Archbishop to ordain Chris Jaskowiec, Charlie Robeck, Mark Sienkowski and Arvin Stephenson to serve the Church as deacons
DETROIT — Four men who have spent years discerning the Lord’s vocation for their lives will be ordained to the permanent diaconate Oct. 5 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will lay his hands upon the heads of Christopher Jaskowiec, 62, of Dearborn Heights; Charles Robeck, 51, of Farmington Hills; Mark Sienkowski, 64, of Sterling Heights; and Arvin Stephenson, 60, of New Baltimore, ordaining them to serve at the altar and in ministries of service to God's people. Their parish assignments will be announced during the ordination Mass.
The ordinations will take place during a 10 a.m. Mass, which will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Facebook page.
Each of the four men has studied, discerned and prayed through their formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, and will enter the diaconate after long careers. The four men responded to a questionnaire about themselves ahead of the ordination Mass.
Here’s a little more about them:
Christopher J. Jaskowiec
Christopher John Jaskowiec, 62, of Dearborn Heights, is a parishioner of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, where he also works full time as a business manager and wedding coordinator.
Jaskowiec was born in Detroit and attended Bishop Borgess High School in Detroit, graduating in 1980. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit-Mercy, respectively, in 1984 and 1989.
Jaskowiec first heard the Lord’s calling to the permanent diaconate after visiting the Holy Land in 2015, where a moving experience of the sites of Jesus’ Passion spoke deeply in his heart.
“My hand touched the spot where our Lord and Savior was born. I knelt at the spot where the cross rested. Doing these things brought a rich dimension to my faith,” Jaskowiec said. “Shortly after that trip, I heard the Lord calling me to serve His Church. I began studies at the seminary in 2019 and continue to hear the Lord beckon. I am humbled that the Lord is calling me to serve.”
Jaskowiec served his parish internship at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Dearborn, under the supervision of Fr. Terry Kerner.
During his formation and in his employment at the cathedral, Jaskowiec said he’s been privileged to work in various aspects of parish life, and hopes to bring a sacramental element to his ministry once he’s ordained.
“I wish to serve the Lord in any capacity that He wishes to lead me,” Jaskowiec said. “In the years of my formation, I have been enriched in working with young adults who are receiving the sacrament of matrimony. Also, I have had the gift of visiting the sick and bringing the Eucharist to hospital patients. When I serve the Lord, I receive so much in return. I look with great anticipation to serve as a deacon.”
In his spare time, Jaskowiec enjoys cooking, gardening, home improvements, traveling, volunteering and entertaining.
Charles (Charlie) M. Robeck
Charles (Charlie) Martin Robeck, 51, of Farmington Hills, is a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington. He is married to Elaine (Fontenot) and is the father of four children: Connor, 22, Aaron, 20, Caleb, 17, and Lily, 17.
Robeck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attended St. Michael-Albertville High School in Minnesota, graduating in 1991. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston and the University of Texas, respectively. He currently works as an automotive engineer for the Ford Motor Company.
Robeck said the diaconate had been on his mind for years, but it wasn’t until he began praying in the chapel of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the fall of 2018 that he heard the Lord’s voice calling him to pursue it.
“I was praying in the chapel at the seminary, and what came to me was ‘trust,’” Robeck said. “I didn’t know exactly how things would go, I just had to entrust it to God. As I approach ordination, I’m in somewhat the same place. I can’t know exactly what my ministry as a deacon will look like, so I just have to trust that God will lead me where He wants me to be and show me how He wants me to serve His people.”
Robeck served his parish internship at St. Fabian Parish in Farmington Hills under the supervision of Msgr. Timothy Hogan and Deacon Perry Clark. During that time, he served in liturgical roles as well as in food pantries, hospital ministry and evangelization. Prior to that, he served in pro-life ministries and in senior services, as well in faith-sharing groups.
“One of my favorite descriptions of diaconal ministry comes from Deacon William Ditewig, who describes the deacon as a connection between ‘the Gospel proclaimed and the Gospel lived,’” Robeck said. “The deacon proclaims the Gospel in words during Mass and he proclaims it in actions via his service in the world.”
In his spare time, Robeck enjoys camping, backpacking, paddlesports such as kayaking and canoeing, riding motorcycles and barbecuing.
Mark Sienkowski
Mark Sienkowski, 64, of Sterling Heights, is a parishioner of St. Lawrence Parish in Utica. He is married to Carol (Schultz) and is the father of three adult children — Bryan (Lindzy), 37, Laura (Zach), 35, and Justin, 30 — and the grandfather of four.
