Five men will be ordained to the permanent diaconate Jan. 28 at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. Read their bios below:
Linus Barloon, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, was born Oct. 25, 1970, in the Netherlands. He attended Decorah High School in Iowa (1985-89) and earned a bachelor’s from the University of Maryland in College Park in 2001 and a master’s from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant in 2010.
He and his wife, Rhonda, have five children and four grandchildren.
What drew you to the permanent diaconate? I originally heard the call in 2004 and began researching what a permanent deacon is, what they do and how they serve the church. I was in the U.S. Air Force and my family and I were blessed to have a permanent deacon assigned to the base chapel. While he was excited to hear my interest in the permanent diaconate, he also reminded me of my very young family, that my primary vocation is to them and to continue to pray and discern God’s will. What drew me to the permanent diaconate was service and being able to serve Christ’s church in a more intimate way to help bring others to Christ.
What are you looking forward to about being a permanent deacon? I am looking forward to serving the needs of our parishioners and others in whatever way God calls me to do. As Jesus said, “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” I am humbled God has called me to serve him and his people in such a special way and I look forward to being where God has ultimately called me to be. This lifelong quest has finally come to fruition. And yet, a new journey now begins.
What have you been doing to prepare for diaconate ordination? In addition to the academic aspects of formation, I focused on prayer, constant communication with my wife, pastor, spiritual director and deacon mentors to help me with discerning God’s call for not only me, but my family as well. Through the frequent reception of the sacraments (Eucharist and confession), spending time in adoration, teaching religious education, and being more involved with my parish, I continuously sought Christ’s peace through the discernment process and worked to trust in him.
Marvin Muhat, a parishioner of St. John the Beloved Church in McLean, was born Jan. 6, 1966, in Vallejo, Calif. He attended high school at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in the Philippines (1978-82). He earned a bachelor’s from the University of San Augustine, Philippines, in 1986.
He and his wife, Ruth Grace, have two children.
What drew you to the permanent diaconate? Since I can remember, there’s been that restlessness to find purpose, a call that I did not fully understand. Being raised in a devout family, I faithfully went to church and prayed the rosary daily and my inkling was to pursue a religious vocation. Along with the influence of my uncle, at whose parish I spent many weekends serving, I entered the seminary at a young age. But the vocation to be a priest was not my call.
Later in my life, as my prayer life grew and my participation in church activities increased, friends and family encouraged me to discern if the permanent diaconate is my calling. That encouragement and my wife’s support led me to be open to answering God’s call to serve him as a deacon.
What are you looking forward to about being a permanent deacon? I look forward to faithfully continuing my service to God and his church. I pray and hope that I listen attentively and obey what God wants me to do and support my pastor in serving the parish.
What have you been doing to prepare for diaconate ordination? In this journey, if left on my own, I would have failed long ago, so each day, I praise God for his many gifts. In daily meditation and prayer, I continue to seek a deeper relationship with God to be the instrument that he wants me to be. The studying has not ceased even after the formal diaconate classes have ended, as I’m humbled by so many things I don’t know each time I open a book.
Robin Sardegna, a parishioner of St. Philip in Falls Church, was born June 12, 1965, in Gardiner, Maine.
He attended high school at George W. Hewlett (1980-83) in New York. He earned a bachelor’s from the State University of New York (SUNY) in Albany in 1987; a law degree from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 1992; a master’s of law from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington in 1998; and a master’s in theology from Christendom College in Front Royal in 2019.
He and his wife, Maria, have two children.
Mark Sobczynski, a parishioner of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton, was born April 25, 1965, in Baltimore. He attended Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria (1979-80) and Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas (1980-83). He attended The Catholic University of America in Washington (2017-22) and earned a bachelor’s and master’s.
What drew you to the permanent diaconate? The desire to be closer to Christ in my daily life and to serve him better by serving others was one factor that drew me to the permanent diaconate. As I read the lives of the saints, I found a deep desire to want to serve God in a deeper way, beyond being the sacristan at St. Andrew. As I continued to pray, I began to realize that I had a genuine call and vocation to the diaconate. I find great fulfilment in services, which is the hallmark of a deacon.
What are you looking forward to about being a permanent deacon? Service. I truly am fulfilled when I am in service to others, especially to those who are in need.
What have you been doing to prepare for diaconate ordination? I have been praying a lot to prepare for ordination. I go to Eucharistic adoration as often as I can to ready myself to receive all the graces that will be offered by God on that day, so as to be fully equipped for service in God’s church.
Mark Voorheis, a parishioner of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, was born Oct. 13, 1974, in Orange, Calif. He attended James Madison High School in Vienna (1989-92). He earned a bachelor’s from James Madison University in Harrisonburg in 1996 and a master’s from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 2014. He and his wife, Erin, have four children.
What drew you to the permanent diaconate? Initially, I felt a calling one day while driving, a desire to get more information and consider it. As I reflected and thought more about the role, I recognized that I was already serving in my parish, but I also saw that being a deacon would allow me to serve in a different way. When my kids were in Scouts and youth group, I could see how hard it was for the priests to get away from their many duties to attend additional meetings. I thought that as a deacon I could help more ministries in and around the parish feel that what they were doing was important enough for the clergy to show up.
What are you looking forward to about being a permanent deacon? As above, the ministry of presence — showing up to help and extending the reach of our priests to other ministries in our parish. Also, as a married man, I am excited to help prepare people for marriage, hopefully leaning on some of the lessons I have learned — both what worked and what didn’t — to give young couples a head start toward a happy life together.
What have you been doing to prepare for diaconate ordination? The academic formation in our diocese is really challenging, but very helpful. I know there will be a lot of “on the job” training, but I feel well prepared from the last five years of formation. I also have been getting involved around my parish in other ministries. I was involved in our youth group and as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion. But during formation, I also started doing homebound ministry and helping teach the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. These two are great ministries that hit on two main aspects of life as a deacon — the ministry of the word and ministry of charity.
