This is the seventh in a series of articles throughout
the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the reinstitution of the permanent
diaconate in the United States.
Deacon Gerard-Marie Anthony has held many jobs in his life, but they’ve
each had two things in common: engagement with other people and God. It’s those
two elements that drew him to the vocation of the permanent diaconate as well.
“That's what I try to do as a deacon — to let people know that I’m here with you and
the Lord is with you here,” he said.
Deacon Anthony was ordained a deacon in 2017 for the diocese
where he has lived his whole life. He and his twin brother, Gerald, were born
in Alexandria, and baptized at St. Rita Church, then lived in Arlington and
Dale City.
Deacon Anthony says his tween years were the only time he wasn’t
very religious. A health scare brought him back to the faith.
When staying with his dad, Deacon Anthony began to get very
thirsty and weak, and he had recently lost a lot of weight. His stepsister
eventually brought him to the hospital, where he was sure he was going to die.
Before he passed out, he prayed that he would see his mom. When he woke up, his
mom was sitting nearby. The doctor said his glucose levels were very high and he
had diabetes.
“Learning how to deal with diabetes, that really humbled me,” Deacon
Anthony said. “Every time I look at my needles I realize I have to depend on
God to live. My suffering and my cross made me fervent in my faith.”
Read more profiles of deacons in the Diocese of Arlington.
After high school, Deacon Anthony attended Christendom College in
Front Royal. He earned his teaching certification from George Mason University
in Fairfax. After a student encouraged him to “just be yourself” while
teaching, he grew to love being a teacher. He later earned a master’s in
theology from Catholic Distance University.
After a few years, he transitioned from teaching into youth
ministry at St. Louis Church in Alexandria, then St. Timothy Church in
Chantilly. He taught religion and bioethics at St. John Paul the Great Catholic
High School in Dumfries for eight years.
Throughout those years, Deacon Anthony was discerning his
vocation, contemplating missionary work, religious life and the priesthood.
“Ultimately, we’re all called to make a gift of ourselves, so I was asking, how
is God calling me?” he said. “I (thought) I could make a more fulfilling gift
being ordained, and (being) a celibate.”
While in college, he remembers reading the Second Vatican Council
document about the restoration of the permanent diaconate. “(I thought,) this
sounds interesting because of the servant aspect. I’ve always had a place in my
heart to want to help people,” he said. So he decided to pursue it. “Priests
bring us Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. But (deacons) are called to different
ministry — being out in the community rather than at the altar or the
confessional.”
According to canon law, permanent deacons must be at least 35
years old. They must be married before they are ordained, or remain celibate.
If a married deacon’s wife dies, he may not remarry. At age 36, Deacon Anthony
was ordained to the ministry of service.
Because he is unmarried, Deacon Anthony feels able to devote more
of his time to his diaconate ministry, and he spends several hours five days a
week at his parish — St. Timothy. He prepares couples for marriage, serves at
funerals, performs weddings and baptisms, and blesses homes. Occasionally
parents will ask him to talk with their children. “Basically, I try to be
whatever the people need me to be,” he said.
At the same time, as with all deacons, he has to provide for
himself through work. Right now, that means earning a degree in counseling from
Divine Mercy University in Arlington. He hopes to be a counselor for family,
children and those with addictions.
Though he’s only been a deacon for a short amount of time — he
calls himself a toddler deacon — he’s been amazed by the gift of his vocation.
“It’s amazing to see how much Christ can touch people though the apostolate of
presence, which is the deacon role,” he said. “We’re made for love. People want
people to be able to walk with them, or rather they want Christ to walk with
them, and I try to do that as his deacon.”