When Dcn. Anton Nickolai first learned about the permanent diaconate, it was “like a lightbulb went off,” he said. “To help people and walk with people, to minister in the name of the Church, and to support the Church at the same time — it just seemed like a no-brainer.

  • He was born in the Burlington area and attended Catholic Central High School, where he met his wife, Suzanne.
  • Now parents of seven, they still reside in Burlington.
  • He has a law degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, ran his own practice and served the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as general counsel.
  • He is the vice president of finance and administration at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
  • He was ordained a deacon in 2018 and serves the parishes of Immaculate Conception (St. Mary) and St. Charles Borromeo in Burlington, St. Joseph in Lyons and the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee.
  • He blogs his weekly Gospel reflections on his Substack, “Found in the Less” (deaconanton.substack.com/).

How did you first come to discern the permanent diaconate?

I got more interested in my faith after our first child was born. I had no idea what deacons were — we’d never had a deacon at my parish growing up. I remember stumbling upon it in some book on Catholicism. It was like a lightbulb went off. I was too young, so I had to wait, because the minimum age of ordination is 35. In fact, I got a dispensation to be ordained at 34 years and 9 months old.

What is your favorite topic to preach on?

I preach a lot about finding God in the domestic life — in the dishes, the laundry, the drive to school. We can miss him there. But that’s where most of life happens, and that’s where he is.

As a dad of seven who works full time, how do you balance all of your responsibilities?

My wife, Suzanne, is my collaborator. I can’t do the ministry without her. She’s a really good sounding board for figuring out if I take something on. She looks over my homilies. She’s always there to support me, and I try to support her in that way, too. She works with Catholic Mutual Group and handles risk management for the archdiocese, so she’s constantly visiting parishes, helping them with lightning strikes or flooding. She’s there for the family when I’m busy, and I’m there when she’s busy.

You recently completed the Cor Unum program at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. What made you want to pursue a master’s degree in theology?

The driving force for me was my career change. I have a law degree, and I went through five years of formation for the diaconate, but I was seeing a lot of job postings in parish administration that wanted a degree in theology. I knew about Cor Unum from my time at the archdiocese, and it caters to folks that have full-time jobs and busy lives, giving them an opportunity to pursue a master’s in theology. So, it fit my situation perfectly.

What was it like studying for that degree as an ordained deacon?

I presumed — wrongfully — that I had already learned all of this stuff. But that was my pride. I learned so much coming back to it after five years of active ministry. I had a different perspective on many things, and many things made much more sense.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Dcn. Anton Nickolai, right, stands with three of his daughters inside the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, one of the parishes where he serves. Dcn. Nickolai, a husband, father of seven and permanent deacon, was ordained in 2018. (Submitted photo)

My wife and kids and I are very involved in community theater. Suzanne and I did that a lot before we got married, and a couple of years ago, we got back into it by helping out with a Catholic Central play. I was able to act with two of my kids in their high school show, which was really cool.

Do you have a favorite play or musical?

The only one I’ve done twice — “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” We did that in high school, and then last summer we did it with two of our kids. There were exactly 25 years between the performances so to come back and do it again was super fun.

What struck you the most about the difference?

I looked at that story so differently as a father. I got to play Jacob last summer, and the part where the brothers come back and tell their father that Joseph has died, and they bring the tattered coat, I found myself on stage in tears — I can relate to that so much more now that I have children. I just saw it from a totally different perspective.

Dcn. Anton Nickolai (Submitted Photo)