A life for others

While the Catholic Church calls men to be priests to shepherd the flock that was entrusted to them by Christ, other men are also called to do Jesus’ will in order to bring about His kingdom in other areas. One other area is that of the permanent deaconate where deacons assist parish priests in the day-to-day business such as serving at mass, conducting weddings and funerals, and visiting the sick.
A native parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Ville Platte heard this higher calling to become a deacon and recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination.
“It feels the same now as it did back then,” said Deacon Chuck Ortego. “It’s like being married for 25 years. It’s just life.”
Being a deacon is where Ortego said he finds satisfaction. “This fulfills my life by being able to be of service for someone else,” he commented. “As a permanent deacon, I can do things that I couldn’t do as a regular person. I’ve done wake services for people, and that’s one of my favorite things to do because I get to be with people in a moment when their lives are changing.”
The idea of service is not foreign to Ortego because of the example of his father Van. “Service has always been a big thing for me and my family,” he said. “My dad was big here at Sacred Heart and was into all kinds of things service wise, so that part of the Church appealed to me to serve Christ through His people.”
Ortego heard the call to be a witness for God while he was raising a family and working at a parts house. “I first came to work in Ville Platte at Pitre Ford, and then I left and went work in Eunice at the Pontiac place as a parts man,” he said. “I did that for six years and then moved to the parts house.”
“Then, in that time, I had a child who was born sick and had real health issues,” he continued. “That’s when I decided God was calling me. When you get in a bind like that and when you have a threat of losing someone, you’re looking for help. That’s what I was doing. In all of that, God called me out of living a life for myself and into living a life for others.”
His ordination as a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Lafayette was a special moment in not only his life but also in his father’s. Ortego said, “I saw my dad cry twice. The first was when my little brother, who was 13-years-old, was killed in an accident. He cried at the funeral, and I saw him cry at my ordination. It touched him in a very special way.”
After his ordination, Ortego was first assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chataignier where he stayed for about a year before going to Our Lady of Mercy in Opelousas. “I left (Opelousas) and went to Eunice at St. Anthony’s for a better part of 14 years,” said the Ville Platte native. “That’s where I met Father Tom (Voorhies), and then he asked me to go to Duralde. I was there for four years, went to Mamou for three years, and then I came home.”
Ortego currently serves as a deacon at Sacred Heart in Ville Platte on Thursday mornings with his old friend Fr. Voorhies.
In all of the places where he was assigned, Ortego served as a part-time deacon. “Some people who are deacons work for the church to pay their bills and feed their families,” he stated. “I never did want to do that. Thank God I was able to have a job where I didn’t have to do that.”
He added, “My time is mine. I’m a straight commission salesman. If I decide to take off one morning, I can do that without asking anybody. If I need to go do a funeral, I can take off from work and go do the funeral. I have that flexibility. Some places need a deacon who will be there all of the time, but that’s bigger parishes.”
Being a part-time deacon has also allowed Ortego to connect more with the parishioners. “I’ve been in five different places, and, in all the places I’ve ever been, the people are still held in my heart,” he expressed. “They’re very special to me. They are more than friends; they are family.”
While Ortego’s connection with the people, has remained constant, the role of the deaconate is ever changing. “The biggest change in the deaconate is that it’s finding it’s way,” he explained. “It’s evolving into something that the Church needs. Bishop (Gerald) Frey told us one time that the Church does not ordain a man just to ordain him. There has to be a need, and that’s what the deaconate is right now. We are a need. Not every diocese ordains seven priests every year like we did this year.”
Ortego’s 25th anniversary also has him looking to the future. As he said, “Hopefully, the future will be years of more service, continued growth in my spiritual life, and just helping. I love the deaconate, I love service, I love being with people, and I love sitting and talking to people because I’m a people person. I can’t understand why everybody doesn’t want to be a deacon because there’s so much work that can be done.”
He concluded, “So, I figure if I’m just a jackass that carries Jesus around, then it’s not a bad job. I’ll take it all day long.”