Diocese ordinations highlight vocations growth

3 new priests join the East Tennessee presbyterate, deacon to follow next year

By Dan McWilliams

Three new priests and a new transitional deacon joined the ranks of Diocese of Knoxville clergy on June 8 as Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre ordained the quartet at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Bo Beaty, Danny Herman, and Michael Willey became priests and A.J. Houston a transitional deacon at the Mass.

The day marked the first time in diocesan history that priestly and diaconate ordinations took place at the same Mass. Fathers Beaty, Herman, and Willey bring to 62 the number of priests ordained for service in the Diocese of Knoxville since its founding in 1988. Including the latest ordination, the diocese has seen three or more priests ordained on the same day six times.

Archbishop Fabre, apostolic administrator for the diocese, presided at the ordination. Bishop-elect Mark Beckman and Bishop F. Richard Spencer, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, were principal concelebrants along with the new priests themselves, cathedral rector Father David Boettner, and All Saints pastor Father Doug Owens. Bishop Spencer was present to support Deacon Houston, who will become a military chaplain after his priestly ordination following a time of ministry in East Tennessee.

More than 45 priests and 25 deacons attended the ordination Mass. Deacon Joe Herman, dad of Father Herman, served as deacon of the Word. Deacon Houston served as deacon of the altar. Deacon Hicks Armor and Deacon Walt Otey were masters of ceremonies.

A cathedral filled with family and friends of the ordinands also included many women and men religious as well as a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus honor guard composed of men from throughout the diocese.

“My dear friends in Christ, we gather on this joyful day for the Diocese of Knoxville in a very special way,” Archbishop Fabre said in his opening remarks. “I greet the parents and family members of those to be ordained. Thank you so very much for sharing your sons with the Church.”

The archbishop welcomed Bishop Spencer and Bishop-elect Beckman. His mention of the diocese’s soon-to-be-ordained fourth shepherd drew a round of applause as well as a quip from the archbishop, who has performed double duty since last summer as he leads both his own Archdiocese of Louisville and the Diocese of Knoxville.

“I know you’re excited, but you’re not as excited as I am,” Archbishop Fabre said. “Thank you all very much on this wonderful celebration for this local Church.”

The unusual ordination of a deacon and priests at the same liturgy proceeded on simple lines: each segment of the rite was performed first for the diaconal candidate and then for the priestly ordinands. Only for the Litany of the Saints did all four men take part together.

The rites of ordination began with the calling forth of the candidates. Lt. Houston was called first by diocesan chancellor Deacon Sean Smith and responded “present.” Father Arthur Torres, assistant diocesan director of vocations, stated to Archbishop Fabre that “holy Mother Church asks you to ordain this man, our brother, to the responsibility of the diaconate.” The archbishop replied, “Do you know him to be worthy?” Father Torres stated, “After inquiry among the Christian people and upon recommendation of those concerned with their formation, I testify that he has been found worthy.” The archbishop said, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our savior, Jesus Christ, we choose this our brother for the order of the diaconate.”

Deacon Smith then called forward the candidates for priesthood, who responded “present,” and Father Torres confirmed their worthiness to the archbishop, who formally chose “these, our brothers, for the order of the priesthood.”

Archbishop Fabre began his homily by welcoming on behalf of the local Church all those gathered “in joyous celebration to ordain three men, Bo, Danny, and Michael, as priests and one man, A.J., as a deacon. I welcome you, dear brothers, here this morning. This is a momentous occasion, as each of you will receive the grace of the Holy Spirit uniquely, marking your dedication to priestly and diaconal ministry. It is a privilege to be here with your parents, families, friends, with Bishop Spencer, with Bishop-elect Beckman, with the priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, and lay faithful of this great Diocese of Knoxville, as we honor the divine gift that you are and that you will embody as ordained priests and deacon.”

The archbishop said he could recall many times in his life before and after his own priestly ordination when he “felt a movement of the Holy Spirit in my heart. Maybe it was to make a particular decision; perhaps it was to reach out to a friend or a family member that I had not spoken to in a while, or maybe it was to make a particular comment in a pastoral conversation. It is that little, almost inexplicable tug at my heart to act or to speak in a certain way that I somehow know God is inviting me to take a step in trust and in faith. Now, I can think of many times when I responded to that moment in faith and trust, even though I may not have been able to see where it would end up. I can also think of many times when, for whatever reason, I did not follow that tug at my heart given by the Holy Spirit.”

Archbishop Fabre said his own encounters with the Holy Spirit reminded him of God’s “unwavering faithfulness.”

“When I heeded that gentle tug,” he said, “God worked wonders in my life and, through me, in the lives of His people. Even when I faltered and failed to respond, God never stopped guiding me through the Holy Spirit’s movements. This steadfastness of God’s love and guidance, I believe, will also be your anchor, dear brothers, as you embark upon your journey in ordained ministry.”

The archbishop told the four ordinands that the Holy Spirit brought them to the cathedral that day, “the Spirit that has stirred your hearts, prompting you to dedicate your lives to Jesus Christ in the service of His Church. Jesus has chosen you, each and every one of you, with your own distinctive gifts and by way of your unique journey to this day. I’m sure that it is in response to the call of God, to the movement of the Holy Spirit in each of your hearts, that you now find yourselves in this cathedral church, present, as you stated, and ready to be ordained. Your individual responses to God’s call have been distinct and shaped by your own encounters with the Lord, your own unique experiences of answering the call He has placed in your heart, and how you felt His presence in your lives.”

The readings from Numbers 3 and Romans 12 along with the Gospel from John 17 all spoke of the closeness of God, and His Son, to His people, the archbishop said.

“Our readings remind us that Jesus draws close to us by dwelling in our hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit and how those little interior movements reveal and remind us of just how close Jesus has already drawn to us,” he said.

Those ordained as priest or deacon “are called in appropriate ways to draw close to others, just as God has drawn close to each of you,” Archbishop Fabre said.

The archbishop quoted Pope Francis in an address the Holy Father made to priests in Rome in February 2022.

“Pope Francis spoke of the reality and importance of this closeness in ordained ministry. In his reflections, Pope Francis mentions four forms of closeness essential for the one living a life of ordained ministry. Dear brothers, I lift these pillars today for you as you embark on this new stage in life and ministry.”

The first form of closeness mentioned by the Holy Father is “to the people whom you serve,” Archbishop Fabre said.

“The identity of ordained ministry receives its fullest meaning in connection to the people of God,” he said. “As Jesus did in His earthly ministry, you are called to draw close to people’s real lives—their joys, sufferings, hopes, desires, successes, failures, fears, and worries—to reveal God’s presence. In a society more electronically connected but personally disconnected than ever, people long to be known, to know that God and the Church have a place for them, and to be loved unceasingly.”

Ordained ministers “are set apart for ministry and service to the people of God. Notice I say ‘set apart’ and not ‘set above,’” the archbishop stressed. “While you are indeed set apart for ministry, this does not universally make you any better or any more important than those you will humbly serve. You must remember this important distinction, ‘set apart’ but not ‘set above,’ as you embark upon your priestly and diaconal ministry. Deacons, priests, and bishops who recognize this reality of the call to humble service alongside the faithful build on a firm foundation in their ministry.

“In contrast, those who forget this reality can veer off into concerns and things that make their ministry not as effective as it could be in both their lives and the lives of others. Brothers to be ordained, in appropriate ways, enter into people’s lives and follow the movement of the Holy Spirit, trusting that God’s grace can genuinely provide as He reveals His presence through you.”

The second form of closeness is to other priests and deacons, the diocesan administrator said.

“This life and mission cannot be lived on our own, all alone, separated from the community of priests and deacons in this diocese,” he said. “Fraternity among those ordained cannot be imposed from without but must be a deliberate choice to pursue holiness together, with others, not by yourself. Pope Francis wonderfully quotes an African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.’ Dear brothers, to be ordained, it might feel slow. It will try your patience. It might even seem easier and faster to go alone. But to go far in ministry, Bo, Danny, Michael, and A.J., you need your brother priests and your brother deacons. In fraternity with others ordained, we all need to bear one another’s burdens, to suffer with each other, and to hold each other up as we pursue the life of ordained ministry to which God has called us.”

Closeness to the bishop is the third form, the archbishop continued.

“Among other things, the bishop should primarily seek to be a father, especially to the priests with whom he serves,” he said. “As I always state, obedience to the bishop, which you will soon promise or promise again, is not about the power of one person over another but has at its heart an authentic concern for the portion of the Lord’s vineyard where the deacon, priest, and bishop are to provide pastoral ministry together. I hope that at the heart of the relationship between bishops and those ordained is found authentic prayer together, open and honest dialogue, respect, fraternity, care for the ministry of Jesus Christ, which is shared, and genuine concern for one another.”

The bishop is a sign of unity in the diocese but does not alone bring unity, the archbishop said.

“The best bishop in the world cannot bring unity if the priests and people do not promote it and work for it alongside the bishop,” he said. “We wholeheartedly rejoice that your bishop-elect, Mark Beckman, joins us here today. Brothers to be ordained, all deacons, all priests, remain close to Bishop Beckman. He is a good man, and I know he will serve you as a father. He will love you, and he will be a wonderful bishop. He will soon be ordained to serve you as bishop. May God bless and strengthen the relationship between you and Bishop Beckman.”

The “fourth, final, and most crucial closeness” that Pope Francis mentioned “is to God,” Archbishop Fabre said.

“Without a close, vulnerable intimacy with the Lord, everything that I have mentioned thus far is impossible,” he said. “Many crises in ministry and ordained life are traced back to a lack of intimacy with God and the reduction of the spiritual life to mere religious practice, to use Pope Francis’ words. Closeness to the Lord, the intimacy born of prayer, sustains us in dark moments and keeps us confident in His presence with us.

“Bo, Danny, Michael, and A.J., nothing can come before this closeness with God because, as Jesus says, we can do nothing without Him. The inner room of your hearts is the place of intimacy that only God can enter—you must always choose to be close to Him there, especially in poverty and pain. Because there, our hearts are enlarged and transformed into channels of the mercy of God that we encounter ourselves. The closer we are to God, the more we grow in the other forms of closeness.”

The archbishop concluded his homily by saying that as the four men “go forth from here ordained to the service of the Church as priests and deacon, notice how the Spirit calls you to draw close—to the people, the bishop, priests, and deacons in the diocese, and God. God is always calling all of us to draw ever closer and experience greater intimacy with Him.

“I will celebrate my 35th anniversary of ordination as a priest this year in August. As I am filled with memories of my ordination on this day of your ordination, I pray that your priesthood will bring you even more grace than the abundance of grace my time in service to the Lord has brought into my own life. I ask the four of you, please pray for me, and be assured of my daily prayers for you. May God, who has begun such good work in each of you, bring it one day to completion. Amen.”

The rites of ordination continued as the four men made the promises of the elect.

Lt. Houston resolved “to be consecrated for the ministry of the Church through the laying on” of the archbishop’s hands “and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He promised “to discharge with humble charity the office of the diaconate” and “to hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience . . . and to proclaim this faith by word and deed according to the Gospel and the Church’s tradition.” Lt. Houston promised “to embrace the celibate state” and “to keep this commitment perpetually as a sign of the dedication of your life to Christ the Lord for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, in service to God and others.”

Lt. Houston then promised “respect and obedience to your ordinary.”

“May God, who has begun the good work in you, bring it to fulfillment,” the archbishop said.

The soon-to-be Fathers Beaty, Herman, and Willey promised “to discharge unfailingly, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the office of priesthood in the presbyteral rank, as trusty co-workers with the order of bishops in feeding the Lord’s flock”; “to carry out the ministry of the Word worthily and wisely in the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the Catholic faith”; “to celebrate the mysteries of Christ reverently and faithfully according to the tradition of the Church, especially in the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, for the praise of God and the sanctification of the Christian people”; “to implore with us the mercy of God for the people entrusted to you, with zeal for the commandment to pray without ceasing”; and “to be united more closely each day to Christ the high priest, who offered Himself for us to the Father as a pure sacrifice, nd with Him to consecrate yourselves to God for the salvation of all.” They also promised “respect and obedience to your ordinary.”

The four men then prostrated themselves before the altar for the Litany of the Saints as the cathedral choir and those assembled sang the invocations and responses.

Afterward, Lt. Houston knelt before the archbishop, who placed his hands upon the candidate’s head and prayed the prayer of ordination. Deacon Shawn Ballard vested Deacon Houston with his stole and dalmatic. Deacon Houston then received the Book of the Gospels from Archbishop Fabre.

“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become,” the archbishop said. “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

The three priestly candidates then knelt before the archbishop, who laid his hands on and prayed the prayer of ordination for each. Father Beaty was vested with his stole and chasuble by Monsignor Patrick Garrity, Father Herman by Father Jesús Guerrero, and Father Willey by Father Mike Nolan.

Archbishop Fabre anointed the hands of each new priest with holy chrism.

“May the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you, that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God,” the archbishop said.

He placed the bread and a chalice in the hands of Fathers Beaty, Herman, and Willey as they knelt before him.

“Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God,” Archbishop Fabre said. “Understand what you will do, imitate what you will celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”

The archbishop gave a greeting of peace to the new priests and new deacon. Bishop-elect Beckman, Bishop Spencer, and all the other priests also greeted the trio as the deacons present greeted Deacon Houston.

The new deacon then assisted at the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Fathers Beaty, Herman, and Willey concelebrated with Archbishop Fabre.

At the end of Mass, the new priests bestowed first blessings on their parents, the Archbishop, Bishop Spencer, and Bishop-elect Beckman.

The archbishop closed with a reminder that the appropriate diocesan offices are always open to new vocations.

“If this celebration has moved your heart, maybe God is speaking to you,” he said. “Maybe you are hearing Him calling you to priesthood or to the permanent diaconate or to consecrated religious life as a religious Brother or Sister. If so, please know that the Office of the Permanent Diaconate and the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Knoxville stand ready to discuss that possibility with you.”

Father Beaty talked after Mass about how the new title before his name sounds.

“Very overwhelming in a very good way,” he said. “On the one hand, it’s an extreme blessing, and I’m so very grateful for it, and at the other end of it, you know, it’s very intimidating as well.”

Father Beaty, who calls St. Christopher in Jamestown his home parish, will serve his first assignment as an associate pastor of St. John Neumann in Farragut.

“I am (looking forward to it). I can’t wait to get started there,” he said. “I was very blessed to see how many people came today, both from my home parish and my future assignment at St. John Neumann.”

The ordination capped many years of prayer and study.

“On the one hand, it seems like it’s been forever, especially as there were certainly some tough times and questioning, and then on the other hand it has flown by,” Father Beaty said. “One of the things that really resonated with me during the archbishop’s homily was when he told us that Jesus chose us. The only reason I’m here is that He chose me, and it’s nothing I’ve done.”

When asked what the most moving part of the ordination Mass was for him Father Beaty mentioned the entirety of the event as well as something specific.

“From the moment I walked in to the moment I left, I was kind of teary-eyed the whole time,” he said. “I think the thing that really impacted me was the laying on of hands. I don’t know how to explain it. I can’t put it into words—it was just a very special moment.”

Father Beaty’s family is not Catholic, but that did not stop them from turning out in full to support him on his special day. They included his parents, Marsha Dillard and Donald Beaty, and stepfather Tim Dillard.

“I had quite a few family members. My parents were here and some aunts, and then I had a lot of people from my parish and family and friends as well,” he said.

Faithfully recording the Mass on her cellphone was the new priest’s aunt, Eva Beaty, of Jamestown.

“She has been very, very supportive,” Father Beaty said.

Father Herman said his new title is “very humbling and very much a responsibility that I feel blessed to receive, and through the grace of God I’ll be able to carry out Jesus Christ’s mission on earth.”

Having his father, Deacon Joe Herman, present at the Mass “meant the world to me because the father is the one who teaches you about mercy and justice, and through the lessons that he’s taught me and through the lessons that I’ve continued to learn, I pray that I can be an instrument of mercy and justice for God’s people,” Father Herman said.

Deacon Joe Herman and his son “actually began discerning” their vocations “at similar times,” the latter said.

“He entered diaconate formation a year before I entered seminary formation,” Father Herman said. “He’s been an absolute, incredible resource. He’s a hero because no one loves the sacraments as much as he does, and I’ve been incredibly blessed.”

Deacon Herman, mom Lucia Herman, and Father Herman hail from St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Mountain City.

Father Herman said that finally seeing ordination day come “was overwhelming, but it was just a joy, and I was able to—just really by the grace of God and by everybody pitching in—to enjoy it. I didn’t have to think about anything—I could just enjoy the graces that God bestowed upon me.”

Some 20 or 30 of Father Herman’s family as well as a large contingent from St. Anthony of Padua, the most distant parish from Knoxville and one located in the diocese’s northeast corner, came to the Mass.

“Our community is very special. The Johnson County Community Center allowed us to use buses at no cost to bring as many people from St. Anthony as possible because it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive, and I was very blessed that they would come,” Father Herman said, adding that three 15-person passenger vans brought the group to Knoxville.

The most moving part of the Mass to him was easy to name, Father Herman said.

“What really got me, and I think the pictures will show, is I was really breaking down once I was receiving the laying on of hands from not only Archbishop Fabre but also all the priests in my presbyterate,” he said. “Through my six years of seminary, I was very blessed to be able to get to know many of the priests, and even though I couldn’t see their faces, I could feel their prayers, and it was very humbling that they were there praying for me and bestowing their priesthood upon me.”

Bishop-elect Beckman “was very gentle and very courteous” as he greeted the new priests, Father Herman said, “and he looked at us and said that he’s looking forward to our priesthood and to joining that priesthood with us.”

Giving a blessing to his parents at the end of Mass “was very hard, to utter those words that I’ve practiced hundreds of times, but it was truly humbling because I said their names, when usually I call them Mom and Dad, but as their spiritual father I call them by their first names. It was very humbling,” Father Herman said.

“In the blessing I said, ‘through the imposition of my hands, in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph, and St. Lucy, may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you forever.’”

Father Herman will serve his first assignment as an associate pastor at the cathedral.

Father Willey said his new title “is odd because you expect it for a while because you’re working toward this, and then after the prayer of ordination, you get up and it’s like, ‘Huh, I’m a priest now,’” he said.

Father Willey’s parents are dad Richard from Madison, Tenn., and mom Tammy from Cleveland, Tenn., where the new priest’s home parish of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is.

The most moving portion of the liturgy “was just processing in, with the music the way it was and the sense that ‘Oh, this is real now. This is happening now,’” Father Willey said.

The Litany of the Saints “was very powerful. That was something that was really powerful last year at my diaconate ordination and this year as well,” he said.

Having ordination day come after years of prayer and study left him unable to describe it, Father Willey said.

“You’re doing all that work, and this day’s always somewhere there in the distance, and you know that it’s going to get there at some point, but now that it has, it feels really good,” he said.

Father Willey’s family came to the Mass “from Arkansas and Ohio and all over the place. I had people come in from out of the country even,” he said.

All Saints in Knoxville will receive a new associate pastor in Father Willey. He is “quite looking forward” to his first assignment, he said.

“There are good priests there, and I’ll be close to my newly ordained brothers who will be within a couple of parishes nearby,” he said.

The three new priests went to St. Meinrad School of Theology for the last four years.

“For the last four years of seminary, we’ve been together,” Father Willey said.

Deacon Joe Herman said that seeing his son ordained a priest “was emotional and hard to contain. I’m just very, very proud.”

Although Father Herman at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus will be a long way from Mountain City, where Deacon Herman serves at St. Anthony of Padua, the father plans to see his son often.

“I plan on it. He’s actually a lot closer to home than he has been for the last eight or nine years,” Deacon Herman said.

Calling his son “Father” will “take some getting used to, but I’m very proud to do it,” Deacon Herman said.

Deacon Houston said his new title “sounds great,” adding that “I’ve spent the last couple of weeks at home praying, and the Lord has told me it’s time. I felt ready.”

Seminary for him began in 2019, “so I’ve finished five years,” Deacon Houston said. “In the middle of it, it just seemed like it would never end, but now it’s flown by, and I’m super grateful.”

Deacon Houston is co-sponsored by the Military Archdiocese.

“After ordination to the priesthood next year, God willing, I’ll serve as a priest here in the Diocese of Knoxville for three years, and then I’ll be released to the Army to serve as a chaplain,” he said. “My minimum contract is five years, and after that it can be renewed, or I might come back to the diocese.”

Deacon Houston served as an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army in El Paso, Texas, before discerning his vocation. He holds the rank of first lieutenant.

His parents, Charles and Heidi Houston, were among the family attending his ordination Mass.

Deacon Houston will serve at All Saints this summer before returning to seminary.

“I’m super excited,” he said of his assignment.

He said that “it was an honor to have” Bishop Spencer present at his ordination.

Bishop Spencer said the ordination of Deacon Houston “is a great day of joy in which somebody comes forward to say yes to God and yes to country. We’re very thankful that he’ll be eventually coming to serve our men and women in uniform as a Catholic chaplain.”

The number of chaplains for the military is small, “right now . . . a little over 400,” Bishop Spencer said, “to serve our military and the DOD, Department of Defense, but that also includes veterans’ hospitals, and also all of our U.S. embassies, so when we say 400 it’s actually not very many. We need many more.”

Sharing Deacon Houston with the Diocese of Knoxville before he goes to the Military Archdiocese “will be like on-the-job training,” Bishop Spencer said, “so, it’ll be three years here in the diocese, and then he’ll come full-time to the military.”

Beth Parsons, diocesan vocations office manager, attended the ordination Mass. She has worked with all four men over the years and said she was glad to see ordination day arrive.

“It’s been fantastic. This is my sixth year in the vocations office, and Father Danny was the first seminarian that I ever signed up to go to seminary, so it’s just a special day to have all three of them be ordained priests and A.J. on the same day as a deacon. It’s just beautiful,” she said.

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