Des Moines welcomed 13 new deacons last month — and the Des Moines Register offers a profile of one of them:

For years, Steve Udelhofen felt a calling into ministry.

Steve and his wife, Myrna, started a journey nearly five years ago toward him becoming a deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines.

“It’s not something I said I wanted to do,” Steve Udelhofen said. “It’s something I felt called to do.”

Udelhofen was one of 13 men who were ordained as deacons on Aug. 14.

The journey was rigorous and time-consuming and required travel and self-reflection. It lasted more than four years.

Two weekends a month were spent studying – one weekend at Conception Seminary in Missouri and one weekend in Des Moines. Every year, class members had a weeklong retreat and other multiday sessions where they worked on projects and papers.

The Udelhofens of Ankeny said it was quite an experience, one that they are glad they had to do together. Although Myrna can’t be ordained, she had to take every class that her husband did.

“In retrospect, it’s really been a blessing,” Steve Udelhofen said. “We grew together, instead of apart or differently.”

His wife agreed. “I think it would be extremely difficult for a marriage if it wasn’t done that way,” she said.

Deacons are placed by the bishop in parishes based on their spiritual gifts and church needs. The Udelhofens have been assigned to their home parish, Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny.

The Rev. Steve Orr at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart said the Udelhofens have been a staple at the church for many years.

“We already know of their many gifts and their commitment to service,” Orr said. “It is wonderful when people like Steve and Myrna rise up from within the community and can be officially called upon to serve in the name of the parish.”

Check out the rest at the Register link — including an interview with the wife of the new deacon.

And congratulations to all who were ordained last month. Ad multos annos!