COLUMBIA—Mark S. Good was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone on May 20 at St. Joseph Church in Columbia.
Deacon Good, a native of New Jersey who grew up in North Carolina, has been preparing for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
He will spend the summer ministering at St. Theresa The Little Flower Church in Summerville.
“Mark has committed himself to service in the church, and this is a day of great joy for his family and all of us in the Diocese of Charleston,” Bishop Guglielmone said. “We thank God for the wonderful gift of this deacon.”
The bishop reflected on the fact that May 20 was the feast day of St. Bernardine of Siena, a Franciscan priest and missionary known for elegant preaching.
He urged Deacon Good to follow the saint’s example as he begins a life of spreading the Gospel and preaching to others.
“You have been chosen to go forward and proclaim the Gospel message,” the bishop said. “Your intimacy with Christ will make it possible to travel your journey without a troubled heart … this ministry is not about you, but about Jesus Christ. Pray well and work well.”
Deacon Good graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received a law degree from Memphis State University. He practiced corporate law for several years before pursuing a vocation.
At a reception held afterward, Deacon Good said it was special to be ordained at St. Joseph because other churches named after the saint have been the sites of important moments in life, including baptism.
“I’m a little overwhelmed by this,” he said. “The past five years have been a little like a roller coaster ride, from beginning pre-theology to this point. Now I feel like I’m just about at the top of the hill, and in just another year the ride is going to be over and it will be time to get to the work of the priesthood.”
He was especially happy that Father Ronald J. Farrell, pastor of St. Mary Our Lady of Ransom Church in Georgetown, and other members of that parish attended. Deacon Good served there during the summer of 2010.
“I am overwhelmed,” said his mother, Elizabeth Good. “It’s hard to put into words the feeling you have when one of your children has answered God’s call. Peter and I are so blessed and are beyond thrilled.”
Peter Good, the new deacon’s father, reflected on his son’s path.
“He was working in the legal field, and now he’s going to be working with God’s law,” Mr. Good said.
Elizabeth Queen, his sister, said it was an amazing experience to watch her brother’s ordination to the diaconate.
“He’s always been a fabulous brother, and we think as a priest he’ll be even better,” she said. “We’ve always known he was a wonderful person, and now everybody will get to know him.”