got his bachelor’s in science from Inter American University in Puerto Rico in 1993.
He is an inventory specialist for Polar Beverage Corp., Worcester.
He is to have two Masses of Thanksgiving with public receptions following. Newly ordained Deacon Samuel A. Morrison is to preach at a Mass celebrated by Father Nelson Rivera at 4:30 p.m., June 1, at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Worcester. Deacon Almonte is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Msgr. Francis Scollen at 10 a.m., June 2, at St. Peter Parish. Assisting at the June 2 Mass is Deacon George Estremera.
Daniel Francis Lavoie, son of Agnes Marie Lavoie and the late William Joseph
Lavoie, was born Oct. 4, 1958, in Worcester. His home parish is St. Ann in North Oxford.
He and his wife, Mary Ann (Cheever) Lavoie, have three children: Jennifer Lavoie, 33; Rebecca Brown, 31, and Katherine Lavoie, 27, and two grandchildren.
He attended St. John High School in Shrewsbury. He got his bachelor’s in finance from Nichols College, Dudley, in 1999 and his master’s of business administration in technical management from the University of Phoenix in 2004.
He is a lead senior systems engineer at DXC. His previous employers were Commerce Insurance, Allmerica Financial, Thom McAn, TJX, Prime Computer, Filenes, Multibank and Zayers.
He served in the U.S. Army Reserve between 1979 and 1985, but was not deployed. His rank at discharge was Spc. 5.
He is to preach at a Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m., June 9, at St. Mark Parish in Sutton, with a public reception following.
Samuel Andoh Morrison, son of Mary Morrison and the late Emmanuel E. Morrison, was born Jan. 15, 1985, in Kumasi, Ghana. His home parish is St. Joan of Arc in Worcester.
He and his wife, Helina A. (Achia) Morrison, have one child: Jacob Emmanuel Pio A. Morrison, 8 months.
He attended OSEI Kyeretwie Senior High School in Kumasi, Ghana. He got his pharmacy technician certification at New York Institute of Professional Studies. He studied theology through Anna Maria College, Paxton, and St. Joseph College of Maine and the University of Dayton.
He is a skills instructor for people with autism for Advocates Inc. He was previously employed by Hilton PLC in London.
He is to assist at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by several priests at 2 p.m., June 2, at St. Joan of Arc. Also assisting at the Mass is Deacon Anthony Xatse. The homilist is Father Jacob Tardie Adomako.
Thomas E. Tierney, son of the late William J. Tierney and Mary C. Tierney, was born Aug. 21, 1961, in Boston. His home parish is St. Gabriel, the Archangel in Upton.
He and his wife, Deborah E. (Raymond) Tierney, have two children: Sarah, 22, and Catherine, 20.
He attended Boston College High School. He got his bachelor’s in business management from North Adams State College in 1984. He is a business banker for KeyBank. He formerly worked for IBM Corporation and Bank of America.
He is to assist at a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Father William C. Konicki at 9:30 a.m., June 2, at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Hopedale, with a public reception following.