Deacon Charlie Ruelas

Charlie Ruelas was ordained as a Deacon in February 2013, four months after joining the Knights. He was assigned to Holy Spirit, a pleasant surprise given the presence of Deacons Al Evans and Paul Wood (also Knights) at the time. Charlie became intrigued by the Deaconate while attending Santa Clara in Oak Cliff, and his initial application in the mid-1990s – when the children were in school – was denied. Charlie said he prayed about it and, six years ago, was accepted on his second attempt. “God works in mysterious ways,” he said.

Charlie and Kathy met when Kathy and Charlie’s younger sister, Sonja, were friends at Sunset High in Oak Cliff. They crossed paths again years later when Charlie’s work took him to Kathy’s office. Charlie then attended DeVry and works for Fort Worth based AT&T as a network technician. They have three grown children and six grandchildren. The Ruelas family lives in Cedar Hill, and they’ve been Holy Spirit parishioners since 2006.

The diocese’s ceasing of weekly Mass dispensation during Covid shutdowns moved us to another chapter of Catholic life during the pandemic. The Ruelas family has experienced it in a way different from most of us. Deacon Charlie said ministering to the Holy Spirit community under the various protocols has “definitely been a challenge … as a deacon, I’ve been able to see a wide range of emotions.” He said many Catholics in the United States have gained a new appreciation for what we have here. “I’ve been to Honduras, where you have two 70-year-old Jesuit priests trying to take care of 30,000 people spread out over villages in the jungle. You get to see a priest maybe once a year.” His appreciation of his parish grows.