Craig Wood

Deacon

dcn.craig.woodholycrosswi.org

By Ellen G. Krenke
For almost 30 years, Craig Wood has contemplated religious life.
“I felt the calling of the Holy Spirit a number of times,” said Wood, who is in his third year of formation to the permanent diaconate. “Like Mary, I am finally saying yes, be it done according to thy word … and things have just fallen into place.”
At a ceremony on Sept. 3, 2019, Wood was admitted as a candidate to the permanent diaconate by Bishop Donald J. Hying of the Diocese of Madison.
“Thank you for saying yes to the Lord,” Hying said during the ceremony. “Making yourself available and bringing yourself forward not just for yourself, but in loving response to God’s call, to God’s invitation to this vocation and ministry.”
Wood is originally from Wisconsin, but was raised in Glendale, Calif., where he graduated with a radio and television broadcasting and film degree from California State University in Los Angeles. He worked for several years in radio in Ventura and Riverside counties.
If you ever heard him as a lector here at St. Bernard, you immediately notice his booming voice.
“All I wanted to be was a radio air personality,” said Wood, who is now an engineer for the local CBS affiliate. “But I realized that a lot of them have that voice … it is quite a business.”
In 1982, Wood met his wife, Jane, who was visiting California from Wisconsin. And after a long-distance courtship, they decided that he would move to Wisconsin. The couple married here at St. Bernard Parish in 1985 with Fr. Pat Higgins officiating.
“I found a real good home here,” he said.
After he got married, Wood said the idea of entering the permanent diaconate came to him.
“I thought about the priesthood and religious life earlier … (but) this was the first time I started thinking about the ministry.
“And even though I said no to the priesthood, it was almost like the Lord was saying: I’ll be back for you,” he said. “This is Jesus giving me a second chance.”
Wood made inquiries about the permanent diaconate at the Diocese of Madison and was told that local diaconate candidates get their training from the Diocese of Lacrosse.
When he was accepted into the program, “I was like a kid on Christmas morning,” he said. “That has died down and that is a good thing, because you want to look at it more objectively. But I can comfortably say yes to it.
“In the last couple of years, I have felt more unworthy of this. I am realizing: Now Lord are you sure you want me? I am a sinner.
“But He called me and I am at the point now where I am saying I am a sinner, but I trust in your mercy and love. You made too many things fall into place already. They cannot be coincidences. Too many things have happened that have pointed to you wanting me here for a reason.”
Wood also knows that he will be discerning this calling until ordination.
“It just gets better all the time. I feel drawn to it,” he said. “I love people. I care about each one of us. I care about each one of our souls. I desire that no one perish.
Wood explained that during his first two years in the program, he was considered “aspiring.”
After those two years, he went through a readmission process that included several interviews for both Wood and his wife to determine if he was suitable for candidacy.
Now, he is considered a first-year candidate, but it is his third year in the program.
“It has been a very uplifting, and I owe a lot to Jane,” he said. “She has been tremendously supportive. She has been wonderful about this. God bless her!”
Wood said marriage has taught him “a lot of good things” that he plans to use in the diaconate.
“I’m just grateful the Vatican decided to start training people from the secular world to do some priestly functions,” he said.
Wood said he looks forward to being an extension of Fr. Brian here at St. Bernard.
“He is doing the work of two or three priests,” he said. “So, any way that I can take the pressure off … and help out as needed.”
“He will be an extra hand for me in some areas, I really look forward to getting some help,” said Fr. Brian adding: “Thank you for your vocation.”
This year, Wood is expected to complete several different modules as a candidate here at St. Bernard, including catechesis and evangelization, marriage and family life and how to run a parish.
Wood said the parish’s support means everything to him.
“Prayerful support is necessary for any path in life. And I need everyone’s prayers to do this work. For me to serve them, without prayerful support from the community and without my continuing to pray intently -- it won’t work. So, I don’t just ask for prayers. I need them!”
Throughout his life, Wood has followed the same advice that he freely gives to our religious education students.
“At the moment you get some thought or inkling (about religious life), listen! Follow through! You will not regret it. Continue your journey with Christ.”