Deacon Mark Erste ’86

Deacon Mark Erste ’86 has always heard it’s best to retire “to” rather than “from” something.

So, when he retired from Franciscan University in December after 36 years—24 as director of Institutional Research, 6 as registrar, and 6 in admissions—he knew what he would “retire to.”

Deacon Mark is devoting as much time as possible to the Institute for Diaconal Renewal, which seeks to renew the spiritual lives of deacons by serving directors of deacon formation and their associates. The institute’s initial focus is leading silent directed retreats, which provide participants with an introduction to the interior life and a deeper experience of God.

“The experience of retreat attendees has been life-changing,” he says, “and we plan to expand our offerings to directors and all deacons in the near future.”

Deacon Mark co-directs the institute, serves as director of diaconal ministries for the Diocese of Steubenville, and is a part-time deacon at Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes in Wintersville, Ohio.

Ordained in 2012, he first felt called to the diaconate in high school when he heard a talk about a new diaconate program in the Diocese of Cleveland. When a program began in the Steubenville diocese in 2009, he was admitted to the first class.

Being a deacon, he says, has brought order to his life because he has been able to let go of many things he was doing and let the Lord lead.

“As a consequence,” he says, “I spend more time with my wife than I did before I was ordained because I am working on the Lord’s schedule, not my own.”

He met his wife, Martina (Schmelzer ’87), at Franciscan, where he received both a master’s degree in theology and Christian ministry in 1986 and an MBA in 1997. The Erstes have two sons, Mark, Jr. ’13 and Benjamin ’17. Mark, Jr., also received a master’s degree from Franciscan in 2014.

Deacon Mark believes the Church does not yet have a vision for what the diaconate could look like and that its potential hasn’t been realized. He is convinced that once deacons experience intimacy with the Lord and start living and preaching it and using it in their own ministry, they will help ignite a fire in others.

“The whole idea is exciting to me. If you set these men on fire, they can spread that fire to others. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.”