November 7, 2009 |
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Two Michael Nixons, two deacons, one faithAsk for Deacon Michael Nixon and the likely response will be “which one?” But don’t look for the confusion to subside next year when the deacon who is a son becomes a Father, and the deacon who is a father becomes the Father’s father. Posted: 06.25.09 
PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC TALLAHASSEE | The Nixon family of Blessed Sacrament Parish here already had two Michaels, father and son. Now both of them are deacons and both go by Deacon Michael Nixon. But instead of dwelling on confusion caused by the same names and titles, the Nixons celebrate their unique and phenomenal family distinction with humor – and a lot of prayer. Michael Patrick Nixon, 56, the father, was ordained a permanent deacon June 20 at St. Paul Parish in Pensacola. Bishop John Ricard, SSJ, ordained 17 men, including Nixon, during a special Mass of ordination. They were all ordained as permanent deacons, meaning they will not go on to be ordained to the priesthood. Michael John Nixon, 26, the son, was ordained April 25 by Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez of the Archdiocese of Miami at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, along with two others. They were ordained as transitional deacons for their last year in seminary, meaning they will eventually be ordained as priests, in spring 2010. 
PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC The entire Nixon family, which includes six children and nine grandchildren, attended the June 20 ordination Mass at St. Paul. Deacon Michael John Nixon got to assist in his father’s ordination. “I had the best seat in the house,” the son said the next day, which happened to be Father’s Day. “It was awesome, a really beautiful experience. It was a real, grace-filled moment – and I was very proud. It was a great day for the Church.” He pointed out that the weekend was special not only because of Father’s Day and the ordination, but also because the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19 and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 20, ordination day. The family celebrated with a Holy Hour on June 19, and reflected on the significance of each of the days and how they all came together for such an important event in the family’s lives. Deacon Michael Patrick Nixon said that being called to the diaconate was a great honor and blessing for him. “When the bishop laid his hands on me and said the prayers of consecration, it was one of the greatest moments of my life,” he said. “Through God’s grace, I pray that I have the abilities to perform the different ministries that God has called me to.” Although both deacons and the whole family were excited about the two ordinations, the one who was truly ecstatic was Jean Nixon, the wife of Michael Patrick and mother of Michael John. “The (ordination) Mass went amazingly. It was beautiful,” she said June 21 after returning home. “As I was seeing all the candidates coming forward from every position in life, I was reminded of the infinite mercy of God. With those men, my husband, Mike, with his childlike trust in God, was being raised to the ranks of a deacon in the Catholic Church. How amazing God is. … To see my son as a deacon together with my husband, I could only rejoice at the depth of God’s mercy and love.” Jean and Michael Patrick Nixon, married 30 years, and their six children have always been a close-knit family that prayed together and stayed active in the Church. Jean grew up in Hawaii and her husband studied acupuncture there. They moved to Tallahassee in 1995 after the elder Mike had been offered an acupuncturist job in Clearwater. But something about Clearwater told them that wasn’t the place for them, and they moved to Tallahassee. “We didn’t feel comfortable there,” Jean said. “Tallahassee has been the perfect place for us. We found the right home. We love it here and Blessed Sacrament is our home. The Lord brought us here.” The Nixons’ neat, comfortable home has pictures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and saints on almost every wall. Their den, or family room, has been turned into a family shrine where they gather together to pray every night. Maria, the youngest Nixon, said all the children were excited and proud to have a father and brother in the diaconate. “My friends think it’s really cool,” said Maria, who’s entering the eighth grade at Trinity Catholic School. “They already knew about my brother.” The family also includes Dasha, Shawn, Catherine and Titus, a senior who will graduate in August from Florida State University. The Nixons have nine grandchildren. The father and son deacons said they inspired and supported each other from the time they decided to enter the diaconate and through their respective ordinations. “I had thought about it through the years since the 1980s. It was as if the Lord put it in my heart,” said the elder Michael Nixon. He said Deacons Rudy Raymaker and Louis Feté of Blessed Sacrament helped mentor him. Permanent deacons go through five years of study and training to prepare for the diaconate. Once ordained, they help parish priests by assisting at liturgies and various service ministries. Although they work with parish priests, they answer directly to the bishop, who assigns the deacons, usually to their home parishes. For transitional deacons such as Michael John Nixon, their diaconate year is a transitional final year of seminary before ordination to the priesthood. “It’s a great privilege and grace to receive an order as a deacon,” Michael Patrick Nixon said. “You’ll never feel worthy.” He said the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee has a high percentage of priests and deacons, the biggest reason for which is the example set by the clergy. Jean Nixon supported her husband in his quest to become a deacon from the very beginning. “This is something the Lord definitely seems to be calling my husband to,” she said. “Whatever God wants, we want.” As deacons, father and son are not laypeople anymore, but members of the clergy. Deacon Michael John Nixon, the son, is the first to be ordained on either side of the family. “I have had nothing but love and support without difficulties from my family,” he said. “The same thing went for my dad as well. My mom has been a real rock for both of us.” He said he was in the fifth grade when he first started thinking about becoming a priest, as many Catholic boys do. He rediscovered the idea again during his junior year at Florida State University and discussed it with his parents. “It’s just amazing the ways God has been working on Mike,” said his father. “God has an amazing plan for him. I know he’s in God’s hand.” Deacon Michael John Nixon said the timeframe in which he and his father began to discern their respective ordinations worked out well for both of them. “I saw what joy a vocation brings,” the son said. “My father started talking about his (vocation) during my senior year at FSU. I decided to enter the seminary at the time he started considering the diaconate, so our timeframes coincided.” He noted that three new priests were ordained recently in the diocese, in addition to the three transitional and 17 permanent deacons. And he spoke humorously about having two “Deacon Michael Nixons” in the family. “Once I become a priest, I’ll be Father Michael Nixon, so that’ll cut down on the confusion,” he said, laughing, adding that so many ordinations could be an inspiration for even more. “But having so many solid men who are dynamic in a lot of ways is good for our diocese. It’s a joyful experience to inspire other people to at least take a look. It’s an exciting time to be a Catholic.”
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