Kenan MacKenzie remembers the simple conversation five years ago that became a life-changing moment for him.

He had been speaking with Msgr. Gregory Smith, pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver, about the role of permanent deacons in the Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Vancouver has been training and ordaining them since 2011, and Msgr. Smith was wondering if MacKenzie would be interested in becoming one.

“I asked him: ‘what does a deacon do?’”

Msgr. Smith replied simply: “he serves.”

MacKenzie surprised himself when, knowing little more than that, he said yes.

“I didn’t ask him what was going to be involved, but in that immediate response – I’ve quite often reflected on it – my answer wasn’t really, fully, my own answer.”

Continuing to follow that prompt from the Holy Spirit, and having completed four years of studies and much time in service to the Church, MacKenzie is preparing for his  ordination as a permanent deacon at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver Oct. 7.

He will be ordained with eight other local men who all have unique stories but a shared desire to serve God’s people.

“God is this fountain of love that’s pouring out and into us, and we have a chance to get more of that by allowing that love to spread into the people around us. The more you give the more you get,” said MacKenzie.

Soon-to-be Deacon Kenan MacKenzie brings a puppy and a bit of joy to a hospital patient. (Photo submitted)

Their ordinations were originally scheduled for earlier this year but had to be postponed due to pandemic-related restrictions.

A former paramedic, Mackenzie spent some of his pre-ordination training serving in pastoral care at St. Paul’s Hospital and in the Catholic Charities Men’s Shelter. As an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Gibsons, Mackenzie has been involved in rebuilding of the church and running food bank drives and community meals in partnership with the Salvation Army and other nearby faith communities.

Going into ordained life, MacKenzie is looking forward to continuing social justice efforts and to reaching out to people who go to Mass but don’t appear moved by the experience.

“Sometimes when I watch people go in and out of church, I feel they plod into church and they plod back out. I think ‘you were just at the banquet of the Lord, in the most intimate relationship, and somehow that isn’t coming through,’” he said.

“When you look at people and their struggles, their anxieties, their worries, of all of those things they can be freed if they trust. They seem to want to leave Jesus on the cross. But Jesus can walk alongside them on their journey.”

Gregorio Canero, an active member of Couples for Christ who works as a public servant, has also been reflecting on the meaning of service.

“I approach it from a view of thanksgiving, simply because I have received so much that, not out of obligation, but out of adoration I’m able to share with others,” he told The B.C. Catholic.

“Those who I come across haven’t been placed there out of coincidence, but by God’s plan.”

Gregorio Canero serving at the altar during adoration at St. Joseph’s Parish in Mission. (Photo submitted)

Canero looks forward to ordination with “joyful anticipation” and his first assignment will be in pastoral care at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. He has already spent a few months serving in hospitals and has been deeply moved by the experience.

“I’ve been surprised by how the residents open up. We are giving them opportunity and hearing the challenges they face because of COVID and being away from their families,” he said.

“The people who are in the hospital, given present circumstances, are not able to have what they used to have. We are present to be with them and journey with them and the particular challenges they face.”

Martin Cayer is also feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves as ordination day approaches. Cayer had once thought he was called to the priesthood, but around the age of 18 he felt called to marry his then-girlfriend.

“I thought at that time any hopes of being a cleric were over.”

When the Archdiocese of Vancouver opened the permanent diaconate program many years later, the doors to becoming an ordained man serving the Church in specific ways were opened to him again.

“I certainly feel that I have been called,” he said. “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

Cayer preparing the altar. “I certainly feel that I have been called” to the diaconate. (Photo submitted)

Cayer has been serving at Christ the Redeemer as acolyte, lector, and a leader of a marriage preparation course alongside his wife, and will continue to serve in that parish after ordination. He’s not sure what else the job will entail, but he is open to “what the needs of the parish and the community are as they become known and apparent.”

One hope he holds close to his heart is encouraging pro-life movements or ministries to spring up locally. He said since he and his wife were unable to have children of their own, he hopes to find ways to connect childless couples open to adoption with pregnant women who are considering giving up their children for adoption.

For now, however, he’s focusing on “getting fully comfortable in getting ordained and fully grounded in that before looking too far into the future.”

Currently 24 permanent deacons serve in a wide variety of ministries in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archbishop J. Michael Miller officially recognized the nine soon-to-be deacons at Mass on Pentecost at Holy Rosary Cathedral and will ordain them there Oct. 7, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, at 7 p.m.

Another nine men are in the initial stages of formation. More information about the permanent diaconate program is at rcav.org/permanent-diaconate.


Ministry assignments

Martin Cayer: Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver
Gregorio Canero: Hospital ministry and St. Joseph’s Parish in Mission
Victor Gallamos: Prison ministry and St. Joseph’s Parish in Mission
Robert Kaszonyi: St. Ann’s Parish in Abbotsford
Carlos Leon: Blessed Sacrament Parish in Vancouver
Kenan MacKenzie: St. Mary’s Parish in Gibsons and Holy Family Parish in Sechelt
Stephen Potusek: St. Matthew’s Parish in Surrey
Wilfred Victoria: St. Monica’s Parish in Richmond
Steven Whan: Port of Vancouver ministry