JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ, 43, said he had his own plans, “but I told the Lord, if you want me to be a deacon, show me the way, and he did so, because every year (in the formation process) he reaffirmed that was the way through the scrutiny,” an evaluation of his formation with diaconate program leaders. A truck driver for Guillen Trucking in St. Paul, Alvarado was already serving his parish, Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis, when he learned about the diaconate vocation and decided to discern it himself. Formation was challenging, he said, because, as an immigrant from El Salvador, English is his second language. But he persevered, and the language barrier lessened over time. His aim is to “help people to draw close to God, configured in Christ the servant,” he said, especially through sharing the Church’s teachings through catechism and evangelization. He and his wife, Marlene Rodriguez Batres, have three adult children — Aricela, Marlon and Antonio — and four grandchildren. He said his family will support him “morally and spiritually through prayer and collaborating in whatever is necessary.” He especially looks to two saints as models — St. Therese of Lisieux, “because she considers herself a small soul that needs a lot of help; I identify with her.” And St. Teresa of Kolkata, “for serving those most in need. I want to follow her example,” he said. “I want to offer my life in service to the Church, in order to collaborate with the mission of the Church in the world.” Formation for the diaconate has been rewarding “since I have grown more as a person and my spiritual life has taken a considerable turn towards the knowledge of the divine,” Rodriquez said. As to advice for others who might be discerning the diaconate, he suggests that they “bring all concern to prayer and be attentive to the call of God that sometimes comes through someone in the parish, or a direct and deep touch to the heart.” Among needs of the Church are spiritual support in the different life circumstances of the growing Spanish-speaking community, he said.