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Two local men were ordained to the permanent diaconate of the Catholic church Saturday at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.
They are Jeff Stanek, of Callender, and Mark Steinberg, of Fort Dodge.
Along with Will Fergen, of Sioux City, and Alan Loew, of Carroll, they received the sacrament of holy orders from Bishop Walker Nickless.
Steinberg is the assistant director of health and safety for Van Diest Supply Co. He was baptized and raised Lutheran before converting to Catholicism. He is a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fort Dodge.
"There is no aspect of my life that hasn't been touched and enriched since saying yes to God," Steinberg told The Lumen, which is the newspaper for the Diocese of Sioux City.
Stanek is a farmer and owner of Advanced Waste Solutions. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children. He is also a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
He told The Lumen that he was attracted to the diaconate because of the "concrete way it allows me to serve the Lord through service to him by ministering to his people."
Permanent deacons are ordained ministers in the Catholic Church and are considered clerics. Stanek and Steinberg will provide a ministry of service and proclaim the word of God in their home parish.
The deacons can preach at Masses, assist at the altar, baptize, officiate at Catholic marriages with the permission of their pastor, officiate at funeral services that do not include a Mass, visit the sick and works of charity as well as assisting their pastor in various capacities.