ADELMO GRACIA, 59, first heard the call to a religious vocation after a prayer group meeting when he was 18. “I escaped as far as possible like the prophet Jonah; however, unlike them, (I also escaped) from the mission and the calling,” he said. Years after marrying his wife, Yadira, he encountered a deacon, and their conversation “reminded me of my fears year back and how I did not respond well,” he said. That deacon invited him to consider the diaconate, but Gracia shelved the idea under the guise of already having “too many commitments.” A decade later, his mother asked him the same question: Have you considered becoming a deacon? Again, he said he was too busy, and continued to put off the idea. But, after a men’s retreat, he began to get deeply involved in his parish, Assumption in Richfield, especially in a retreat ministry and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. One day, Yadira’s best friend asked if he had considered the diaconate. “I thought, I better do something about it; this is the third time the Lord is calling,” said Gracia. He enrolled in the Archbishop Flynn Catechetical Institute at The St. Paul Seminary and then the “lengthy” diaconate application process, followed by five years of formation and discernment. An electrician at Trystar in Faribault with more than 20 years in the construction industry, the Burnsville resident and Colombia native said that his work has led to encounters with people from various backgrounds and beliefs who have shared their hopes and griefs. “I invite them to see a different way of life,” Gracia said. “Although not without trials, it is a compelling and beautiful journey to bring other men to Christ. Not all received it well. However, it is always invigorating to work with men.” He is most interested in corrections ministry, he said. “The person in these circumstances is a dismantled man whose identity has been stolen and become dull, trivial, sometimes even immoral due to his shallowness,” he said. However, “the summary of one’s mistakes do not define who one is. … I would like to invite him into this new life and facilitate the encounter with the God of second chances, who will restore his identity and dignity.” The Gracias have two adult children, Adelmo Jr. and Mariajose.