Deacon Christopher Rhodes

Deacon Christopher Rhodes, 34, a former Army infantry officer, began to consider the priesthood shortly after he joined the Catholic Church in 2002. But it wasn’t until he was stationed in Korea that he seriously felt called to the priesthood.

On May 26 Deacon Rhodes, along with Deacons David Carr and Stuart Priddy, will be ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 443 S. Fifth Street.

Deacon Rhodes was born and raised Protestant in Dallas, Tex., along with an older sister, an older brother and a twin sister. During his formative years, he said, he looked up to his mother and his grandmother (who died May 5). He also admired the writings and speeches of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

While attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., Deacon Rhodes began working in Protestant campus ministry.

“There was this perception that if you worked at campus ministry you would consider entering the seminary,” he recalled in a recent phone interview. “When they realized I wasn’t seriously considering seminary, my responsibilities were relieved for someone who was serious.”

Shortly after this, Deacon Rhodes began spending time at the Newman Center — the Catholic campus center — at Morehouse. He started by visiting the center to study with his roommate, who was Catholic.

“Not long after, I began doing the sort of things I did at the Protestant campus center,” he said. “I ended up working on staff at the Newman Center as a Protestant.”

His first desire to join the Catholic Church came when he met with a musician to prepare for an upcoming liturgy.

“He asked why I wasn’t Catholic since I worked there and knew everything,” Deacon Rhodes recalled. “I thought, you know, that’s a good question. I did my research and thought about the issues I had with becoming a Catholic. When I decided to become Catholic, he was my sponsor.”

Shortly after joining the church, Deacon Rhodes began to consider the priesthood. But it would be three more years until he would enter the seminary to become a priest.

After graduating in 2002 with a degree in economics, Deacon Rhodes joined the Army and was stationed at Ft. Benning, Ga., for training and was later sent to Korea. In February of 2005, Deacon Rhodes said, he began to feel disillusioned with his career path.

“One of my jobs was to discipline those that got in trouble. The number of disciplinary actions increased, and I couldn’t figure out what the issue was. I began to think, you know, if I’m serious about the priesthood, about helping people to live an ethical life, then maybe my job is not to be a commander of troops but maybe as a chaplain,” he said.

During that time, then-Archbishop of Military Services Edwin F. O’Brien happened to be in Korea and heard of Deacon Rhodes’ desire to enter the priesthood.

“Archbishop O’Brien asked, ‘How serious are you?’ I replied that I was very serious,” he said.

With that, the now-Cardinal O’Brien passed Deacon Rhodes’ name to General Leon J. LaPorte, the commander of United States Forces in Korea and a devout Catholic. Within a few months, Deacon Rhodes was in Louisville ready to begin formation for the priesthood.

He chose Louisville because of the time he spent in and near the city during his basic cadet training. Also, he had traveled to the Jubilee Mass for priests held at the Cathedral of the Assumption with Father Edward Branch, the director of the Newman Center at Morehouse College. (Father Branch was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville.)

After completing a master’s degree in philosophy at Saint Meinrad School of Theology, Deacon Rhodes wanted a change of pace and asked Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz if he would suggest another seminary where he could finish his studies. Archbishop Kurtz recommended the Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Deacon Rhodes is currently finishing his studies there.

In addition to Father Branch, Deacon Rhodes credits a number of priests and lay people for inspiration during his priesthood formation. They include Father John Judie, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (Deacon Rhodes’ home parish), Deacon James Turner, M. Annette Mandley-Turner, Father Patrick Dolan with the Kentucky National Guard, Father William Bowling and Father Tony Smith.

Deacon Rhodes said he would love to be the type of priest who encourages others to deepen their spirituality.

“My hope is to kind of work myself out of a job, so to speak. I hope to help others deepen their faith and become more devoted to the point (that) they are encouraging one another,” he said.

In addition to his diocesan duties, Deacon Rhodes hopes to also serve as a military chaplain.

Deacon Rhodes has been assigned associate pastor of St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky., and of Holy Name of Mary Church in Calvary, Ky.

He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at 10 a.m. May 27 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1545 S. 34th Street.

By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

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Ed Wnorowski, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, surveyed the nearly empty shelves of the charity's food pantry late last week.

When school ends for the summer break in less than a month, some 50,000 children in Jefferson County who rely on free or reduced-price lunches will lose the benefit of those reliable meals.

Charities that help to feed some of these children and their families are preparing for a busy summer season.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul could begin the season with little or no stock unless donations increase soon. The charity announced that its shelves were “looking bare” — and empty of vegetables — in the middle of last week. An urgent call for help was issued on Facebook and Twitter.

Shively Area Ministries — a charity supported by local churches, including several Catholic parishes — is planning a food drive this month to help meet the increased needs brought on by the summer season.

“It’s a surprise to many people that requests for food assistance are higher in the summertime,” said Dare to Care spokesperson Stan Siegwald during a phone interview Monday. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Shively Area Ministries are among the organizations that distribute food from Dare to Care.

“It’s because kids are out of school,” he said. “When you consider there are 50,000 children in Jefferson County on free or reduced lunch, that’s 50,000 lunches a day. We are missing a minimum of a quarter of a million meals a week in the summertime, and that’s just Jefferson County alone.”

Those numbers, he added, don’t take into account those children who eat breakfast for free or at a reduced price.

Siegwald said requests for help have risen and continue to rise among those who seek help from Dare to Care and its partners.

“The need for food assistance has risen 67 percent in the past four years,” he noted. “The need for food among people has gone from one in eight to one in six. That’s nearly 200,000 people who have been in food hardship and sought assistance from one of Dare to Care’s partners.

“It’s everywhere,” he added. “It’s in every single neighborhood in our community.”

A survey released in late April by the organization Feeding America (Dare to Care is a member of the organization’s network) showed that about 17 percent of Kentuckians are at risk for hunger.

That’s more than 700,000 people in the state who are considered “food insecure,” meaning they don’t know with regularity where they will eat their next meal and sometimes must choose between paying a bill and buying food, according to the study. Called Map the Meal Gap, the study lists data by state, county and congressional district. It’s available online at feedingamerica.org.

Ed Wnorowski, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said the need for food among people enrolled in its programs and who seek meals at its Open Hand Kitchen is exceeding donations.

“Donations have been pretty consistent,” he noted during an interview last Friday. “But this recession has been protracted.”

The Society’s food pantry on its main campus is used to assist the families and individuals who participate in one of the campus’ programs. In addition, the charity operates a kitchen that served more than 9,000 lunches last month alone.

Early in the recession, in fiscal year 2008-2009, the kitchen served about 85,000 meals. The next year, it served 94,000. The agency projects to show an eight percent rise this year.

“We’re on track to serve 100,000 to 105,000 meals,” said Wnorowski.

In addition to the society’s main campus, the charity also has conferences run by volunteers in parishes around the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church in Fairdale distributes food from Dare to Care and other donations several times a month. That conference is doing well right now, thanks to a Lenten collection.

St. Agnes Church’s conference runs a food pantry, too, though stocks currently are low.

Steve Edelen, a volunteer at St. Agnes’ conference, said, “It seems like it goes in cycles. We get loaded up, and then we get a lot of people with need and respond to them. Sooner or later, we wind up getting replenished.

“We’re running a little bit low right now, but somehow God provides,” he added.

By Marnie McAllister, Record Assistant Editor

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