Meet our new deacons: Steve McGee

July 2, 2022

Steve and Vivian McGee, of St. Joseph Parish in Des Moines, attended an informational meeting four years ago about the permanent diaconate and decided to officially enter formation. 

This wasn’t an overnight decision though, Steve explained, “There were a lot of doubts tied up in it, but through testing the waters a bit, we figured out that it was the right place for us.”

Steve’s call started mysteriously.

“It popped into my head one day out of nowhere and I was surprised to find myself attracted to it. I had never really thought about it before then, but it seemed like a real movement in my heart,” he said. 

The call started there, and in the beginning was uncomfortable, but then matured.

“I was hoping that someone would tell me along the way that the life wasn’t for me, but that thought faded away, and I started discovering the call myself,” he said. 

“It’s interesting,” Vivian said. “We had been involved in our parish for years thought we knew a lot about the Catholic faith. It’s  just amazing how much we’ve learned in the past four years. Christ has become more visible to us in many ways, and especially in the people we meet.”

Steve and Vivian have sponsored couples preparing for marriage for several years and expanded their role in marriage ministry.  But in formation, Steve found another way to share his gifts in care for the sick and dying. 

“It is truly meeting people where they are,” he explained. “There is so much room to see Christ in those situations and I look forward to how and where the Spirit will lead me once I’m ordained.”