New director of diaconate begins service

By Rebecca Bostic, The Catholic Sun
August 2, 2007

The Office of the Diaconate has a new director to lead and guide deacons through their many ministerial roles.

Deacon Jim Trant took over the position of director of the office at the beginning of July.

“Deacon Jim brings a wealth of experience to his new position of leadership within our diaconate community,” Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said.

Following more than two decades of volunteering at St. Maria Goretti in Scottsdale, Trant was ordained a deacon in 2004. After spending time running the marriage preparation program at his parish, Deacon Trant took a full-time ministry position last August as the parish life coordinator of the Native American Catholic community at St. John the Baptist Parish in Laveen.

“My real love is pastoral level parish work. I love doing marriages and baptisms — and even funerals,” Deacon Trant said. Due to that commitment, he hopes to spend a couple days a week visiting parishes and supporting the deacons working there.

Deacon Trant views the diaconate as “an office that serves the deacons themselves in the form of continuing education, arranging for those programs, for the convocation that they have with the bishop every year,” he said. “We’re sort of servants to the servants here.”

Deacon Trant will be serving the deacons of the Phoenix Diocese with the assistance of Deacon Keith Davis, associate director of Formation for the Diaconate. Deacon Davis is excited to have Deacon Trant, whom he calls a “true servant leader” working with the deacons of Phoenix.

“Deacon Jim is certainly qualified for the position in that he brings with him a deep faith and a very good grasp of what it means to serve as a deacon,” Deacon Davis said. He is someone “who can lead from a stance of humility and can bring out the best in others.”

As director of the diaconate, Deacon Trant hopes to continue building on the foundation built by former director Deacon Dan Peterson.

“Our deacons carry out vital missions in our local Church in a variety of settings and institutions, beginning with our parishes and extending to prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, soup kitchens and many more,” Bishop Olmsted said of the diaconate.

Deacon Trant is looking forward to serving the bishop and the priests and “especially my brother deacons and their families.”

“His quiet and peaceful manner will put others at ease, especially when dealing with difficult matters,” the bishop said of the new director. “His contemplative spirit and lengthy daily prayer will keep him rooted in Christ and be a wellspring for his pastoral leadership.”