By Karina Fabian

Randy Fraser’s deaconship is both a calling and a second career, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Deacon Fraser serves as pastoral assistant for Our Lady of the Valley in Helena. His duties include preaching, ministering sacraments, keeping involved in most of the parish programs, going on sick calls and doing marriage preparation ministry.

He also volunteers one day a week at Good Samaritan Ministries, the social outreach ministry of the four local parishes, giving grants for small amounts of money, clothing or other items to the needy in the area. “It’s really the heart of the ministry of the diocese, caring for the poor,” he said.

His favorite ministry, however, is marriage preparation, because he and his wife Mary conduct the classes together. The classes, he said, are more intensive than those he and Mary went through. “In those days, we met with the priest a couple of times, and that was it. Now we do a personality inventory, watch a set of videos to spur discussion, and encourage them to take a weekend Engaged Encounter. The whole emphasis is on communication,” he said.

Even after 43 years of marriage, seeing the excitement in engaged couples takes him back to the excitement of his own engagement to Mary.

Deacon Fraser was ordained in 2000, a process that took seven years because of changes in the program. He said he started by taking the formation classes for lay ministries, but as he met others in the program who were studying for the diaconate, he caught their enthusiasm for the ministry and wanted to join. Unfortunately, he had to wait a year while the program was revised, then take the full four-year course. “It took me seven years to get here, but the new program was an excellent one.” Since he was last in his class to be ordained, his fellow deacons would kid him that he was the “baby deacon.”

Of course, this “baby deacon” took on his duties after his children – Michael, Ann Marie and Mary Ellen – were already grown and out on their own. (He has one granddaughter, Autumn, the apple of her grandparents’ eyes.)

He said having grown children has made it easier to do his work. “Ministry is a lot of evening and weekend work, so that took a little bit of adjustment. It would be tougher with school-age children, but since the kids are grown and on their own, it’s fine,” he said.

“My enjoyment in being a deacon comes from working with the good, faith-filled people in the parish. They inspire me and help me on my spiritual walk. They inspire me with their deep faith,” Deacon Fraser said.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 24, No. 2, February 15, 2008.