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Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Five men to be ordained deacons in May
Published: May 2, 2025
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain five seminarians to the transitional diaconate in May, which is a major step toward priestly ordination. They are Quinton Thomas, Duwan Booker, Joseph Minh Phong Nguyen, Tuan Do and Christopher Elser. These men attend St. Meinrad Seminary, in St. Meinrad, Indiana, in preparation for priestly ordination for the Diocese of Little Rock in 2026. All are invited to attend these events.
Quinton Thomas
The diaconate ordination Mass for Quinton Thomas will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro. A reception will follow in the parish hall. A holy hour will precede the ordination at 4 p.m. During this time of eucharistic adoration and vespers, prayers will be offered for him and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Thomas, 25, is the son of Delbert Thomas and Dr. Suzanne Throesch of Jonesboro. Thomas will serve his first Masses as a deacon and preach his first homily at Blessed Sacrament Church during the 4:30 p.m. English Mass Saturday, May 17 and the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. English Masses and noon Spanish Mass on Sunday, May 18. He will serve as deacon at St. Theresa Church in Little Rock for the summer 2025. To learn more about him, read his vocation story.
Duwan Booker
The diaconate ordination Mass for Duwan Booker will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. A reception will follow in McDonald hall. A holy hour will precede the ordination at 4 p.m. During this time of eucharistic adoration and vespers, prayers will be offered for him and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Booker, 28, is the son of LaDarius and NaKeisha Chambers of Fort Worth, Texas. Booker will serve his first Mass as a deacon and preach his first homily at the 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, May 18 at St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock. He will serve as deacon at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village, Holy Cross Church in Crossett and Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg for the summer 2025. To learn more about him, read his vocation story.
Joseph Nguyen and Tuan Do
The diaconate ordination Mass for Joseph Minh Phong Nguyen and Tuan Khac Anh Do will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock. A reception will follow in the parish hall.
A holy hour will precede the ordination at 4 p.m. During this time of eucharistic adoration and vespers, prayers will be offered for them and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Nguyen, 29, is the son of Phong Van and Lan Thi Nguyen of McKinney, Texas. He will serve his first Mass as a deacon and preach his first homily at the 10 a.m. Vietnamese Mass Sunday, May 25 at St. Patrick Church. He will serve as deacon at Christ the King Church in Fort Smith for the summer 2025. To learn more, read his vocation story
Do, 29, is the son of Thu Khac Do and Suong Thi Nguyen of Vietnam. He will serve his first Mass as a deacon and preach his first homily at the 4 p.m. English Mass Saturday, May 24 and the 8:30 a.m. English Mass Sunday, May 25 at St. Patrick Church. He will serve as deacon at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro for the summer 2025. To learn more, read his vocation story.
Christopher Elser
The diaconate ordination Mass for Christopher Elser will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 24 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. A reception will follow in the parish hall. A holy hour will precede the ordination at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 23. During this time of eucharistic adoration and vespers, prayers will be offered for him and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Elser, 25, is the son of Angie Elser and Dr. Joseph Elser, both of Little Rock. Elser will serve his first Mass as a deacon and preach his first homily at the 10 a.m. Mass Sunday, May 25 at Christ the King Church. He will serve as deacon at St. Mary Church in Batesville and St. Cecilia Church in Newport for the summer 2025. To learn more about him, read his vocation story.
There will also be an ordination to the priesthood in May. To learn more, see the complete schedule of events, or email Georgina Peña in the Vocations and Seminarians Office, or call her at (501) 664-0340, ext 353.
To learn more about our seminarians, visit the seminarian directory. Read a vocation story for a seminarian by clicking on their photo. If you or someone you know thinks he might be called to priesthood, email Father Jeff Hebert, vocations director, or call him at (501) 664-0340, ext. 331.
