Get to Know the ElevenRead Time 28 min

Thomas Brefka did not initially recognize in himself the gifts that others saw.

“I had a few people tap me on the shoulder and recognize gifts in me that I had not yet seen in myself,” he said.

Prayer and discernment followed.

“I became open to the possibility that God was calling me to something greater than I ever imagined,” Brefka said.

Brefka and his wife, Claire, live in Franklin and belong to St. James Parish. Their children are Elizabeth, Caryn, Alex and Ben.

Brefka is director of mission and pastoral care at Clement Manor in Greenfield.

His anticipated diaconal ministry includes pastoral care to older adults, service to those in need and marriage preparation. He expects to serve at Clement Manor, St. James Parish and through the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Brefka selected Micah 6:8 as his Scripture passage, with its call “to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 13 at St. James in Franklin.

Brefka also loves to sing. He played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” in high school and said he would welcome the opportunity to play the role again now that he is older.

Marc Bucaro summarizes what led him toward the permanent diaconate in a few words: “A desire to serve God and the Church, in a manner he wills for my life.”

Bucaro and his wife, Megan, live in Waterford and are members of St. Joseph Parish in Big Bend. They have seven children and Bucaro works in construction.

His anticipated diaconal ministry will include nursing home ministry and visits to the homebound, catechesis for OCIA and assisting the priest or bishop at the altar.

He expects to perform that service at St. Joseph Parish and in the surrounding community.

For his Scripture passage, Bucaro selected the words of Simon Peter in John 6:68: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon is scheduled for Sept. 19 at St. Joseph Parish in Big Bend.

Asked to share something about himself that people might not know, Bucaro offered another answer notable for its simplicity: Green has been his favorite color for his entire life.

Service was already familiar to Kevin Doll long before he began formation for the permanent diaconate.

“I always felt the need to serve others,” Doll said.

He spent 30 years with the Fond du Lac Fire Department. But Doll also describes another influence on his eventual vocation.

“I felt the Blessed Mother leading me toward the diaconate for the last decade,” he said.

Doll and his wife, Dawn, live in Mount Calvary and have six children: Zachary, Bethany, Kayla, Sarah, Michael and Maria. He is a member of Shepherd of the Hills Parish and works as a dairy goat farmer.

His anticipated ministry includes serving at the altar, participating on the evangelization committee, helping parents prepare for their children’s Baptisms, assisting with OCIA, ministering to the homebound and helping lead the community retreat hosted at Shepherd of the Hills. He expects to serve in the parish and nearby communities.

Doll has also been part of the Schoenstatt Movement for 20 years. In 2025, he had the opportunity to visit Schoenstatt, Germany.

He selected Matthew 13:23, the passage describing the seed sown on rich soil that hears and understands the word and bears fruit, as his Scripture passage.

Doll’s first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be at 8:15 a.m. Sept. 13 at Shepherd of the Hills Parish in Eden.

Rich Fedor describes his path to the permanent diaconate as involving both the movement of the Holy Spirit and the people around him.

“Frequent promptings of the Holy Spirit, affirmed by others who were willing to give voice to these promptings,” led him to discern that God was calling him more deeply into service to others throughout his life, Fedor said.

Fedor and his wife, Megan, live in Vernon and are members of St. James the Less Parish in Mukwonago. Their children are Natalia and Luka. Fedor is director of Respect Life Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

As a deacon, he anticipates bringing Communion to the homebound and participating in hospice ministry. He expects to serve the parishes in his cluster as well as assisted living, memory care and senior living facilities in the community.

Fedor selected Galatians 6:2 as his favorite Scripture passage: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 13 at St. James the Less in Mukwonago.

One of Fedor’s interests also has a family connection: He enjoys landscaping projects, something he frequently did with his father.

Christopher Lauterbach’s explanation of what led him to the diaconate is straightforward.

“I wanted to do more to serve God,” he said. “I felt that God called me to make a true commitment, not just an empty promise.”

Lauterbach and his wife, Christy, live in Eagle and belong to St. Theresa of Avila Parish. Their children are Jennifer, Dean and Erika. He works as a customer service representative.

His anticipated diaconal service will take him outside the parish as well as within it. He plans to participate in jail ministry and homebound ministry and lead Communion services at assisted living facilities. He expects to serve in Mukwonago, Walworth County, East Troy and Eagle.

For his Scripture passage, Lauterbach chose a verse that echoes the idea of listening for God’s call. In 1 Samuel 3:9,

Eli tells Samuel that if he is called again, he should answer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Lauterbach’s first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. Theresa of Avila.

Away from ministry and work, Lauterbach has another accomplishment to his name: He once won a chili cookoff contest for making the spiciest chili.

