by Kara Hansen
Special to The Leaven
Dave Gaumer was doing ministry in his parish years before he was ever a Catholic.
Raised Methodist, Gaumer married a Catholic, but agreed to attend Mass together once they were married.
“I was Christian, and it didn’t matter to me which church we attended,” said Gaumer. “So I went and sang in the choir and was asked to do various things in the parish until I was asked to be a eucharistic minister. I had to say, ‘No, I can’t, because I’m not Catholic.’ And the question I was asked was, ‘Well, why not?’”
The question — paired with attending and falling in love with the Mass over the years — forced Gaumer to ask some questions himself and to do some studying.
“I came to realize this is the true faith and how Christianity was meant to be practiced from the beginning,” he said.
Gaumer entered the church in 1996. He was around several different deacons whose ministry prompted him to further consider the diaconate.
“I really started to think this was something I wanted to pursue and, when I retired from the Army, I planned to look into it,” said Gaumer.
When the first class for diaconate formation opened up in the archdiocese, it was an ideal opportunity for Gaumer.
“I have always enjoyed helping others, especially teaching the faith and sharing it with others,” said Gaumer. “I’m really looking forward to the service aspects of the diaconate.”
Profile
Name: David “Dave” R. Gaumer Jr.
Parish: St. Francis de Sales, Lansing
Age: 50
Family members and ages: wife, Lisa; son, Patrick, 14.
Occupation: training program manager, Department of the Army Civilian
Favorite food: My wife’s “gooey butter cake”
What I’m looking forward to most about being a deacon: The opportunity to serve the people of God as an ordained minister of the church.
Something people might be surprised to learn about me: I’ve been to 19 different countries around the world.
Favorite saint: St. Stephen, because he was one of the first deacons of the church and the first martyr.
If I could visit a period of church history, it would be: the apostolic era, the very beginnings of the church.
Favorite book (nonreligious): Anything by Clive Cussler Hobbies: helping coach sports; reading, especially action mysteries/history
