Following years of prayer, study, and formation, four men were ordained permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Detroit on October 3, 2026. Their new parish assignments highlight the essential role deacons play in Catholic worship, pastoral care, and service to local communities.
The future of Catholic parish life depends on more than church buildings and Sunday Mass schedules. It also depends on the people who dedicate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel, supporting families, and serving neighbors in need.
On October 3, 2026, four men took an important step in that mission when Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger ordained Kurt Krueger, Jeff Ostrowski, Ron Potempski, and Jim Pryce to the permanent diaconate at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Their ordination followed years of discernment, prayer, study, and pastoral formation.
Each of the newly ordained deacons received a first parish assignment in southeast Michigan, placing their gifts and experience at the service of local Catholic communities.
The milestone comes as the Archdiocese of Detroit considers how to sustain vibrant parish life amid changing participation and a declining number of priests. Although permanent deacons do not replace priests, their ministries can strengthen the Church’s ability to serve parishioners through liturgy, preaching, charitable outreach, and pastoral care.
Their stories also illustrate how Catholic vocations often grow through family life, professional experience, prayer, and years of service within a parish community.
Four New Deacons, Four Parish Communities
The October 3 ordination took place at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Archbishop Weisenburger challenged the new deacons to understand their vocation through the Christian principle of humble service.
The four men will serve in different communities across southeast Michigan, bringing their experience in family life, professional work, and parish volunteering into their new ministries.
1. Deacon Kurt Krueger — Plymouth
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
At 60, Kurt Krueger entered the diaconate after a career as a senior field application engineer at Vector North America. A member of Holy Family Parish in Novi, he and his wife, Mary, have five adult children.
During his five years of formation, the couple began praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s daily cycle of prayer. Krueger also completed a parish internship at St. Joseph Parish in South Lyon. His assignment at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth will bring his experience in parish life and service to a new community.
2. Deacon Jeff Ostrowski — Livonia
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Jeff Ostrowski, 46, works as a senior manager of in-vehicle software at Ford Motor Company. Originally from Dearborn, he studied electrical and computer engineering at Wayne State University and is active in parish prayer and music ministries.
His service experience includes volunteering at the Pope Francis Center in Detroit, supporting St. Aloysius Neighborhood Services, and providing spiritual care at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital. He has described the diaconate as a call to place others’ needs before his own. He will serve at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Livonia.
3. Deacon Ron Potempski — Grosse Pointe Woods
Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish
Ron Potempski, 57, is an engineering manager at DCS Corporation. He described his vocation as emerging through ordinary moments of faith, including watching a deacon prepare the altar at his home parish, SS. Cyril & Methodius in Sterling Heights.
Potempski has volunteered with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, Henry Ford Health Systems, and organizations serving people experiencing addiction and mental health challenges. He hopes his ministry will extend beyond the church sanctuary into family life, workplaces, and the wider community. His assignment is Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe Woods.
4. Deacon Jim Pryce — Canton
Resurrection Parish
Jim Pryce, 64, has been involved in Catholic ministry since childhood, when he began serving at the altar at age 10. He later served as a lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and Knights of Columbus leader.
Pryce works as a lead maintenance technician at Pinnacle Management in Ann Arbor and has volunteered with a range of community organizations, including programs serving people with intellectual disabilities. His wife, Denise, is also active in parish ministry. Pryce sees his diaconal vocation as an opportunity to help wherever the parish and wider community need support. He will serve at Resurrection Parish in Canton.
What Does a Permanent Deacon Do in the Catholic Church?
Permanent deacons are ordained ministers who serve the Church through the ministries of the Word, liturgy, and charity. Their responsibilities differ from those of priests, but their work can complement parish pastoral leadership in important ways.
Their ministries may include:
- Proclaiming the Gospel: Deacons proclaim the Gospel during Mass and may preach homilies when authorized.
- Assisting at the altar: They serve in the liturgy and assist the priest during the celebration of Mass.
- Celebrating certain sacraments and rites: Deacons may baptize, witness marriages on behalf of the Church, and preside at funerals and other permitted liturgical services.
- Serving people in need: Their ministry can include visiting the sick, accompanying families, supporting charitable programs, and helping connect parishioners with community resources.
