August 14, 2009
Deacon candidates prepare for ordination, new assignments
A photo collage of the 12 deacon candidates and their wives. Click image for a photo gallery.
The following biographical material and assignments were collected for publication by Steve Halbig, a member of the Message staff.
(See photos of these candidates here)
Emil Altmeyer, 68, is from Good Shepherd Church in Evansville. He has been appointed to diaconal service at St. Joseph Church in Evansville.
He retired two years ago from Ulrich Chemical, where he worked for 47 years, including the last nine years as manager.
He and his wife, Agnes, are the parents of three grown children.
A native of Evansville, Emil is a graduate of Lockyear Business College. He also attended the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana when it was known as Indiana State University-Evansville.
Kevin Bach, a stay-at-home dad and a member of St. Benedict Cathedral, Evansville, has been appointed to diaconal service at his home parish. He also is to be available for information technology work at the Catholic Center.
Bach, 45, who became a stay-at-home dad when his career sputtered a bit, has a part-time job as counselor at Life Choices. He’s also president of the board of Ozanam Family Shelter.
He and his wife, Nancy, have two adopted children, a boy, three, and a girl, two.
A native of Bloomington, Ind., who moved to Evansville before his first birthday, Kevin has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Evansville and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue University.
Christian Borowiecki has been appointed to diaconal service at his home parish, Holy Rosary in Evansville.
Borowiecki, 46, is a retail food inspector for the Vanderburgh County Health Department.
He and his wife, Mary Jo, have “one angel,” a girl eight years old.
A native of Chicago, Borowiecki has a bachelor’s degree in community health from Western Kentucky University and a pastoral ministry certificate from Brescia University in Owensboro.
Thomas Evans, 56, is a member of St. Matthew Church in Mount Vernon. He will do his diaconal service at his home parish and also at Holy Angels Church in New Harmony.
Evans is a chemist at SABIC Innovative Plastics in Mount Vernon.
He and his wife, Irene, are parents of a daughter and son.
A native of Philadelphia, Evans has a Ph.D in chemistry from Penn State University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from La Salle University in Philadelphia.
Thomas Kempf, a member of St. Agnes Church on Evansville’s West Side, will do his diaconal service there.
Kempf, 53, owns a heating and air-conditioning busi-ness.
He and his wife, Sheldona, are the parents of two grown children.
A native of Evansville, Kempf attended Ivy Tech for the HVAC program and is in his final year at the University of Evansville, where he is getting a bachelor’s degree in global leadership.
James King, 47, has been appointed to diaconal service at his home parish, St. Ferdinand in Ferdinand.
King is a business systems analyst working for a national distribution and logistics company called Meyer Distributing, whose central office is in Jasper, and which sells after-market vehicle accessories. His primary experience is in applied technologies which benefit accounting, inventory and management reporting systems; this includes how this activity is supported through the use of computer software and networks. I have worked over the course of my career in the manufacturing, distribution, retail and service industries.
He and his wife, Diane, are the parents of both a daughter and a son, but lost their son Ian in 2005.
A native of Frankfurt, Germany, King is a trained technology specialist. He will complete a bachelor’s degree in psy-chology from Ashford Univer-sity in March 2010.
Mark McDonald, a member of St. Philip Church in Posey County, has been appointed to diaconal service at St. Wendel Church, St. Wendel, and St. Francis Xavier Church, Poseyville.
McDonald, 58, was a school principal 20 years, at St. Benedict, Holy Redeemer and Holy Rosary schools in Evansville, and at St. Philip School in St. Philip. He is director of Faith Formation at St. Philip Church.
He and his wife, Ann, are the parents of two grown daughters.
A native of Evansville, Mc-Donald has a master’s degree in elementary education and a school administrator certificate from Indiana State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana.
John McMullen, a member of Holy Rosary Church, will do his diaconal service at Nativity Church in Evansville and as a chaplain at Evansville State Hospital.
McMullen, 44, the author of several books, has been a religion teacher at Mater Dei High School for 18 years.
He and his wife, Mary Grace, are the parents of two boys, ages 13 and 11.
A native of Vincennes, Mc-Mullen has a master’s degree in theology from St. Meinrad College and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Meinrad. He studied electronics at Vincennes University and graduated from there in 1985.
Phillip Pierpont, 67, has been appointed to diaconal service at his home parish, Sacred Heart in Vincennes. He is currently writing the 100-year history of the parish.
Pierpont retired in 2008 from Vincennes University. During his 37-year career there, he was deputy provost for academic affairs and an English professor. Altogether, he taught for 44 years.
He and his wife, Lucille, have one adult son.
A native of Baltimore, Pierpont got his Ph.D in 1972 from Southern Illinois University. He received his master’s degree in 1966 from the University of Scranton and he got his bachelor’s degree in 1964 from Loyola University of Maryland.
Dennis Russell, a member of St. Mary Church in Downtown Evansville, has been appointed to diaconal service there.
Russell, 62, is a retired Henderson County music teacher. He also was a former band director at Memorial High School and Rex Mundi High School.
He and his wife, Mary Ann, are the parents of two grown children.
A native of Evansville, Russ-ell has a master’s degree in music education from Indiana State University and a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Evansville.
Dr. Anthony Schapker, 54, a member of St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh, has been appointed to do his diaconal service at Holy Spirit Church in Evansville.
Schapker has been a pediatrician for 26 years. He also teaches at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
He and his wife, Nieva, are the parents of three grown children.
A native of Evansville, Schap-ker received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville in 1977, graduated from the IU School of Medicine in 1980 and then did a three-year residency at James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Mark Wade, a member of St. Joseph Church in Princeton, has been appointed to do his diaconal service at his home parish and at Blessed Sacrament Church in Oakland City.
Wade is the Facilities Manager at Gibson General Hospital in Princeton.
He and his wife, Karla, are the parents of two children, including a 14-year-old at home.
A native of Princeton, Wade has attended Wabash Valley College and Brescia University, where he studied theology.