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 Matt Bohleber hopes that in his role as an ordained deacon, he can help parishioners “get past some of those stumbling blocks” and assist them in deepening their faith.
Deacon Bohleber is one of 16 men who were ordained to the permanent diaconate Aug. 8 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. Deacon Bohleber is assigned to St. Philip Parish in Posey County, which is his home parish.
Deacon Bohleber recalls in 2015, he was “real stressed out,” adding it was a really tough time. During this time, Deacon Bohleber said, he was looking for change. He credits a 2018 men’s welcome retreat at St. Philip he attended after initially resisting it. The welcome retreat was life-changing, he said.
“(It was) only after I did the welcome retreat that I started to really get things together and started to understand my place in God’s plan, which was I’m not in control,” Deacon Bohleber said. “I do the best I can with the gifts he’s given me. But I can’t be anxious about everything because he’s ultimately the one that’s in control of things.”
Deacon Bohleber also credits a 2020 Cursillo retreat, which he said “was another big jump.” He then became more involved at St. Philip Parish, which started as serving as a lector. He was also asked to be an Order of Christian Initiation of Adults sponsor, which he believes was another call from God to give up his time on a Sunday morning to spend with his friend and help with the OCIA process. Deacon Bohleber also got involved in the parish as a sacristan.
Deacon Bohleber felt like through Deacon Charlie Koressel and others at St. Philip Parish, the Holy Spirit was using them to pull him in. Deacon Bohleber and his wife, Amanda, were becoming more and more immersed in activity there, he said.
In October of 2021, Deacon Koressel handed Deacon Bohleber an application for the upcoming 2026 permanent diaconate class. Deacon Bohleber said he had never thought about the permanent diaconate, and after talking to his wife, it seemed like a foreign idea. As they continued to discuss the permanent diaconate and Deacon Bohleber had an interest in it, a job opened up as the director of parish operations at St. Philip, a role Deacon Bohleber still holds today.
“I really felt like this is where God’s leading me because I have an interest in this deacon formation … I’m like God’s offering this new position. And I’m like OK, so if I take this position, then I have all the things I need to free up some time and flexibility for my diaconate formation. And my wife and I talked about it and we agreed. And I said OK, I think we can do this,” Deacon Bohleber said.
In a July interview, Deacon Bohleber said he is looking forward to continuing his role at the parish as director of operations. He is also assigned to the parish he has been a member of his whole life. He also attended St. Philip School through eighth grade.
Looking ahead to the August ordination, Deacon Bohleber said he is looking forward to helping people grow in their faith.
“I’m happy to be assigned here,” Deacon Bohleber said. “It has been my lifelong parish. I think it’ll help because I know a lot of the people and I know I’m hoping that I can help them get past some of those stumbling blocks and just start deepening their faith. Because it made my life just so much better.”