Earning His Wings: Meet the Deacon Flight Attendant

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 8:26 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

Earning His Wings: Meet the Deacon Flight Attendant 2019-04-29T20:26:20-04:00 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 Review/Daniel Michaud

A great story, from the Catholic Review in Baltimore:

Whether he is in a church or an airplane, permanent Deacon Daniel Michaud loves to serve God’s people.

In addition to his ministry at Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus, he has the opportunity to encounter 300 to 500 people a day as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, and he aims to make them all positive experiences.

“It’s seamless between working as a deacon and working as a flight attendant,” Deacon Michaud said. “In both places … I’m serving God’s people. I’m able to call them God’s people in church, maybe not necessarily on the airplane, but … they’re the same people.”

As a flight attendant, he said, he is able to witness to his faith and be the person God intended him to be.

“I think that’s what I love about my job – I get to be me,” said Deacon Michaud, a 20-year veteran of the company. “I get to share God with other people in a way that it’s not preaching God, but it’s showing God.”

Deacon Michaud was ordained in May 2018, and he is no stranger to the church. A native of Massachusetts, he spent two years in seminary discerning the priesthood in the early 1990s and time as a youth minister at St. Bartholomew in Manchester in the mid-1990s.

He met his wife, Gabrielle, in 1994 at St. Matthew in Northwood. Deacon Michaud proposed the following year in the same church, and the couple was married there in 1996. Their family now includes Jet, 18; Hawker, 16; and twins Alize and Piper, 14. All happen to be aircraft industry names.

The couple designed their own wedding bands – made from the melted down bands that belonged to the deacon’s godparents. The rings – which include symbols of Christianity, such as a cross, fish and grapevine – serve as a conversation starter on the airplane.

“It had to represent us and our faith,” Deacon Michaud said. “People see it – it’s just one way that you start conversation.”

Deacon Michaud has encountered bishops and priests on his flights, friends from ministry, engaged couples and people from all different walks of life, and he never misses an opportunity to chat and share.

“It’s almost like being a bartender,” he said. “They just lay it all out there.”

Read it all.

Deacons

Baltimore

Previous Post

April 29, 2019

'Catholics Are Wonderful at Being Sad'

Next Post

April 30, 2019 Courage: Sri Lanka Church Holds First Mass Since Bombings and Ordains a Priest

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

What does the rider of the Black Horse in Revelation hold in his hand?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A pair of scales A book A bow A sword

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »