DYKER HEIGHTS — At age 46, Danny Li still carries in his heart a vivid memory of a moment of God’s grace he experienced as an 11-year-old boy in his native China.

The moment occurred when he was attending Eucharistic adoration in the home of family friends — churches are few and far between in Communist China — and he felt a powerful emotion that caused him to drop to his knees as he prayed.

“I felt so touched that I knelt, and I had tears in my eyes,” Li recalled, adding how close to God he felt at the moment. “I don’t know why I had that feeling, but I did.”

Fast forward three decades, and Li is training to become a permanent deacon.

A parishioner of the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Dyker Heights, he is one of 26 men in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s diaconate formation program. Several of the men participated in a Mass of Installation celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop James Massa at Blessed Sacrament Church in Cypress Hills on Oct. 18.

The Mass marked an important moment for the men, signaling the next step in their journey toward ordination. 

The diocese ordains permanent deacons every two years. The next class will be ordained in 2025. Li is a member of the class to be ordained in 2027. At the Mass of Installation, he was elevated from aspirant to candidate, which marked the completion of his first two years of training. The men who will be ordained in 2025 were installed as lectors.

Permanent deacons are often married men with families and hold secular jobs while simultaneously serving their parishes.

Li, the lone Chinese candidate in the diocese, said he feels he’s taking this step at precisely the right time. 

“We have many Chinese people in our churches, but we don’t have many Chinese deacons,” Li noted.

Deacon John Cantirino, director of the Diaconate Formation Office, said the diocese currently has two Chinese permanent deacons. He said he hopes to see more Chinese men enter the diaconate formation program over the next few years. “We have many Chinese Catholics in our diocese. It would be great if we had Chinese deacons to serve them,” he added.

According to Father Vincentius Do, director of the Chinese Apostolate for the diocese, approximately 3,000 Chinese Catholics attend Mass each Sunday in diocesan churches. 

For Li, the path to becoming a permanent deacon has taken 7,700 miles and several years. Born and raised in the Fujian Province of China, Li said he expressed an interest in the Church at a young age after hearing friends of his parents talk about their faith. His interest led him to attend prayer services in private homes. 

Li said his interest in religion was unusual, given his upbringing. 

“I come from a non-Catholic family,” Li explained. He said his parents believed in God but did not discuss religion at home. However, he noted that they allowed him to indulge in his interests. 

Many years later, inspired by his deep faith, his parents chose to be baptized. Then, shortly after experiencing that moment of grace at the Eucharistic adoration, 11-year-old Danny Li was baptized.

Li came to the United States when he was 21, settling in Dyker Heights. Eager to continue practicing his faith, he attended Mass at the Church of St. Joseph in Chinatown. He got a job working at a supermarket sushi counter and began saving money. 

Eventually, he opened a restaurant called Osaka Sushi Express in Sheepshead Bay. While the venture was successful, Li acknowledged that it caused him to fall away from his faith. 

“I was working 12-hour days. I had no time to go to church,” he recalled. “During this period, my faith was shallow.”

It took a monumental event — two, actually — to bring him back. Both Li and his wife, Tina, faced serious illnesses. Tina was diagnosed with kidney disease, and months later, Li learned he had lung cancer. Tina ultimately received a kidney transplant and is doing better, while Li has been cancer-free for nearly eight years.

“People prayed for us, and I think the prayers helped,” Li said. “I thought, ‘God has not abandoned us.’ I started to come back to the Church.”

He began attending Mass at the Basilica of Regina Pacis and, before long, became active in the parish.

“Little by little, I did things,” he said. “One day at Mass, the pastor asked for altar servers. I was so happy serving.”

During the pandemic, Li sold his restaurant and retired, which allowed him time to devote to the parish. Through his church activities, he said he got to know Father Joseph Lin, the parochial vicar for Regina Pacis, who became a mentor to him and encouraged him to think about the diaconate. 

Now on a path to becoming a permanent deacon, Li acknowledged the first year wasn’t easy. He said he lacked confidence because English isn’t his first language, but he is confident about the future. 

“Getting done the first year felt good,” Li said. “I feel that if I can do my best, God is always with me.”