By Marnie McAllister, Record Editor
Eighteen men with a wide variety of backgrounds will be ordained to a common ministry Aug. 20, that of the diaconate.
Each has “committed to a deeper relationship with Christ” that centers on service to the church and becoming “a bridge to Christ,” said Deacon Denny Nash, director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Diaconate Office. The ordination will be at St. Patrick Church in Eastwood at 11 a.m.
“I’m extremely proud of these men and women,” said Deacon Nash, noting that husbands and wives have completed a five-year formation program together. “It’s a major commitment that these men and their families make. You have to respect that they’ve given a lot to the church, even before their ordination.
“You’ve got 18 different personalities,” he said of the ordinands. “Everyone has unique gifts. In many ways, their service to the church comes from the gifts they’ve already been given. They use those gifts in service to the church.”
Each of the ordinands has been assigned to serve in a parish — their primary role. Many of them will serve in other ministries, too, Deacon Nash said.
“Many of the men in this class have already committed to prison ministry and many men and their wives have already committed to hospital ministry,” he said. “Because of their special skill sets coming from the secular world, they are well-prepared to take on other roles. We have ex-military guys, one who’s currently a UPS pilot.”
Following is a listing of the new deacons and their biographical information.
Stephen A. Age and his wife Shannon, both natives of Louisville, have been married 33 years. They have two sons and two grandchildren.
Age currently works for the Jefferson County Board of Education and formerly worked in health-care development for 25 years.
Mrs. Age is a mammographer for Baptist Health, where she has been employed for 24 years. She has also been a CASA (court appointed special advocate) volunteer, representing abused and or neglected children for Jefferson County Family Court.
The couple co-founded a ministry in 1990 called Sow the Word, which was a predecessor to Hand-in-Hand Ministries. The Ages also co-founded the annual Hunger Awareness dinners at Fern Creek Highview United Ministries.
Mrs. Age served as co-chair of the parish council and chair of the social concerns committee at St. Bernard Church. They recently received certification in catechetical ministry, marriage preparation and as auditors for the Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Louisville. In addition, the couple also works on parish teams to coordinate annual retreats for men and women, as well as Koinonia retreats.
Age is assigned to St. Francis Xavier Church in Mount Washington, Ky., and All Saints Church in Taylorsville, Ky.
Anthony T. Brown Sr. and his wife Naomi Marie have been married 34 years. They have two sons and two grandchildren.
Brown is president of his real estate company, Favored Realty Development LLC, and a retired production system coordinator with the Ford Motor Company, where he worked for 33 years. Mrs. Brown is a retired Trade Relations Manager with the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, where she worked for more than 27 years.
Since becoming Catholic 11 years ago, Brown has attended St. Martin of Tours Church, where he served as an acolyte and taught baptism classes.
Mrs. Brown is a member of Canaan Christian Church, where she is a minister. She is coordinator of the Chronic Disease Self–Management Program at the Park DuValle Community Health Center.
Brown is assigned to Holy Spirit Church.
Robert “Bryan” Bush and his wife Jennifer have been married 29 years. They have three children and two grandchildren.
Bush, a native of Ashland, Ky., graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979. He served as a pilot in the Air Force for 20 years. He is now a commercial airline pilot.
Mrs. Bush was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She immigrated with her family to the United States. She was involved in caring for the wives of service members during her husband’s service. She is a long time member of the Korean Community at St. Aloysius Church in Pewee Valley, Ky.
The couple have been active in various ministries over the years, including volunteer work with the Society of St. Vincent DePaul, local soup kitchens and parish ministries. They both volunteer at Robley Rex VA Medical Center.
Bush is assigned to Holy Spirit Church.
Richard J. (Rick) Fagan and his wife Julie have been married 34 years. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
Fagan, a native of Mt. Vernon, Ill., is a retired U.S. Army Engineer Officer and now works as a facility operations specialist for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).
The couple were active in the Retrouvaille Marriage Ministry program for many years and have been active at Holy Trinity Church in Fredricktown, Ky., serving as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and lectors.