Sienkowski was born in Dearborn and attended Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights, graduating in 1978. He earned a bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Michigan, and a master’s in pastoral studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He is recently retired from Mercedes Benz Financial, where he worked as a computer systems analyst.
Sienkowski’s path to the diaconate began with a desire to evangelize that was nurtured through an encounter with St. Paul Street Evangelization.
“I happened upon one of their brochures while attending a Catholic Apologetics Conference. Reading their brochure led me to training materials on their website where I began to recognize that we can’t argue people into the faith, we need to accompany them,” Sienkowski said. “And then at some of their regional trainings I met so many people who were on fire with the Holy Spirit. That led me to pray to and cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit who helped me to step outside of my comfort zone and share my faith more boldly.
“At that same time, Unleash the Gospel was published, and it crystalized my desire to be ‘all in,’” Sienkowski added. “While St. Paul Street focuses on engaging people out in the world, the Spirit led me to recognize that we need to evangelize from within as well. It was that desire to help form intentional disciples in the Church that led me to pursue the diaconate.”
Sienkowski, a member of St. Paul Street Evangelization as well as the Knights of Columbus, completed his parish internship at St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township under the supervision of Msgr. John Kasza and Deacon Greg Willoughby. His field experience included ministry at homeless shelters, prisons, nursing homes and hospitals.
“Ministry starts with caring enough to show up and be present,” Sienkowski said. “Ministry is often not difficult, but it is about saying yes to helping those in need. It is about having a humble attitude and being willing to serve the ‘least of these.’ It starts with keeping our eyes on the cross. Jesus died for us. Are we willing to die to ourselves (our time, our ambitions), to imitate Christ and serve his people?”
In his spare time, Sienkowski loves to read, ride his bicycle, visit churches and shrines, play golf, watch the Detroit Lions and spend time with his family.
Arvin L. Stephenson
Arvin Lee Stephenson, 60, of New Baltimore, is a member of St. Paul of Tarsus Parish in Clinton Township. He is married to Pamela (Rasmussen) and is the father of two adult children: Benjamin, 29, and Sabrina, 25.
Stephenson was born in Detroit and attended Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights, graduating in 1981. He earned undergraduate degrees from Macomb Community College and Lawrence Technological University, and a master’s in pastoral ministry from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He currently works as a project architect for TMP Architecture, Inc.
A convert to Catholicism, Stephenson’s journey to the diaconate began with his journey to the Catholic Church in 2013. After attending Mass and volunteering at his wife’s parish for years, Stephenson said he began “discovering a beauty and depth in the Church’s teachings, its sacraments and the people that not only complimented my religious understanding but added richness and depth to my spirituality that had been lacking.”
One day, while at work, he heard a “voice from deep inside telling me it was time to make the change.”
After entering RCIA, he entered the Church during the Easter vigil in 2014. By the end of that year, a close family member was diagnosed with a long-term illness, a moment that Stephenson reflected upon.
“The Holy Spirit knew I needed the strength of the Church, the graces of the sacraments and a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus in order to have the strength I needed to get myself and family through this and the challenging times that lay ahead: all I had to do is say yes to His invitation,” Stephenson said.
Continuing to be involved in parish life, Stephenson said he enjoyed deepening his prayer life, becoming active in various parish ministries and the Knights of Columbus, but “there seemed to be something missing,” he said. That something, he would later discern, was the Lord calling him to discern the diaconate.
“The conversion and discernment that started within me in 2013 by my yes has matured through prayer, studying the Scriptures, serving God’s people, listening to the Holy Spirit and trusting the Lord,” Stephenson said. “I am thankful for all He has given to me and the healing he has provided my family.”
Stephenson served his parish internship at Our Lady on the River Parish in Marine City under the supervision of Fr. John Dumas and Deacon Michael Oldani, where he served in funeral home ministry, in assisted living facilities, at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and St. Bonaventure Monastery, and in prison ministry.
Stephenson said he looks forward to diaconal ministry, in which he hopes to imitate the self-sacrificial love of Jesus.
“All ministries should have as its foundation the Trinity,” Stephenson said. “Love, sacrifice and service is the heart of ministry, drawing people closer to the love that is God in yourself, family and neighbor.”
In his spare time, Stephenson enjoys home improvement projects, drawing, studying church architecture, ballroom dancing with his wife, and spending time with family.
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