Five years of diaconate formation culminates in spring ordination
By Christina Gray
On May 17, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone will pray over seven men as they become permanent deacons at their ordination at St. Mary’s Cathedral. According to Deacon Fred Totah, who directs the office of deacon formation, the Archbishop will, as part of the ordination rite, ask that “every Gospel virtue may abound” in the new deacons, who are called not only to be hearers of the Gospel, but to be the face of Christ, the servant.
Diaconate ordination is the culmination of a five-year formation process for the candidates, four of whom are single and three of whom are married, according to Deacon Totah. He said his goal during formation is to instill in candidates “a deeper understanding of their identity as a deacon.” He shares that solemn duty with Deacon Art Sanchez, director of permanent diaconate formation.
“Because deacons proclaim by their very lives the Church’s call to serve the needs of others, we can say one is a deacon, as opposed to one ‘doing diaconal activities,’” Deacon Totah said. “Ordination bestows a permanent character on a person. Once ordained, the deacon is always a deacon, regardless of where he is or what he is doing.”
The ministry of the permanent diaconate was restored following Vatican II, he said. A deacon is an ordained minister of the Church – neither a layman nor a priest, but a cleric ordained for the service of God’s people in communion with the bishop and his body of priests. He works collaboratively with bishops, priests and existing staff members of a parish or institution. They work together to build up the body of Christ.
A deacon candidate’s first year is called his “aspirancy,” said Deacon Totah. It is followed by four years of study through the Diaconate Formation Program at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park. Classes include, but are not limited to, study of Scripture, liturgy, homiletics, catechetics, moral and systematic theology, canon law, Church history and pastoral practice. Days of recollection and yearly retreats are also important stages of the formation process.
Candidates who are married are encouraged to bring their spouses to the classes.
“Wives are valued partners both during the formation program and after ordination,” he said.
Mark Kroncke
A native of Marin County, Mark Kroncke has been a member of St. Raphael parish since 1974. He brings years of experience in various settings to his ministry, including youth and adult education, catechesis, retreat work, social justice and spiritual formation. He is active at St. Raphael as a sacristan and reader and chairs the Evangelization and Discipleship committees. He also assists in the RCIA program at St. Dominic’s church.
As a professed secular Franciscan, Kroncke brings his Franciscan charism into his ministry and is currently active in leadership for his fraternity and region. He is also in the Knights of Columbus. Kroncke holds a master of divinity degree and a master of arts in humanities, as well as numerous certifications in theology and spirituality. As a certified spiritual director, he enjoys journeying with people in their faith. He looks forward to continuing to serve the people of God.
Daniel Roddick
Daniel Roddick was born in San Francisco and raised in the Catholic faith at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Noe Valley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a master’s degree in college administration and counseling from UCLA. He worked in the financial aid industry for 17 years, most notably as the director of financial aid for the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. In a career change, Roddick began working in his father’s law practice, which focuses on estate planning with wills, trusts and probate. He subsequently earned a law degree from Golden Gate University in 2024.
Just before the COVID pandemic, the three Catholic parishes of Noe Valley (St. Philip’s, St. Paul’s and St. James) clustered due to projected priest shortages. Partially inspired by this change, Roddick has pursed the permanent diaconate to help the community maintain uninterrupted opportunities to worship God. He desires to help people seek the sacred, to know, love and serve the Lord. Roddick’s other interests include gardening, bird keeping, genealogy and espresso.
Brother Xristopher Compagno, Obl.OSB.Cam
Brother Xristopher Compagno is an Oblate brother of the Camaldolese Benedictine hermits in the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur and Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley.
A cradle Catholic, Compagno served as an altar boy in his childhood parish, San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral in Monterey. A love for the arts, fostered by his mother, a writer, and his father, a musician, paved the way for a career in the music industry. After majoring in literature and humanities and studying Japanese at San Francisco State and UC Berkeley, Compagno began working for a major record label.
