On Sunday, Aug. 14, before hundreds of congregants, four men were ordained to the permanent diaconate at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior.
Patrick Haines, Jeff Mason, Roderick Knight and Richard Kohler received the Sacrament of Holy Orders during a Mass with Bishop James P. Powers and many concelebrating priests and brother deacons.
The men – who serve at churches in Spooner, Somerset, Rice Lake and Hammond and their cluster parishes – have studied for five years through a joint program with the Diocese of La Crosse.
“They really do look holy and pious,” the bishop joked of the candidates, who were robed in white and prayerfully mannered.