Deacon Life

"You're not worthy." That's what a priest of 55 years told Deacon Rick Wagner months before ordination. "And I'm not either. It's not about being worthy - it's about being called." Deacon Rick Wagner (Archdiocese of Indianapolis, ordained 2012) has spent 40+ years in Catholic education and now serves as president of a Catholic high school while ministering at the same parish where he was baptized...

In Episode 4 of the Deacon Life Podcast, Deacon Michael Halbrook sits down with Deacon Patrick O'Toole for a remarkable conversation about faith, family, and following God's unpredictable path. Patrick's journey includes divorce at 35, a conversion experience sparked by a Baptist radio preacher, remarriage and 10 children, and decades working for the Church in marriage ministry, retreat leadership...

In Episode 3 of the Deacon Life Podcast, Deacon Michael Halbrook sits down with his classmate and friend Deacon Adam Cox for a raw, honest conversation about conversion, spiritual warfare, and redemption. Adam grew up in a home where his mother practiced black magic, kept the Satanic Bible, and actively hated the Catholic Church. There was no Christian faith, no structure—just survival through ins...

In Episode 2 of the Deacon Life Podcast, I sit down with Deacon Lekë Brisku of the Archdiocese of Chicago to hear his powerful story of falling away from the faith—and finding his way back through God's mercy. Deacon Lekë shares his journey as a first-generation Albanian-American, growing up in a traditionally Catholic family while navigating life in Chicago. He opens up about owning a bar for 17...

Welcome to the very first episode of the Deacon Life Podcast! In this inaugural episode, I sit down with Deacon Alec Campbell to hear his remarkable journey from a young man in central Louisiana to ordained diaconate ministry. Deacon Alec shares about his formative Steubenville Youth Conference experience, his year as a NET missionary in Canada, and the winding path that led him from considering p...