Catholic ministry always part of life

DEACON WILLIAM P. MUMPHREY
➤ Age:  60
➤ First assignment: Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell
➤ First Mass: June 5, 10:30 a.m., Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell.

Words his mother spoke when he and his siblings played outside stuck with Deacon William Mumphrey: “Go play with Jesus.”

Elizabeth “Betty Ann” Marchand was his strongest example of the Catholic faith – executing everything with Jesusin mind. Marchand regaled her children with stories of walking down gravel roads to attend daily Mass as a child in Gonzales, Louisiana, praying the rosary with her family and marking up her Bible and religious books to gain insights on Catholicism.

“It was all for Christ through the Catholic prayers she read,” Deacon Mumphrey said. “When I got older and was in the seminary, I realized that this was the life momma lived – everything the church was doing. With seven kids, she might not have given me as good a formation as the seminary, but she was living it out. The seminary helped me to see more of why she did what she did.”

Growing up, Deacon Mumphrey was surrounded by a Catholic presence – there were even a few relatives who were nuns – as he hunted and fished near Lake Maurepas and attended catechism and played CYO sports.

Coming from a big family, expectations were that he would marry, but Deacon Mumphrey delved into church ministry instead.

“I was serving God and doing a lot of things in the church,” Deacon Mumphrey said. “I wanted to learn what the church taught and what God wanted me to do. I did Cursillo, Renew and faith sharing. … I had a call, but I pushed it aside. I was living this life of godliness and didn’t have time to date and get married.”

His dad, Benedict, instilled an ethic of honest work for an honest dollar, and Deacon Mumphrey began working at Winn Dixie at age 17, allowing time for church ministry. When he switched to Valero Energy in Norco, he had to reduce his involvement in church ministries.

“I realized I was missing the things in ministry,” he said. “That’s where my joy was – my ministry became more of a joy than my wanting to get married – and I had to explore it.”

He spoke to a mission priest about his vocation and realized his career path was always before him. So, he entered Notre Dame Seminary.

Since last summer, he has worked as a deacon with Father Wayne Paysse, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Slidell, serving at funerals and baptisms, witnessing how important the sacraments are to people and how much they want to serve God.

“Being able to live it, do what I was called to do is very fulfilling,” he said. “It was a big learning experience for when I am a priest. It’s made me a better person. The diaconate experience has brought back the joy I had in lay ministry.”

He said Father Paysse taught him to maintain a strong relationship with God and nurture a state of prayer.

“Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus,” he said. “Father Paysse said to offer a respectful response – respect others in your words. On the business side – always be organized. As a priest, it is not always routine. You may be called at 2 in the morning. You need to be able to change at the spur of the moment.”

Deacon Mumphrey eagerly anticipates serving the people in whatever way they need, “whether it’s celebrating the sacraments or eating good food or doing a Bible study or RCIA where I can share the Good News of Christ to help the laity live out that temporal order and change society. To see that unfold is something I am excited about.”

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