Karl Pierzchajlo is one of three men to be ordained to the permanent diaconate on July 22 at St. Joseph’s Basilica. He will be assigned to Annunciation, his home parish in Edmonton, where he and his family have been active members for many years. There are currently 36 permanent deacons serving in the Edmonton Archdiocese. Bishop Paul Terrio, retired bishop of St. Paul, will be the principal celebrant.

Tell us about yourself

I am a cradle Catholic, a lifelong West Edmontonian, and a product graduate of the Edmonton Catholic School system. I obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1982, and worked for 41 years as a Professional Engineer in the oil and gas sector. My beautiful wife of almost 40 years, Caren, is a retired registered nurse. We have been blessed with three wonderful sons, three amazing daughters-in-law, and the sweetest granddaughter. Stephen and his wife Joana (and our granddaughter Lia) live in the Netherlands, where he is completing his PhD in Neuroscience, and Joana is a professor at Utrecht University. Mark and his wife Randal live in Edmonton, where he writes commercials for Touch Broadcasting (owners of five Christian radio stations in Alberta), and she works as a paralegal. David and his wife Katelyn also live in Edmonton, where he teaches at St. Edmunds Catholic School, and she works as an operating room nurse at the Royal Alex.

What attracted you to the diaconate and how did you become involved?

As a lifelong member of Annunciation Parish, I have always been active in my faith and church life, and at an early age even thought about the priesthood (until someone came along and stole my heart ). However, we never had a Permanent Deacon at our Parish, so I wasn’t familiar with this ministry until I attended an information session and started doing additional research. After some years of discerning, my Pastor (Father Francis Mariappa) convinced me that I needed to “get on with it”. And that’s exactly what I did.

What was the highlight of the formation process? What was the toughest part?

There have been so many highlights and blessings received during the formation process. The monthly formation weekends at the Providence Renewal Center were amazing, as were the relationships we developed with the other couples in the program, along with the many presenters. I also appreciate the wide array of knowledge I’ve obtained and the skills I’ve developed along the way. But perhaps the most important thing has been the deepening of my spiritual life.

As for the toughest part, the program of studies at Newman Theological College was a challenge. I hadn’t studied at the post-secondary level in over 40 years, and my engineering studies were very science-focused. So studying humanities at the university level was harder than I expected.

In your opinion, why should a man consider the permanent diaconate?

Ultimately, the call to the permanent diaconate is, first and foremost, a response to God’s call. It’s not just about volunteering or “doing more for the Church”, it’s about discerning that God is calling you to be conformed to Christ the Servant through the sacrament of Holy Orders. If a man loves Christ and His Church, feels called to serve in a deeper (and more sacramental) way, has that persistent internal sense that God is calling him to this, and is being encouraged by others (family, clergy, parishioners), these are all good indicators that he should consider the permanent diaconate.

What particular skills do you have that will help you serve the Church?

I have been told that I am a good listener (my wife might disagree), as well as a good communicator. I value teamwork and collaboration, which are important when working with various groups and individuals within and outside the Parish. A permanent deacon also needs a combination of spiritual, pastoral, interpersonal, and practical skills to serve effectively, and these are areas that I continue to work at strengthening.

What do you hope to achieve as a deacon and what will be the biggest challenge?

When thinking about achievement, I am reminded of something we learned early in formation – a deacon doesn’t aim to be successful in a worldly sense, he aims to be faithful! His greatest achievement is not how much he does, but how deeply he serves with love, humility, and fidelity to Christ and His Church. So the greatest thing I can hope to achieve is to be a faithful witness to Christ in my daily life. To be a visible, public witness of the Gospel in my family, parish, and community. In addition to serving our parishioners, I look forward to continuing my prison ministry and getting involved with the seven schools associated with our Parish.

I expect my biggest challenge will be the same one all permanent deacons face – balancing my family time with my ministry. Also, having served in senior leadership roles in the secular world, I will need to continue to remind myself that I am no longer a manager to some, but rather a servant to all!

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