- Strengthening parish life: Through teaching, prayer, pastoral visits, and outreach, deacons help build relationships between the Church and the people it serves.
Permanent deacons may be married when ordained, as are all four men in this group. They typically balance their ministries with family responsibilities and, where applicable, secular employment. Their wives and families can play a significant role in supporting their formation and service, although the diaconal vocation belongs to the ordained man himself.
Why Their Ministries Matter for Detroit’s Catholic Communities
The four assignments arrive at a consequential time for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Parish communities are working to sustain worship, religious education, pastoral care, and charitable outreach while responding to changing participation and a shortage of priests.
Permanent deacons are not substitutes for priests, who have distinct responsibilities including celebrating the Eucharist and administering the sacrament of reconciliation. However, deacons can strengthen a parish’s capacity for preaching, liturgical service, and outreach to people who may feel disconnected from church life.
The new deacons also bring professional and community experience into their ministries. Krueger’s engineering career, Ostrowski’s technology work and charitable service, Potempski’s experience supporting vulnerable people, and Pryce’s lifelong parish involvement reflect the many ways Catholic vocations can develop through everyday life.
Their assignments also distribute ministry across four communities: Plymouth, Livonia, Grosse Pointe Woods, and Canton. Each parish will have the opportunity to welcome a new deacon and integrate his gifts into its pastoral priorities.
A Vocation Supported by Family, Prayer, and Community
The ordination ceremony underscored that the permanent diaconate is not an individual achievement alone. Years of formation involve prayer, study, discernment, and the support of families, mentors, fellow clergy, and parish communities.
In his homily, Archbishop Weisenburger emphasized diakonia, the Greek term associated with service, describing humble service as foundational to the diaconate, priesthood, and episcopacy.
The wives of the new deacons also spoke about their shared journeys. Mary Krueger described her husband’s ordination as the culmination of a hope the couple had carried for years. Marie-Louisa Potempski expressed a desire to help young people discover a relationship with Christ, while Denise Pryce reflected on the family support that made her husband’s vocation possible.
These experiences highlight an important dimension of parish life: ministry often grows through the quiet, consistent commitments of families and volunteers long before it becomes publicly visible.
For Catholics considering a vocation, the stories also demonstrate that discernment does not always follow a predictable path. A call may develop through prayer, an encounter at Mass, a conversation with a priest, or years of service within a parish.
How Parishioners Can Support Their New Deacons
As the four men begin their assignments, parishioners can help their ministries take root through practical and spiritual support.
- Pray for them and their families. The transition into ordained ministry brings new responsibilities for the deacons and those closest to them.
- Welcome them into parish life. Introductions, invitations to parish activities, and opportunities to meet ministry leaders can help build relationships.
- Share community needs. Parishioners can help identify people who may need pastoral visits, charitable assistance, or support navigating difficult circumstances.
- Participate in parish ministries. Deacons can help coordinate service and outreach, but their work is strengthened when parishioners contribute their own time and talents.
- Encourage vocational discernment. Families and parishes can support people who are exploring how God may be calling them to serve.
The Archdiocese of Detroit publishes information about clergy, parish communities, and vocations through its official website. Catholics seeking to learn more about parish ministry can also speak with their pastor or local parish leadership.
A New Chapter of Service for the Archdiocese of Detroit
The October 3 ordination marked the beginning of a new chapter for Kurt Krueger, Jeff Ostrowski, Ron Potempski, and Jim Pryce—and for the parishes they will serve.
Their backgrounds differ, but their ministries share a common purpose: to proclaim the Gospel, assist in the Church’s liturgical life, and bring Christ’s love into everyday encounters with others.
At a time when Detroit’s Catholic communities are considering how to organize parish life for the future, their arrival offers a reminder that the strength of the Church depends not only on structures and schedules, but also on people willing to serve with humility and compassion.
For Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, St. Michael the Archangel in Livonia, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse Pointe Woods, and Resurrection in Canton, the next phase begins through the ministry of these four newly ordained deacons.
Their work will unfold in Masses, parish gatherings, family visits, charitable initiatives, and the ordinary moments when someone needs guidance, prayer, or a helping hand. Those daily acts of service are at the heart of the permanent diaconate—and an essential part of the future of Catholic parish life in southeast Michigan.