Three ordinations for diocese on June 28: Permanent deacons
SALT LAKE CITY — Two men who have dedicated much of their lives to service in the Church will be ordained permanent deacons on June 28 by Bishop Oscar A. Solis at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
Odilon Jesse Ricardez moved to Utah from California in 1994. Although he completed his diaconate formation here in 2017, he was unable to be ordained at that time due to some life challenges. Nevertheless, he remained active in ministry at St. Joseph and St. Mary’s parishes.
He married later that year; he and his wife, Maria, have a combined eight children and three grandchildren. He has served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and is the coordinator for the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Joseph’s.
“My goal has been to serve in the Church in whatever capacity the Lord calls me to, and so I’ve just been waiting to see if I am going to be ordained,” he said.
For the past 13 years, Ricardez has been a funeral counselor for Lindquist Mortuary. “The reason I’m here [in the job] is because I feel somehow this is going to open the door for me for other things, and they said, ‘Anything that has to do with the Church, you have the green light to go,’ and so I accepted the job,” he said. “They’ve been extremely supportive in my work in the Church and everything that I do.”
In his work, Ricardez is able to provide comfort and share his faith, he said. “There are people that are other religions, but we still have that belief in the Lord and his goodness, and so that helps me help them.”
He is both nervous and excited for his upcoming ordination. “I’m so grateful to God for everything he has done in my life and the difficult moments,” he said. “They make me capable to help other people that are going through difficult situations.”
Ricardez looks forward to serving whatever assignment he receives as a deacon.
“Wherever the bishop calls me to, I believe that’s where the Lord is calling me to be, and even if it may not appeal to me, I know it’s for a good reason,” he said.
Juan Enrique Biaggini Galarraga took a path to the diaconate that is in some ways similar to Ricardez’s. Biaggini and his wife, Alba, served in the Church for many years in his native Venezuela, mostly working as missionaries. He went through diaconate formation there, but was not ordained before the couple emigrated to the United States in 2019. They settled first in Evanston, Wyo., where Juan’s sister lived.
As he worked in the diocese there, Biaggini communicated with diaconate officials here in the Diocese of Salt Lake City and eventually decided that he was being called to labor in Utah.
“I am sure that I was called to come here,” he said. “My good brothers here asked me to come here.”
The couple moved to Park City in 2021, and Biaggini began volunteering at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in many capacities. Earlier this year they moved to Salt Lake City, and he began preparations to be ordained as a permanent deacon.
It will be a different experience for him, he said.
“In a country like Venezuela, more than 90 percent is Catholic,” he said. “It is kind of familiar to everybody, but coming to the United States and seeing many different religions and serving the Catholic Church here, for me has been very interesting and has been very challenging, [but] I really feel that I’m called to it.”
Like Ricardez, Biaggini looks forward to serving wherever he is called.
“Wherever we need to go we will be going because I know for sure that wherever we are needed, we want to go,” he said. “I always feel that wherever in the Church we’re called, that’s where the Church needs us. But at the end, I always come to the conclusion that the one who needs to go there is me.”
Alba Biaggini is very supportive of her husband’s ministry and hopes to help him in his service, she said. “Being on the altar, teaching, serving our community, I know that he enjoyed it, and I also, I enjoy it.”
Deacon Scott Dodge, director of the diocesan Office of the Diaconate, is excited to have both men ordained.
“Given the fact that so many of our deacons are rapidly aging and aging out of ministry, the diocese is in need of more deacons,” he said.” I think the fact that both Jessie and Juan are bilingual is very helpful as well. That opens them up to a lot more service.”
As the current diaconate formation class moves forward and preparations are underway for another formation class next year, “having these two guys ordained right now is a pretty big deal for the diocese,” he added.
WHAT: Ordinations to the Priesthood and Permanent Diaconate
WHEN: June 28 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 East South Temple, Salt Lake City
All are welcome.
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