Denver Catholic

48 JUNE-JULY 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC Evening OF H o pe S ave the Date HONORING MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA , S.T.L. For more information, contact Tricia Sullivan at 303-715-3175 or tricia.sullivan@seedsofhopedenver.org. NOVEMBER 2, 2024 4:00 P.M. MASS HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH 5:30 P.M. GALA THE RITZ-CARLTON, DENVER Deacon Milinazzo was officially adopted by his father at 22 and began working a career in the telecommu- nications industry, where he met his future wife, Michelle, a devout Catho- lic. After seven years, they were mar- ried in the Church, though Milinazzo didn't attend Mass with his wife. One day, his three-year-old son asked him why he didn't go to church with them, which led him to return to Mass, albeit reluctantly. "I started going to church, but always going with a bitter taste," he said. "I always tried to be the last one there and the first one out." All the while, he and Michelle would have huge disagreements about all matters of faith. She patiently endured his skepticism while he rolled his eyes at everything the priest said. Intent on disproving the faith, he voluntarily signed up for a bible study at his parish. "Famous last words," Deacon Rich smiled. Not only did God humble Milinazzo, but he also turned him from an ardent denier to a zealous defender of the Catholic faith. So began his path to the diaconate. He continued to wrestle with God through formation up until his ordina- tion day, when one of his fellow dea- cons put him in a headlock to ensure he wouldn't run from the church. He laughs about it now. "I still have my moments because to serve the Lord is a big responsibility, and I don't take it lightly," he said. "But I am a deacon. I love being a deacon. I love serving the Lord." Michelle was a grateful witness to God's changing of her husband's heart as he studied to become a deacon. "The biggest thing I saw in him was peace," she said. Now, Deacon Milinazzo humbly serves Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in north Denver. His heart is on fire for the Lord, and he now sees how his difficult upbringing has helped him become a better deacon. Most impor- tantly, he now understands how much he matters to God. "I used to think I didn't matter. I told myself my entire life that I don't matter, that God doesn't care about me," he said. "I couldn't have been more wrong. I do matter, and I've mat- tered to God since I was abandoned in Trinidad to when I was rebelling against him being an atheist to when I was just so addicted to drugs and trying to medicate myself; he was there, crying with me, and holding me every step of the way. I mattered, and I never stopped mattering." No matter where you find yourself, Deacon Rich hopes his story serves as an encouragement that you matter. "You matter to the Lord," he urged. "Every human being matters to Christ. Just give him a chance to show you how much he loves you, and when you find that out, you will never be the same."

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