By Alison Bradish
Deacon Arron Polk sensed a call to the permanent Diaconate a few years after he moved his family to Regina from British Columbia.
Polk, who is married to Lisa and has two daughters, recalls being drawn back into music ministry while attending Resurrection Parish.
Then another tug to ministry started to take shape for the Virden, Manitoba native. Thoughts about becoming a Deacon.
He discussed the recurring thoughts with his parish priest who encouraged him to continue to pray and reflect on the idea.
At the time he felt this strong calling there was no permanent Diaconate program offered in the area.
Polk was torn about what action to take. He wondered if God were asking him to move his family to another location so he could take the courses he needed. Not an easy decision considering his family had come to love the community of Regina.
After much thought, he, and a friend (now also an ordained Deacon), approached a priest in the Archdiocese and said they would be willing to drive to Edmonton once a month to pursue studies for the permanent Diaconate if the Archbishop agreed.
The priest asked them to hold off as the Archdiocese was in the process of putting a program together. Polk felt consolation about his path at that point.
“It was almost like we had to commit, and then once we committed things started to happen. Until we committed nothing was in place,” says Polk remembering how awed he was that what he was seeking out would be offered locally.
Deacon Polk was not the only man in the Archdiocese of Regina feeling called to greater service. Polk was ordained to the permanent Diaconate with eight other men June 23, 2018.
As a Deacon he serves the parishes in Fort Qu’Appelle, Lebret, Balcarres and Peepeekisis.
He also serves in prison ministry with the group FOTO (Friends On The Outside). He started helping with this ministry prior to his ordination.
“We would break open the Gospel, share, do some guided meditation, I’d play a song….do a bit of praise and worship and do some intercessory prayer,” says Polk about visiting the jail.
Prior to Covid-19 pandemic the group would visit weekly based on a six-week program that would be repeated throughout the year.
“The most peaceful time of my week was in the room with those guys, sitting there, just listening there in silence and having them share. The Spirit was thick in terms of peace. A lot of the guys (inmates) would come just for the quiet, the peace, because they don’t get it in their cells because there is a lot of yelling and banging,” says Polk.
A variety of reasons would bring inmates to the jail chapel when Polk and others from FOTO would visit.
“There are some who just want out of their cell, there are some who are on fire for their faith because they read their Bible all day long. It’s voluntary but there would be anywhere from a dozen to 24 who would participate,” says Polk.
FOTO members give out a pamphlet with the the contact information for the group for those inmates who wish to contact them for fellowship and support after their release from the correctional centre.
He says the men they visit are hungry for human contact and a relationship that does not ask anything of them.
“We are just there to share and hear what they are going through and to pray with them for what they want to pray for, their families, their Kookums, their Mooshums, their girlfriends, their kids. Their families are what concerns them. They want to pray for work when they get out. They pray that they can stay straight, off their addictions. It’s a calm and peaceful experience when you are in the room with them.”
FOTO is made up of a wide range of community members including professors, deacons, parishioners, spiritual directors, religious, university students, parents of those who are incarcerated and former inmates. They meet once a week at restaurant.
Due to Covid-19 now weekly group visits include dropping off cards or coffee at the halfway house for federal inmates or the homes of members readjusting to life in the community after their sentence. Phone calls and doorway visits help them keep connected.
“Were all a type of mistake away from being in the justice system. Depending on the mistake you make you might end up in the court system,” says Polk reflecting on prison ministry and how those behind bars may be viewed by others.
“Someone once told me, ‘Like it or not 90 per cent of people in jail are going to be released back into your community. So, would you like them to be supported once they are released into your community or unsupported?’ That has sort of stuck with me,” says Polk.
Recently FOTO dropped off 250 rosaries at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre. The group can no longer offer its ministry within the jail system due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Polk also belongs to the Archdiocese of Regina’s ANARC group (Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal Relations Community). This community intentionally sets up out to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together. Once a month they have a potluck and a sharing circle.
Asked what the communities he serves need most right now he said, “You can never have too many people celebrating or building relationships with other people. I think that’s how healing is distributed. And it is not only healing for someone else [the receiver], but the people also who go out to others find themselves being healed as well. It’s a win-win all around.”
Alison Bradish lives in Moose Jaw with her husband and two children. They attend St. Joseph’s Parish. She earned Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at the University of Regina. She is naturally curious about local and world events. She writes from her home where she strives to bloom where she is planted. She often feels pulled to the topics of religion, education and politics.
