PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The title “deacon” is derived from the Greek word for service, “diakonia.” In the Roman Catholic Church, deacons are ordained to serve the people of God through proclaiming the Gospel, assisting at Mass, and performing acts of charity. 

Bishop Robert Brennan will add 10 men to the permanent diaconate at 11 a.m. on Nov. 22 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. The sacrament of Holy Orders will be conferred upon the men during the ceremony. What follows is a look at these men, along with the plans for their first Masses of thanksgiving in their home parishes. 

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Jose Manuel Arias Cestoni, 43, of Our Lady of Cenacle Parish in Richmond Hill, was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. He works with the altar servers and lector ministries at the parish. He married his wife, Cecilia, 18 years ago, and they have three daughters. He works in materials handling as a forklift operator. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Nov. 23 at Our Lady of Cenacle.

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Matthew Bonvento, 46, of Holy Trinity Parish in Whitestone, was born in Flushing. He has two children with his wife Danielle, whom he has been married to for 10 years. He is an associate professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, Long Island. He has served his parish in various capacities, including as a religious educator, lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and in hospital ministry. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Nov. 23 at Holy Trinity Parish.

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Carlos Bueno, 47, of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Woodhaven, was born in Ecuador. Married to his wife, Yolanda, for 24 years, they are the parents of four children. He works as a fleet assistant, and for the parish he has served as an acolyte and catechist. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 at St. Thomas the Apostle.

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Dowill Garcia, 41, belongs to Blessed Sacrament-St. Sylvester Parish in Cypress Hills. He has been married to his wife, Glenys, for 15 years, and they have three sons. He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He works as a maintenance field inspector for quality assurance. In the parish, he has served as a lector and worked with the couple’s ministry, pre-baptismal classes, and the St. Fidelis Outreach Team in College Point, Queens. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 22 at Blessed Sacrament-St. Sylvester.

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Mark Anthony Garcia is 52 and a member of St. Brigid’s Church in Bushwick. He was born in Manhattan and has been married for 30 years to his wife, Tania. The couple has two daughters. He works in the food service industry as a cook, and has served as a catechist in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, a lector, an acolyte, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and a participant in the St. Fidelis Outreach Team in College Point. He credited his wife and daughters for supporting him during his formation. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 1 p.m. on Nov. 23 at St. Brigid.

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Frank John Kazlausky, 65, of Holy Trinity Parish in Whitestone, has been married to his wife, Deborah, for 36 years. They have two children and two grandchildren. The native of Queens is a retired pharmacist who is active in his parish as a lector, a catechist, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, the homebound ministry, and the parish council. He, too, is a member of the St. Fidelis Outreach Team in College Point. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on Nov. 23 at Holy Trinity.

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John P. Muldoon, 60, was born in the Bronx, but he is a member of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Bayside. He and his wife, Alyson, have been married for 27 years. He is a systems engineer, and has served as a youth minister and catechist. He calls himself “the guy most likely to become a deacon” because people, including priests, parishioners, and other deacons, saw his potential and asked him, ‘Why not him?’ A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Nov. 23 at St. Robert Bellarmine.

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Jean Nduwimana, 62, is from Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Flatbush, and he was born in Burundi. He married his wife, Beatrice, 18 years ago, and they have one child. He is a fire and life safety director, and has served as an acolyte, lector, and participated in hospital and homebound ministries. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 23 at Our Lady of Refuge.

  

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Krzysztof Niewiadomski, 65, was born in Ełk, Poland, and he is a member of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Williamsburg. He married his wife, Danuta, 41 years ago; they have four children and one grandchild. His listed profession is “retiring.” Meanwhile, he has been busy at the parish, serving as a lector, acolyte, overseer of the altar servers, and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Nov. 23 at Our Lady of Consolation.

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Carlos Patricio Valencia is 60 and a member of St. Bartholomew Parish in Elmhurst. He was born in Riobamba, Ecuador, and he is a waiter. He and his wife, Leonor, have been married for 39 years and have three children. He has served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and in the Cursillo movement, the Charismatic movement, and the couple’s group at his parish. A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 at St. Bartholomew.