The Most Rev. Robert D. Gruss, Bishop of Saginaw, has appointed Deacon Andrew Waligorski to serve as director of the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Saginaw. Deacon Waligorski will begin his 3-year term of service on July 1. He has served at Holy Family Parish in Sandusky, Michigan since being ordained a permanent deacon in 2021, and currently works as a clinical system analyst at Aspire Rural Health Care. He and his wife, Sarah, are blessed with six children.
“I am both humbled and excited to be appointed by Bishop Gruss to this new role of service for our diocese,” said Deacon Waligorski. He is succeeding Deacon Stanley Kuczynski who has served as director of the permanent diaconate since 2022.
As director of the permanent diaconate, Deacon Waligorski will support the permanent deacons of the diocese, as well as their spouses and the widows of deceased deacons. He will also collaborate with Dr. Dan Osborn, coordinator of permanent diaconate formation and ministry, in developing, planning and overseeing ongoing formation and initiatives that meet the needs of the permanent deacons in the Diocese of Saginaw, as well as the formation of men preparing for diaconal ordination.
Bishop Gruss said, “I am grateful to Deacon Waligorski for his willingness to serve in this capacity, and to Deacon Kuczynski who has generously served as director of the permanent diaconate. Our diocese is truly blessed by these two deacons who follow Jesus’ example of wanting to serve rather than be served.”
“It will be a joy to serve alongside Deacon Waligorski, just as it has been a gift to collaborate with Deacon Kuczynski over the past three years,” Dr. Osborn added.
The Diocese of Saginaw currently has 21 permanent deacons, and the number will grow to 28 on June 27 when Bishop Gruss is set to ordain seven new men to the permanent diaconate. Married or single men who sense that God may be calling them to serve as a permanent deacon should e-mail [email protected] or call the Office of the Permanent Diaconate at 989.797.6662. Learn more about the permanent deacon formation program here: https://saginaw.org/deacons
