New deacons in Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse include several in Broome County
Broome County now has four new deacons who will preach, serve on the altar during Mass, and comfort people at hospitals and nursing homes.
“As our priests are called to be shepherds in multiple parishes, the presence of a deacon brings help and support to the parishes and the needs of the people,” said Deacon Tom Cuskey, director of deacon formation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. “More and more deacons are called to leadership roles in the parishes and ministries in which they serve.”
Adeolu Ademoyo, of Binghamton; Greg Hrostowski, of Johnson City; and Endicott residents Michael Carroll and Paul Heiland were ordained on May 21. They were among 10 new permanent deacons ordained that day from all over the Syracuse Diocese, which includes Broome County. No priests will be ordained this year, Cuskey said.
Deacons have numerous duties in the church, including preaching, baptizing, witnessing marriage, and conducting wake and funeral services. They also visit people in need at hospitals, nursing homes and jails.
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Here are their stories:
Adeolu Ademoyo
Career: Professor of languages and philosophy at Cornell University in Ithaca.
Family: Wife, Omobolade; seven grown children.
Parish: The linked parishes of St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas Aquinas in Binghamton.
A native of Nigeria, Ademoyo also serves as a hospital chaplain at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City and a jail chaplain at the Broome County Jail when he’s not teaching at Cornell.
He said he heard a call to be a deacon.
“It’s less of a decision and more of a push — a push by the Holy Spirit to serve Christ and his church as a servant,” he said.
His ordination to the permanent diaconate is “an outward indication of a change in me,” he said. “That change is to be a servant of Christ and his church.”
Michael Carroll
Career: Retired from Sunstream Corp. of Binghamton.
Family: Wife, Maria; three grown children and two grandchildren.
Parish: The linked parishes of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Ambrose in Endicott.
Michael Carroll heard the call to become a deacon for many years.
“It was always a whisper,” he said. “It just kept getting louder and louder.”
A former jail chaplain, he enjoys visiting sick people at home and visiting the residents of UHS Senior Living at Ideal.
A lot of a deacon’s work takes place away from the church, he said.
“The altar is one day a week,” he said. “Most of it is service.”
Greg Hrostowski
Career: Retired transportation supervisor for the Johnson City Central School District.
Family: Single.
Parish: St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament in Vestal.
Greg Hrostowski has always had a strong faith.
Throughout his life, people would sometimes ask if he thought about becoming a priest, but he didn’t really think about pursuing that path, he said.
He decided to become a deacon after taking some adult faith formation classes in his parish, St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament of Vestal.
“I had to pray about it and do a lot of discerning,” he said.
He serves as a hospital chaplain at Wilson and enjoys ministering to patients, he said.
Paul Heiland
Career: Works at BAE Systems in Endicott.
Family: Wife, Regina; three grown children.
Parish: The linked parishes of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Ambrose in Endicott.
Paul Heiland said he thought about becoming a deacon for years before taking the plunge.
“It was something the good Lord called me to,” he said.
He also serves as a part-time chaplain at Wilson.
“It’s a beautiful experience to be ministering to people who are in need of something to look forward to — some hope,” he said. “There is hope for the hopeless and joy for those who are not joyful. That’s what our faith is.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: New deacons in Broome County ordained by Syracuse diocese
