Family of the Month – June 2013

17
Jun

Deacon Charlie Ruelas and Katherine

Deacon Charlie was ordained in February and soon discovered that even six years of comprehensive training still left some aspects of his responsibilities to be learned on the job. “It wasn’t until after I was ordained that I sat down and thought about the responsibility that I have, not just leading the community but being there for their spiritual needs,” he said. “I’ve had several instances where parishioners have come to me for that spiritual assistance. That’s one thing that you can’t really prepare for until you actually experience that on a one-to-one basis.” While trained to perform baptisms, he faced the challenging assignment of an emergency baptism for a 6-month-old in ICU. “It was very intense and gratifying to be able to do that,” Charlie said. “The child did end up recovering and go home.” The diaconate training emphasizes the commitment is made by both the individual and his family. Katherine works as a teacher’s aide at St. Rita parish school in north Dallas. They live in Cedar Hill, have three children in their 20s and three grandchildren. “They taught us to keep a balance,” said Charlie, who works for AT&T in Fort Worth. “Know when to say no is a good way to put it.”