By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
Editor’s Note: Over the past few months, we conducted interviews with the newly ordained permanent deacons shortly before or shortly after the Aug. 8 ordination. Over the next few months, we will publish stories in The Message in the order the interviews were conducted. We will also post video from our interviews on our Facebook and YouTube pages.
Deacon Brian Ketzner said during daily time before the Eucharist in the adoration chapel, he started hearing the call that “you need to take this forward.”
Deacon Ketzner is one of 16 men who were ordained to the permanent diaconate during the Rite of Ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacon Aug. 8 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. Deacon Ketzner is one of two deacons ordained in 2026 who were assigned to Precious Blood Parish in Jasper. Deacon Doug Ackerman is also assigned to Precious Blood in Jasper.
Deacon Ketzner said growing up, it was not a question of if he was going to Mass but which Mass they were attending.
“It was a heavy influence,” Deacon Ketzner said. “I had an uncle that was a Franciscan priest and friends of the family that were priests as well … And so seeing them as normal people outside the church and recognizing they weren’t something scary. It was always encouragement from the Catholic faith absolute.”
Deacon Ketzner said in 2000, he made a Cursillo, which he says is “really what throttled it up for me.” He said 20 years strong with that and under some spiritual direction, it was recommended he may want to consider the permanent diaconate.
“It just kind of took me back for a minute,” Deacon Ketzner said. “I’m like you know what, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. And so it was during that time of Covid and asceticisms of daily time before the Eucharist in the adoration chapel. And I just really started hearing that call to say you need to take this forward. And so I jumped into the classes that fall and here we are.”
Deacon Ketzner said throughout the four years of permanent diaconate preparation, the men who were ordained in August to the permanent diaconate were discerning but were also solidifying where they were in that process. He said through the four years of preparation, the newly ordained permanent deacons have grown very tight as a group.
In a July 6 interview leading up to the August permanent diaconate ordination, Deacon Ketzner said he was looking forward to the opportunity to be on the altar and assist with the pieces of the Mass. He noted the Mass is “the culmination of all of it.”
In July, Deacon Ketzner said the prospect of being ordained a deacon was becoming very real.
“Emotionally, it’s just so fulfilling,” Deacon Ketzner said. “I’m ready to absorb it all. And our time with the bishop, with our conference in June as well, just really kind of settling in of this is it, we’re here. And looking very forward to it.”
Like a large number of his fellow newly ordained permanent deacons, Deacon Ketzner is assigned to the parish he was a member of prior to ordination. Originally from Ferdinand, Deacon Ketzner has been a member of Precious Blood “going on 39 years.”
“The familiarity that we are a part of them, a part of the parish, a part of the church, I think it gives us some credibility to be able to reach out and maybe go a little bit deeper than somebody who’s not familiar with the area, with the parish,” Deacon Ketzner said.
Deacon Ketzner said he and Deacon Ackerman will be able to feed off each other and get some ideas as they are learning how to engage in certain things at the parish.
“He and I are going to be serving in different areas just based on who we are,” Deacon Ketzner said. “And it gives the parishioners an opportunity as well to not necessarily favor one over the other. But that diversity that we bring together to the parish says that we can possibly touch more people. And so looking forward to years of serving together. So it’s going to be a good fit. It’s going to work well.”