I am Deacon Ben. I’m a retired Navy Commander and Marine Corps pilot. I’m employed by the U.S. Army as a civil servant and I am a healthcare administrator and senior group practice manager for Winn Army Community Hospital at Ft. Stewart. I manage the Richmond Hill Medical Home and am group practice manager there and at the department of primary care. 

I am married to my wife of 31 years, Shelley. We were long time childhood friends who fell in love after we were reacquainted just before our 10 year high school reunion. I was a pilot in the Marine Corps and Shelley was a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. We have five adult children. Two are engaged to be married. Benjamin is our oldest and he is in games and film production with a company in Austin, Texas. Spencer is a Captain and pilot in the Marine Corps and lives in California with his brother, Robert “Bert”, the youngest of the boys, who is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marines and a Military Police officer. Marjorie is a Marine veteran, lives in Missouri currently, about to begin work on her masters, and a brand new college graduate in the job market for work. Marjie is our middle child. Finally, there is Rebecka, our youngest, who is a brand new college graduate as well and about to begin medical school at the University of Missouri. 

As a new deacon I am looking forward to helping out and ministering and teaching to a parish through ministry at the altar and in liturgical responsibilities as well as with helping out in charity to the poor, veterans, homebound and nursing home ministries, and the needy. I see myself carrying this work to my workplace by leading my department to reach out to veterans and active duty families as well as active duty military. I also see myself ministering to those in the hospital and nursing homes given my background both as a kid working in nursing homes and as I’ve spent most of my professional career in a health care environment. I see myself reaching out through my volunteering with Catholic and non-Catholic Boy Scouts. They need their faith more than ever and by working with priests and volunteers in our Troop and the Catholic Committee on Scouting I could help those young men ascertain their calling in life. 

Being rather new here, working in the community just less than 4 years in Southeast Georgia, I think just getting to know the parish, the members of our parish, my community better, and learning where the needs are, working under the guidance of my pastor, will open up new ministries than the ones I have mentioned above. I also see myself involved ecumenically in the community. Richmond Hill and St. Anne’s parish are growing at a rapid pace. I hope our parish keeps up with this pace of growth in the community. This will only call on me and those that follow me to carry Christ to that community. I look forward to the challenge.