Dear Parishioners,

This weekend, it is an honor and a joy to welcome Deacon Rob Visher into diaconal ministry here at St. Joan of Arc Parish. Deacon Rob was ordained as a permanent deacon by Bishop Hicks on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet. Deacon Rob was raised in Downers Grove and married his wife, Julie, in 2009. In 2014 they were blessed with their daughter Ellie who is currently enrolled in our parish school. In 2022 the Visher family, (Rob, Julie and Ellie) became members of our parish community where they have been active ever since in a wide variety of ways.

Professionally, Deacon Rob earned a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Currently he works in management overseeing the development and integration of cutting-edge technology for consumer and commercial products.

Prior to his ordination, Rob served our parish as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, a Lector, a minister of the altar and a Leader for the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. He also writes a weekly gospel reflection for the SJA School newsletter. Just as Rob was highly active in the lay ministries of the Church prior to his ordination, now, as “Deacon Rob,” he will undertake even more forms of service that are typical for deacons. These include: assisting at the Sunday Eucharist, celebrating the baptism of infants, presiding at wakes, cemetery committals as well as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. In addition to these, Deacon Rob will also conduct wedding rehearsals, serve on the School Advisory Board and continue his most appreciated involvement in adult faith formation. And if all this were not enough, he has graciously offered to wash the pastor’s car (inside and out) on a regular basis! What more could one ask for???

In welcoming Deacon Rob to regular service at the Eucharistic liturgies on Sunday and other solemn occasions, it may be useful, for us, to review the various diaconal functions that are woven through out the liturgy. In the entrance procession the deacon carries the Gospel Book from which he will proclaim the Good News. He may lead the Penitential Act unless this is chanted by a cantor. As previously noted, he will proclaim the Gospel and honor the Evangeliary with incense.

Although preaching the homily is the primary responsibility 3rd of the priest celebrant, a deacon may preach the homily on certain occasions. (Here at St. Joan of Arc Parish, our deacons preach on the Sunday of the month.) Since ancient times, the deacon announced the petitions that were sung or recited in the Universal Prayer, also called the Prayers of the Faithful. This ritual element was entrusted to the deacons because they were charged with the care of the sick and the oversight of the community's temporalities. Since they had this ongoing and immediate contact with the lay faithful, deacons became the logical persons to bring the faithful’s needs before the whole assembly. The same is true today.

Along with the priest celebrant, the deacon receives and prepares the elements of bread, water and wine for the Eucharist and assists with the incensation of the celebrant, concelebrants and assembly. The deacon is responsible for distributing the Precious Blood at the time of Holy Communion or may distribute the consecrated hosts if Communion under both species is not given to all. Finally, the deacon offers the invitation to the gathered assembly to exchange the Sign of Peace and then dismisses it after the final blessing at the end of Mass.

Over the white alb, which is the garment proper to all baptized Christians, the deacon wears a stole that hangs over his shoulder across his chest and back and then fastened at his side. Over the stole he may wear the dalmatic, a formal outer garment usually the same color as the celebrant’s. Unique to the dalmatic’s design are sleeves for the deacon’s arms. This feature gives him greater dexterity to perform the manual actions organic to this ministry, e.g., preparing the Eucharistic elements and other items that historically were brought forward at the time of the offertory.

As we welcome Deacon Rob into this next level of service, I wish to thank him for the public commitment he has made to be a deacon of the church. He does not undertake this commitment alone, however. The indispensable and loving support of his wife Julie and his daughter Ellie, further enables Deacon Rob to make visible the person of our Lord Jesus Christ who came, not to be served, but to serve. Let us accompany Deacon Rob with our prayers as we look forward to the rich contributions that he will bring to the life of our parish.

Blessings,

Fr. Gabriel O.S.B.

Please join us in the LINK after 9:30am Mass for a reception in celebration of Deacon Rob. 

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