By Alison Bradish
Deacon Lamont Dyck is sitting in his office that looks messy, and has a couch that has probably been there since the 70’s. The walls are littered with pictures of Icons and hanging in the centre of one wall is huge stone Rosary. There are at least two bookcases overflowing with books.
Throughout the interview, Deacon Lamont displays with candour how to be a good soldier but also how to walk to the tune of his own drum. As he answers questions, he covers topics from obedience to understanding what it means to love people as they are. The conversation can be as varied as the homilies he gives at St. Joseph’s Church in Moose Jaw. Most parishioners there will have heard him speak openly from the pulpit about his own experiences living out the faith while weaving in subjects such as prayer, making time for family, Cardinal Zen and Catholic social justice.
He is in his forties, making him the youngest Deacon in the diocese and the only Deacon with a young child. He and his wife Katherine, have a nine-year-old daughter, Seraphina. Together they have been part of the St. Joseph’s community for over a decade. Deacon Lamont was born and raised in Moose Jaw and was a parishioner at Church of Our Lady. Growing up he had a great rapport with the Redemptorists priests, and he took advantage of spending time with a priest one afternoon a week, something which was promoted at Vanier Collegiate when he went to school. After graduation he attended the University of Saskatchewan where he studied philosophy and lived with a group of priests. Although he had strong sense of religious vocation, it was when he heard a priest describe the role of the laity in the life of the church that he realized he wanted to be part of that. During his years in Saskatoon he also met his wife, Katherine.
Asked if he always knew he wanted to become a Deacon, he replies, “I always had an apostolic impulse to work in the parish.” However, the journey to the permanent Deaconate would be a long one. After completing his studies in Saskatoon, he lived in Kindersley, where he worked for the parish there. “At that time, the community was without a priest for quite a few weeks and I started to read a lot about the permanent Deaconate during my time there,” he said. Later he would ask Bishop Albert LeGatt if there would be any chance of the permanent deaconate being established in the diocese of Saskatoon. During that time, the answer was “probably not”. This answer propelled Deacon Lamont to ponder another employment offer from a local technical college when he received a phone call from Fr. Alex Osei, who was then pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Moose Jaw. Fr. Alex asked Deacon Lamont if he would be interested in returning to Moose Jaw to work as a pastoral assistant. Deacon Lamont gave a definitive yes as he was eager to return to his home community and more so upon hearing the Archdiocese of Regina was open to the permanent Deaconate.
Asked what his ministry as a Deacon is outside of the church, he responds, “Basically what I try to do is meet people as persons. And in that, I share my brokenness, my failings in order to experience the love of Christ that is for all of us. How I do that I go to schools, I just finished Epiphany chalking with all the schools, I go to A&W once a month and I go to just sit there and be with people and talk. I go on hospital visits. I also try to be open to, and be hospitable to anyone walking in my door, to have that time and space to allow these things to happen,” says Deacon Lamont.
“I try to meet people outside of even their own choices and try to be there meeting their unique experience as a human being. I think it’s tough in our day and age, because when I give people the freedom to do that there’s been times in my life where the people themselves want me to put them back in that box. They want to be defined by all these things that I think ultimately dehumanizes them. But we live in a world where that sort of identity is so ingrained that I have to be affiliated with something outside of myself that doesn’t give me any life,” says Deacon Lamont trying to describe what he calls his main ministry
His formal ministry is going to Providence Place, a care home for seniors, twice a week and on Wednesdays he assists with Mass and the homily. Through his time at Providence Place he has journeyed with many people and even helped one staff member enter the Church. Often his daughter has come with him to visit residents, and he says it is incredible to watch how she interacts with the residents, her “friends”.
Another Ministry within the church that Deacon Lamont, Katherine and Seraphina host once a month is the Family Feast. For the last few years they have invited parishioners to come for a talk, prayer and then they serve a meal. There’s no requirement to bring anything. Although these gathering are often small, Deacon Lamont believes they are important, offering a space where people can truly be themselves and connect with others who are striving to live the faith. “It’s actually been an anchor to a lot of what I’ve been doing just because I think there is explicit fruits of the work that is being done in the parish. There is always this idea of welcoming. We’ve had a diverse group of people come in and out of this group, and overall every time people have done that they’ve come back to me and said, ‘Wow, you guys are really welcoming.’….that’s a testimony of everyone’s faith there,” says Deacon Lamont.
Deacon Lamont was one of nine men who were ordained permanent Deacons for the Archdiocese of Regina in June 15th, 2018. There are currently 12 permanent Deacons serving in the Archdiocese of Regina.
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.
