On July 19, 2024, St. Mary Parish in Bloomfield, NM and St. Rita Parish in Blanco, NM bid farewell to their deacon, Roger Garcia.
Deacon Garcia, who is retiring after 21 of ministry, expressed gratitude for the support he received from his parishioners and the bishop.
“I always prayed for the grace to recognize when it was time for me to step aside. And he answered that prayer in a certain way, and it was quite loud and clear. And Bishop Wall was most gracious in allowing me to go ahead and retire when I did.”
He’ll particularly miss preparing young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation, teaching classes alongside his wife, Patty.
“To watch the kids come to that realization and the willingness to accept Jesus as their friend and their God and savior. I mean, so many of the kids just don’t realize what they have placed in front of them until they get confirmed.”
“And then, of course, you know, preparing couples for marriage, preparing parents for baptizing the child, all of that. It’s all really gratifying, to watch them come to the realization that the sacraments bring so much grace to them and their families.”
Even before ordination, he cites the support of his wife for his preparation to become a deacon, and in his ministry afterwards.
“A lot of sacrifice of time together as a couple has to be admitted to by both parties. And then of course rescheduling family functions around different services and different functions, funerals and stuff like that,” he said. “She’s been a huge help, not only in ministry, but here at home and with my health care. And I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
And while he encourages men to consider a vocation to the diaconate, Deacon Garcia cites spousal support as a critical factor.
“If they feel a call to the life of service within the church, the diaconate is certainly an avenue. Of course, you know, it’s a dual thing. A husband and wife have to commit to it. Because it’s a huge sacrifice on the spouse’s part as well. And that’s why they require the wife to sign a letter of permission to the bishop before a man goes into formation.”
But the commitment and the sacrifice, he says, is absolutely worth it.
“It’s so gratifying. But we have to realize that when we do it, we do it in the service of our Lord and that we’re His hands and His feet here and we reach out to His holy people and try to keep them connected to Him.”