There at the Beginning: Two Deacons Celebrate 40 Years of Ministry

Last updated on: July 13, 2013 at 5:40 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

There at the Beginning: Two Deacons Celebrate 40 Years of Ministry 2013-07-13T05:40:07-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

From the Catholic Key, a rare and fascinating glimpse at the lives of two men who might be considered pioneers:

June 11 was a memorable day for Deacons Don Schmit and Dick Muraski. It was the 40th anniversary of their ordination to the Order of Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The two deacons, surviving members of the first diaconate class in the diocese, have for 40 years, with their families, embraced their ministry in the everyday world much as St. Stephen did.

St. Stephen, considered the first deacon, was appointed with six others, by the Apostles to distribute food and aid to the community’s poor. What little is known of him is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter six. For the better part of eight centuries following his martyrdom, the Order of Deacons was a strong apostolate. Then over the next 1,200 years, the permanent diaconate waned and almost disappeared. By 1900 the role of Catholic deacons had become solely a transitional step on the path to priestly ordination.

Restoring the Order became a hot topic during the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). In June 1967, Pope Paul VI began restoration of the Permanent Diaconate, as the Council had suggested. His apostolic letter, the “Sacred Order of the Diaconate,” allowed countries who wished to restore the Order to do so. In 1968 the U.S. Bishops Conference requested restoration of the permanent diaconate and the following year, the first diaconate classes in the Archdioceses of Washington and Baltimore and the Diocese of Richmond were in formation. Those first classes were ordained in 1971.

That same year the first diaconate class in this diocese was formed.

That first class was comprised of seven men, Deacon Dwayne Katzer, diocesan Director of the Diaconate, said, reminiscent of the calling of those first deacons.

The seven men — Richard J. Muraski; Donald Schmit; Robert Miller; Louis Falcon; Antonio Sandoval; Vincent O’Flaherty, Jr., and George Kopp — began a two-year formation program at Rockhurst University and were then ordained by Bishop Charles Helmsing at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception June 11, 1973.

Deacon Don Schmit and his wife Jenny just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

“I’m 89 years a person, 65 a husband, 63 a father and 40 a deacon,” he said. The couple raised five children, four of whom are still living.

Relaxing in his recliner in the living room, he recalled his ministry’s beginnings as a charismatic movement leader.

“The first charismatic prayer meeting in this area,” he recalled, “was started in this living room around 1970. Jenny and I had heard about the charismatic renewal movement and wanted to learn more. Three of us went to the Evangelistic Center on Truman Road to hear a priest speak about it and had a religious experience. The pastor laid his hands on our heads and we prayed. We’ve never been the same.”

…Deacon Don and Jenny Schmit love spending time with their four living children — their son David passed away during the 2002 ice storm. “We have 8 grandchildren,” Jenny said, “and 9 living great grandchildren, we lost one. All our kids are so good to us.”

Don: “Jenny is the most gentle, loving person I’ve ever met,” he said. “Without her I wouldn’t, I couldn’t, have done any of this. Married 65 years, and still in love!”

A few days later and a couple of miles away, Deacon Dick and Beattie Muraski sat on their front porch, enjoying breakfast while chatting and recalling the 40 years of Dick’s ministry…

…Dick and Beattie became interested in the Christian Family Movement when they realized they wanted “something besides marriage, children, making money and having a good time.” The Muraskis volunteered in Georgia for three summers, helping establish Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes in Claxton, and with a grant from the Catholic Church Extension Society, helped build a church and rectory.

Beattie recalled discussions of how great it would be “if we could work full time for the Church and still feed the kids.” They contacted several missionary groups, but were “politely turned down when we told them we had five kids!”

When Bishop Helmsing reinstated the Permanent Diaconate in 1971, Msgr. Tighe suggested Dick Muraski as a candidate for the first class.

After his ordination, “Deacon Dick” was assigned to work at the Chancery as coordinator of marriage and family life. “Dick traveled all over the diocese to develop this ministry,” Beattie said and Dick added, “I basically taught people who were going to teach other people about marriage and families.”

The next decade was a busy one. In 1976 he was elected regional representative to the National Commission on Marriage and Family Life.

In the early 1980s, he helped devise and develop Prepare II, the sacramental marriage preparation program for engaged couples.

There’s much more. Read it all. Congratulations, deacons—and thank you to you and your wives! Ad multos annos!

It strikes me that a great project for an enterprising historian might be to collect oral histories of some of the men who were among the first ordained as deacons after Vatican II. The ministry has changed and evolved over the last four decades—a two-year formation program?!—and it would be valuable, I think, for those men who were there at the beginning to share their memories and experiences and preserve them for future generations.

Deacons

Previous Post

July 12, 2013

I Thought That Name Sounded Familiar...

Next Post

July 13, 2013 Homily for July 14, 2013: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism education Education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The Corinthians were told that love is patient and kind.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »