September 18, 2009
People of Faith
BY STEVE HALBIG
This is the second in a series on the new deacons of the diocese. They were ordained August 15 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville.
Deacon 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, has a part-time job as a 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, 3, and a girl, 2.
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.
What prompted you to pursue this ministry? My interest began when I was studying for the priesthood. I feel called to be the best homilist possible, to get people excited about the Gospel. My creative writing talents fit in as does my engineering background to make homilies logical.
Tells us a few things about yourself: I became a stay-at-home dad when my career sputtered a bit and my wife and I thought it would be “a lot better for the kids” if one of us stayed at home. In the meantime, my wife’s career at Wells Fargo has really taken off.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life? My father-in-law and mother-in-law for their support during my study for the permanent diaconate. In fact, my father-in-law is now studying for the diaconate in Owensboro.
What are your goals as a deacon? “To be a very good homilist, to get people excited as much as I am.’’ I’m also president of the board of directors of Ozanam Family Shelter and I hope to see it grow and attain financial independence.
Do you have any favorite books you would recommend to others? I’m a big fan of Thomas Keating’s “centering prayer.” More than 50 years ago Keating joined an austere monastic community in order to develop a personal relationship with God. Twenty years later, he co-founded a contemplative practice, “centering prayer,” which helps non-monastics achieve that very same goal through the discipline of quieting thoughts and feelings in order to experience the presence of God.
The 74-year-old Trappist monk defines centering prayer as “a very simple method in which one opens one’s self to God and consents to his presence in us and to his actions within us.” Releasing any distractions caused by thoughts or emotions, the practitioner simply “waits for God.” Beyond words, emotions and thoughts, centering prayer is, says Keating, like “two friends sitting in silence, just being in each other’s presence.”
Do you have any routines in your spiritual life that you would recommend to others? Singing the Liturgy of the Hours.