Dylan McHugh sees his call to the permanent diaconate in connection with the vocations and responsibilities already present in his life.

“I felt a strong call, as young man with a family, not only to serve the vulnerable and forgotten but to help others know, serve and love God,” he said.

“My desire is to be a servant to the people of God starting with my family, my students and my community.”

McHugh and his wife, Emily, live in Oak Creek with their four children, Rory, John, Blair and Lila. They are members of St. Stephen Parish, and he teaches high school social studies at Franklin High School.

His anticipated diaconal ministry will include service in nursing homes and jails.

Asked about a favorite Scripture passage, McHugh selected Matthew 9:37-38, in which Jesus tells his disciples that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few and instructs them to ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers.

McHugh is also an avid reader, although he said that interest did not develop until his mid-20s. Another passion that came later in his life was singing, something he said many people who know him probably don’t know he enjoys.

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. Stephen in Oak Creek.

Rene Rillorta points to the example of the saints in describing what helped lead him to the permanent diaconate.

His love of the Church, he said, was inspired by saints including St. John Paul II and the North American Martyrs.

Rillorta and his wife, Jona, live in Greenfield and belong to St. John the Evangelist Parish. Their children are Kathirene, Jianna and Frances. He works as a physical therapist.

His anticipated ministry encompasses several aspects of diaconal service. He expects to bring Communion to the homebound, assist at Mass and serve at marriages, funerals and blessings, as well as wherever diaconal service is needed. He expects to serve at St. John the Evangelist.

Asked for his favorite Scripture passage, Rillorta selected Romans 8:35-37, which asks what can separate Christians from the love of Christ and concludes that “in all this, we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us.”

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be Sept. 12 at St. John the Evangelist in Greenfield.

Outside of his professional and parish life, Rillorta builds Lego sets, plays guitar and enjoys 1980s new wave and alternative music. He is also a “Star Wars” fan.

For John Schroeder, the third invitation to consider becoming a deacon made the difference.

“Through the encouragement of others, I began to recognize what God might have been asking of me all along,” he said.

Schroeder and his wife, Kara, live in Oconomowoc and are members of St. Jerome Parish. They have four children: Madeline, Peter, Molly and Tim. Professionally, Schroeder is a medical device sales representative.

Following ordination, his diaconal ministry will focus on bringing Holy Communion to people who are homebound and those in hospitals and hospice. He expects to serve the St. Jerome Parish community and people in homes, hospice and hospitals in the Oconomowoc area.

Schroeder selected Romans 8:28 as his most meaningful Scripture passage: “We know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love him and who are called according to his purpose.”

One thing people might not know about him is that Schroeder was 22 before he took his first commercial airline flight.

Schroeder said his path to the diaconate ultimately required recognizing what others had already encouraged him to consider — that God might be calling him to ordained service.

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be Sept. 12 at St. Jerome Church.

For Justin Spaeth, discernment has been central to his path to the permanent diaconate.

“A desire to discern God’s will for my life led me to the diaconate,” he said. “The call to serve led me to continue in humility, and God kept on opening doors through which I stepped in faith.”

Spaeth and his wife, Michele, live in the Kohler-Sheboygan Falls area. Their children are Joseph, Desiree and Milana.

He is a member of St. John Evangelist Parish and Blessed Trinity Parish and serves as pastoral associate at both parishes.

His anticipated ministry as a deacon includes bringing Communion to the homebound, religious education and preaching. Spaeth said he will serve as a deacon in the parishes and communities where he already works as a pastoral associate.

For his Scripture passage, Spaeth selected Matthew 25:40: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

His first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. John Evangelist in Kohler.

Service also played a role in another important part of Spaeth’s life. He met Michele while the two were participating in a service retreat as students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

John Van Hecke credits the example of others with helping lead him toward the permanent diaconate.

“Many, many people have helped bring me to Jesus through word and example throughout my life,” he said.

Van Hecke said that when he began imitating those examples in guiding his own children and others — particularly through his service as a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist — he became aware that he was being offered “the gift and grace of the diaconate to bring Jesus to people.”

Van Hecke and his wife, Alicia, live in Hartland and are members of St. Charles Parish. Their children are Jacinta, Matthew, Angela, Christina, Brigid and Dominic. They also have a grandson, Johnny. Van Hecke is an electrical engineer.

His anticipated ministry includes special needs sacramental preparation and formation and bringing Communion to the sick and homebound. He expects to serve at St. Charles and in the surrounding Hartland area, including

homes and assisted living facilities.

He selected Psalm 115:1 as his Scripture passage: “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness.”

Van Hecke’s first Mass assisting as an ordained deacon will be at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. Charles.

He has also been an amateur photographer and developer since high school and operated his own chemical-bath developing lab as part of his college work-study experience.