He is assigned to Holy Trinity in Fredricktown and Holy Rosary Church in Manton, Ky.
John (Johnny) M. Fellonneau III and his wife Kelly have been married for nine years and have one child.
Fellonneau, a graduate of DeSales High School, is the training department manager for University of Louisville Physicians.
Mrs. Fellonneau is a project manager for a Kentucky managed care organization.
They have both been active in various ministries in their parish, St. Thomas More Church, serving on the parish council and worship committee, as sacristans and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion.
Fellonneau also has led numerous retreats for DeSales and various youth groups in Louisville.
He is assigned to St. Thomas More and Our Lady of Mount Carmel churches.
Mike Fitzmayer and his wife Dee have been married 40 years and have two children.
They have been parishioners of St. Gabriel Church for more than 30 years. At their parish, the couple have worked with the Boy Scouts for more than 10 years. They also were involved in marriage preparation for more than five years and have served as lectors and eucharistic ministers.
Fitzmayer is assigned to St. Gabriel.
John Gregory Froehlich and his wife, Helen have been married 43 years. They have three children and three granddaughters. They also have an “adopted” grandson.
The couple are currently retired and have a small farm in Southern Kentucky. Mr. Froehlich retired from the U.S. Air Force, serving for 20 years as an electronics technician and senior manager.
Mrs. Froehlich retired from the Army Air Force Exchange Service. After living in Alaska for 23 years, they moved to Kentucky in 2007.
The couple are active in various ministries in their parish. Mrs. Froehlich was the bookkeeper for several years and now serves as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and serves on the parish council and finance committee. Froehlich is involved in nursing home visitation and adult education.
He is assigned to Christ the Healer Church in Edmonton, Ky.
Mark D. Kelley and his wife Julie have been married 29 years and have two children and two grandchildren.
Kelley, co-owner of Kelley Construction, attended St. Bernard School and Trinity High School. Mrs. Kelley volunteers with the Little Way Pregnancy Resource Center and Forgiven and Set Free.
The couple have worked together over the past 27 years in many parish committees and ministries, taking many leadership roles along the way.
He is assigned to St. Michael Church.
Sam King and his wife Sheila have four daughters and four grandchildren.
The couple, who had careers in IT, took early retirements in 2013.
King is from Pennsylvania and joined the Catholic Church in 2000. Mrs. King, attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and Holy Rosary Academy. She completed the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Ministry Formation Program in 2000.
The couple have been active in various ministries in their parish, St. Athanasius, over the last 25 years and have volunteered at The Franciscan Home and St. Vincent De Paul.
He is assigned to St. Athanasius.
Jim McCarty and his wife Emily have been married for 27 years. They have a daughter and two granddaughters.
The couple moved to Louisville in 1991 following McCarty’s service in Operation Desert Storm in the U.S. Navy. McCarty now works at Baptist Health Radiation Center. Mrs. McCarty teaches eighth-grade religion and seventh- and eighth-grade math at St. Athanasius School.
The couple have been members of St. Athanasius since 2007. He is involved in prison ministry at the Kentucky State Reformatory and both have joined their diaconate classmates in providing movie nights for guests of St. Vincent dePaul and Wayside Christian Mission.
He is assigned to St. Athanasius.
Joseph V. “Trey” Mobley III and his wife Karen, both Louisville natives, married six years ago.
Mobley is a St. Xavier High School graduate and earned a master’s degree in theology at St. Meinrad School of Theology. He works as a computer programmer at the University of Louisville in support of spinal cord injury research. He has also served as a youth minister and with homeless men.
Mrs. Mobley, who has served as a social worker and therapist, is in private practice at The InnerView.
Mobley is assigned to St. Agnes Church.
Mark J. Patterson and his wife Christine, members of Incarnation Church, have been married for 26 years and have two daughters.
Patterson is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and currently works at Fort Knox as a civil servant supporting the U.S. Army and the Human Resources Command.