The Holy Spirit led him to the hermitage and eventually to St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco. Here he celebrates devotions to St. Jude the Apostle, the Blessed Mother, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Térèse of Lisieux. A lover of animals and nature, Compagno can often be found praying a rosary as he walks the beaches at Fort Point in San Francisco’s Presidio. Upon ordination, he will continue his service at St. Monica/St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and his ongoing work in grief ministry at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Earl Michael David Gabriel
Earl Michael David Gabriel was born in Manila, Philippines, where he studied computer science before immigrating to the U.S. In 1997, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in San Diego and received promotions, honors and citations from the fleet command. As a Catholic lay minister, he volunteered with the Fleet Chaplain’s office, served at Mass and did community service in various towns around the world. In 2002, before his tour of duty ended, he was stationed on the Italian island of Santo Stefano and served Masses at the local village church.
He received a scholarship and in 2005 earned a degree in philosophy at St. John’s University in New York. In 2011, he earned a psychology degree from Skyline College in San Bruno. He is currently working for the National Park Service as a contract specialist and contracting officer.
Gabriel’s vocation took root in his devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the Philippines, where he took to heart the Redemptorist motto: “With God there is plentiful redemption,” and their mission to live life in service of others. Gabriel is a parishioner and liturgy coordinator at Good Shepherd Parish in Pacifica. He also serves at novena Masses at Holy Angels Church in Colma.
Marvin Sanchez
Born in the Philippines, Marvin Sanchez felt a calling to the priesthood when he was an altar server in his homeland. However, God had different plans for him. Sanchez entered the vocation of marriage with his beloved wife, Ana, with whom he has shared 30 wonderful years. Their union has been blessed with five wonderful children: Melvin Angelo, Aaron Matthew, Marlee Angeli, Angela Marielle and Marianne Alyssa. Adding to their joy, they have a precious granddaughter, Jhene Angelique.
Since 2002, the Sanchezes have been deeply committed to the Couples for Christ family ministry, dedicating their time and energy to fostering strong, faith-based relationships. In 2007, following their migration from the Philippines, they became devoted parishioners of St. Gregory’s Church in San Mateo. There, Sanchez actively serves as an acolyte, while both he and his wife serve as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
Sanchez believes one of the reasons God led him to the U.S. was to continue his service at the altar by entering diaconate formation — a ministry not yet practiced in the Philippines. He combines his passion for serving God with his expertise in information technology. He is the director for IT & parish services for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Michael B. Smith
Michael Bernard Smith is a native San Franciscan born from first-generation immigrant parents of German, Austrian and Chinese descent. Smith is a licensed mechanical engineer who has spent his entire career with San Francisco’s Department of Public Works, where he focuses on improving its high-pressure firefighting system.
Smith said the greatest gift he ever received was his mother baptizing and raising him and his siblings as Catholics, setting their futures on solid ground. He had for many years considered serving the Church but did not know how besides lectoring and serving as a sacristan. Finally, at a Mass, the “come follow me” call was too difficult not to respond to, and he applied to the diaconate formation program.
Smith married Silvia Maritza at St. Veronica Parish over 34 years ago. The pair met at San Francisco State University as mechanical engineering students. They have two grown children, Christopher Matthew and Jennifer Marie. The Smiths belong to St. Robert Parish in San Bruno. Over the years, the family has opened their house to more than a dozen rescue cats.
Smith’s hobbies include spending time with the family train spotting; visiting national parks; volunteering at Camp Mendocino, a residential summer camp for the city’s underserved youth; and designing and building steam locomotives.
Marc Aquino
Marc Aquino’s journey to the diaconate follows a nearly 25-year career in the biopharmaceutical industry. It evolved from curiosity to a committed desire to serve as a deacon. Aquino and his wife Deanna have been married for 25 years, raising their two children, now young adults, in the Catholic faith.
Aquino is active at his home parish of St. Charles in San Carlos. He has also served St. Matthias and St. Augustine parishes. He is on the board of Catholic Charities, serving San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties. Deanna Aquino works in IT risk and compliance and has supported Marc throughout this diaconate journey. Together, they have grown in faith and feel blessed by the support from their family and church community. They are looking forward to serving God and serving others through diaconate ministry.
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Did you miss Catholic San Francisco’s February story on the history and functions of the permanent diaconate? Read it here: sfarchdiocese.org/catholic-sf/
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Christina Gray is the lead writer for Catholic San Francisco.
Photos by Dennis Callahan