Urged to serve the faithful and proclaim the Word of God, nine men were ordained permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Washington during a June 26 bi-lingual Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. 

The newly ordained deacons are James P. Flagg II, James C. Garner, Jeffrey Johnson, Oscar A. Méndez, Richard S. Meyer, Joe Petrizzo, Kenneth M. Scheiber, Kyle A. Simon, and Tom C. Trudell.

In ordaining the men, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville spoke of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, its effects on the Church and how the deacons are called to help the members of the Church. Bishop Dorsonville urged them to combat societal ills by proclaiming the Word of God.

“As much as you work in the pastoral ministry,” Bishop Dorsonville said, “your faces are going to disappear because people are going to read in your faces the real presence of Jesus Christ.”

During the Mass, Bishop Dorsonville also reminded the new deacons of their duty to serve. 

Deacons are ordained for a ministry that reflects three aspects: the Word, the altar and charity.  The new deacons will assist pastors throughout the archdiocese in preaching the Gospel, distributing the Eucharist, blessing marriages, baptizing, presiding at funerals, and being engaged in ministries of charity and social justice and assisting those in need.

Bishop Dorsonville called the new deacons “men of hope” who are called to mold and inspire the Church and its people.

The new deacons for the archdiocese come from a variety of backgrounds, and include an engineer, a pilot, a social worker and a former sailor. The men completed almost five years of theological study and prayer in preparation for their ordination, while working in a variety of Church ministries. 

The following biographies of the new deacons was provided to the Catholic Standard by the Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of the Permanent Diaconate:

Deacon James P. Flagg II is a parishioner at St. Catherine Labouré Church in Wheaton, Maryland. He and his wife Regina have been married for 35 years and have four children. The Flaggs have been at St. Catherine Labouré since 1997, where they both have served as catechists. Additionally, Deacon Flagg has served on the parish council, CYO board, as a lector, an active Knight of Columbus member serving several positions to include Grand Knight and coached several CYO teams. He is a retired sailor, First Class Hospital Corpsman and small business owner, and has served on his executive board in which he also was a two- term president.

Deacon James C. Garner is a member of St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Bowie, Maryland. He and his wife Laura have been married for 35 years and have four children. He has been a parishioner of St. Edward’s for 33 years. Deacon Garner is a retired electrical engineer/scientist with more than 42 years of service with the U.S. government. In his parish, he is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, head of the Liturgy Committee, and Parish Vocations Liaison. He has volunteered with the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Catholic Charities/SHARE Food Network.

Deacon Jeffrey Johnson is a member of St. Mary’s Parish in Bryantown, Maryland. He and his wife Jane have been married for 36 years and have two children. The Johnsons have been parishioners at St. Mary’s for more than 19 years. Deacon Johnson is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, and currently serves as chief of Defense Nuclear Security at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Deacon Johnson has served in a number of ministries in his parish, including lector, acolyte, and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Last summer, he participated in a ministry to help feed the poor of Southern Maryland.

Deacon Oscar A. Méndez is a member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. He and his wife Cindy have been married for 12 years and have three young children. Deacon Méndez has been a parishioner of St. Michael’s Parish for 20 years. He currently serves as program manager for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue in the Community Risk Reduction Section. In his parish, Deacon Méndez has served in several ministries. He also served as coordinator for the Archdiocese of Washington’s Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Deacon Méndez and his wife also volunteer with the archdiocesan Office of Family Life where they lead marriage preparation classes.

Deacon Richard S. Meyer is a member of St. Raphael’s Parish in Rockville, Maryland. He and his wife Mary have been married 29 years and have three children. Deacon Meyer has been a parishioner at St. Raphael’s since 2004, when he converted from Judaism and was received in the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Deacon Meyer is an intellectual property attorney and a founding partner of Capital Technology Law Group, PLLC. In his parish, he has served in a number of ministries, including RCIA, where he has been active as a sponsor and a team member since 2005. He is currently co-chair of the St. Raphael’s Respect for Life Committee and is active in the Knights of Columbus Mater Dei Council and St. Raphael’s Men’s Fellowship group.

Deacon Joseph Petrizzo has been a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland since 2000. He and his wife Mary have been married for 27 years and have four children. A native of New York City, he began his long journey to ordination as a student in Cathedral High School Seminary. After high school, he entered and lived in community with the Franciscan Conventual Friars. He attended The Catholic University of America’s National Catholic School of Social Service and received a master’s degree in social work. As a trained family therapist and a licensed certified social worker, Deacon Petrizzo has worked in a variety of settings ranging from child protection, adult protection, nursing homes, special education, day treatment and hospitals. He has been employed for 19 years at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, and is currently the director of Behavioral Health at the hospital.

Deacon Kenneth M. Scheiber is a member of St. John Francis Regis Parish in Hollywood, Maryland. Ken and his wife Lacy have been married for 10 years. They have been parishioners at St. John's for eight years. Deacon Scheiber teaches in the Theology Department at St. Mary's-Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Maryland. He has also been active teaching RCIA at St. John's, has served as Catholic Jail Ministry Coordinator for St. Mary's County, and is responsible for an apologetics ministry.

Deacon Kyle A. Simon is a 19-year member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Largo, Maryland. He and his wife Patricia have been married 30 years and have three daughters. Deacon Simon currently serves as director of the Financial Management Resources Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. In his parish, he has served in a number of ministries, including lector, CCD instructor, and altar server. Over the past few summers, Deacon Simon has volunteered with SHARE, the Little Sisters of the Poor’s Jeanne Jugan Nursing Home, and the Forestville Pregnancy Center.

Deacon Tom C. Trudell and his wife Dyhalma (Dee) have been members of Holy Face Parish in Great Mills, Maryland, for more than 20 years. They have been married for 43 years and have six children. Deacon Trudell is a retired naval aviator and test pilot who flew the E-2 Hawkeye, the U.S. Navy's carrier-based tactical battle management early warning, command and control aircraft. He recently retired from his second career with Northrop Grumman, as an international business development manager. The Trudells have served in several ministries in their parish, the Church and the community. They were a presenting couple for Catholic Engaged Encounter and were a foster family for several dozen children, three of which they adopted. Deacon Trudell has also been an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, a lector, and part of the RCIA team. During formation, he served at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, working with elderly service member residents.