Meet Deacon Dennis Holbrook

Hello! I am Deacon Dennis Holbrook. My wife, Pat, and I feel so blessed to serve here at St. Francis Solanus Parish.

I was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1959 to a father who spent most of his adult life in the Air Force and a mother who taught me the power of the Rosary. Pat and I have been married for 39 years and are parents to three beautiful girls: Nicole Costigan, married to Jason; Liz Gengenbacher, married to Rob; and Allison, who went home to be with God 4 years ago on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. I am the proud grandfather to Jack and Molly Costigan, and to Thea and Alex Gengenbacher (I spoil them whenever possible).

I heard the call to the Diaconate well over 10 years ago during a parish mission here at St. Francis Church given by Deacon Glenn Harmon. Our own Fr. Michael Berndt also heard his call to the priesthood during the same mission. Truly the power of the Holy Spirit filled our church walls those 3 evenings! I spent 6 years in diaconate formation and learned a lot from our instructors from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. I have to be honest with you...l really look forward to not having to write 10-12 page papers for our instructors every month...but now I'm writing homilies! God is in control, not me!

I was ordained June 26th of this year with 5 of my classmates at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. People would ask me after ordination how I felt. I would tell them "It is pure joy!" I felt a change in me like nothing I had ever felt before and that joy continues to envelop me. A few weeks ago, I was blessed to have the opportunity to baptize two babies. The happiness I felt on my ordination day could only compare to the joy of being baptized! What else could bring us more joy than to become a child of God! Ordination was wonderful...but nothing in the world compares to baptism and the Universal Call to Holiness that embraces each of us, the faithful!