Mrs. Patterson is a budget analyst for Hewlett Packard and supports the Veterans Administration.
The couple have been active in several ministries at their parish, including A.C.T.S renewal retreats, ministries of compassion and prison ministry.
He is assigned to Incarnation Church.
Michael A. Ryan and his wife Regina have been married 34 years. They have two children and two granddaughters.
Ryan retired from the Radcliff Police Department, where he worked 19 years as the evidence supervisor. He currently serves as the director of religious education at St. Brigid Church in Vine Grove, Ky., and has served in that position for five years.
Ryan also served the parish in other ways, along with his wife, serving as picnic chairman for 20 years, on the formation team for 16 years and as an altar server trainer and member of the worship committee.
Mrs. Ryan is the director of Hardin County Educational and Community Television for Hardin County Schools and the music director at St. Brigid.
He is assigned to St. Brigid and St. John the Baptist Church in Rineyville, Ky.
Timothy J. Schlueter and his wife Connie have been married 27 years and have three children
Schlueter, a native of Glendale, Ohio, moved to Louisville in 2007 and is currently a part-time student at Indiana University Southeast, where he is working on a degree in business. He works at Roll Forming Corporation in Shelbyville, Ky., as a mechanical systems specialist.
He has been active in many different ministries over the years, including teaching evening religious education classes and organizing parish picnics. He is assigned to Church of the Ascension.
Michael M. Shumway, a native of Louisiana, and his wife Charlotte have been married for 33 years and have two children.
Shumway, who attended Spalding University, is the president of The Shumway Group, a non-profit consulting firm focusing its service on the Catholic Church. Shumway has worked in the church for more than 30 years, serving as a mission advancement executive for more than 26 years.
Mrs. Shumway, who attended Bellarmine University, is a senior contracts administrator at Baptist Healthcare system.
The couple, members of St. Joseph Church in Butchertown, have been active members of their parishes throughout their married life. He is assigned to St. Joseph.
Michael S. Sowers and his wife Anntoinette (Toni), who moved to Louisville 10 years ago, have been married 41 years. The couple have two children and a granddaughter.
Mr. Sowers is the center manager of international operations at UPS. Mrs. Sowers works at St. Rita School.
The couple have completed studies for pastoral care of the sick, are active in prison ministry and have a certificate in discipleship from the Archdiocese of Louisville Ministry Institue. They have also been active at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the RCIA program, the service committee, Healing Blankets ministry and they both provide Communion to nursing home residents.
He is assigned to St. Francis of Assisi.
William P. Tribbey and his wife Martha have been married 35 years. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Tribbey works from home as a computer and data scientist. Mrs. Tribbey is the seventh- and eighth-grade religion teacher at St. Gabriel School.
The couple have been involved in retreat ministry and served as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and lectors in their parishes over the years. Tribbey, a musician, has served as a music minister while Mrs. Tribbey, a master catechist, has sacramentally prepared children of all ages. They will remain involved with ministry at the Kentucky State Reformatory and at Jewish and University hospitals. They are both professed Secular Franciscans and Tribbey serves as the spiritual assistant to the Our Lady and St. Clare Fraternity.
He is assigned to St. Brigid and St. James churches.
Bruce J. Warren and his wife Laurie have been married 16 years. They have two children, one who attends Mercy Academy and one at St. Albert the Great School. The family completed their journey toward the diaconate together.
Warren, who attended St. Barnabas School and St. Xavier, served in the U.S. Army and has been working for more than 20 years in the healthcare industry as a registered nurse, case manager and consultant. He currently works at Humana.
Mrs. Warren, who attended St. Martha School and Assumption High School, is also a registered nurse and currently works for Humana.
The couple have been active in their church and community life at Church of the Ascension and St. Albert the Great parishes, serving as Boy and Girl Scout leaders, on the grief committee, technology committee, baptism preparation, lectors, eucharistic ministers and acolytes.
He is assigned to St. John Paul II Church.
