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Deacon, Director of Religious Education (DRE)DeaconStevestmarymtvernon.orgOver the next few weeks, many of you will notice that there is a new person on the altar along with Father Nick or Father Joel or wandering around the St. Mary Immaculate Conception and St. Barbara Parishes. I am Deacon Steve Eischens. Bishop McGovern has assigned me to join Deacon Mark Kabat in assisting Fr. Nick and Fr. Joel in serving the people of God of these parishes. I have only been here a few days and I am already overwhelmed with the kindness and welcome I have received. What a blessing it will be for my wife and me to serve you!
Fr. Nick asked that I give you a brief biography. I am getting old enough that it is harder to keep my history brief, but I will give it my best try.
I am a lifelong Catholic. Due to my father’s profession, I didn’t really have a home parish, as we moved frequently when I was a child. I will say that I was confirmed at St. Vincent DePaul Parish in Peoria back in the late sixties. I am married to a lovely person, Janice (nee Cheatum) and we celebrate our 37th anniversary this spring. We have two children—Elsbeth and Cameron—and six grandchildren between the two of them.
I graduated from SIU-C in 1983 with Bachelor Degrees in Physics and in Math, and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Particle Physics from the University of Hawaii in 1986. I chose teaching as a profession and taught in public secondary education for 33 years, finishing up with 26 years at South Central High School in Farina, Illinois. I received a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Meinrad in 2012 and completed diaconate formation with Mark Kabat in 2018. The first three years of my deacon ministry, I was assigned to St. Theresa of Avila in Salem and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Kinmundy. I retired from public education in 2017 to focus on my ministry. I have worked part-time as a chaplain since 2015 for SSM Health at the two local Catholic hospitals.
My wife, Janice, has her degree from EIU (Eastern Illinois University). She has split her career between running a child care center in Kinmundy for several years and then moving on to work for Kaskaskia College. Currently, she is the director of the KC satellite campus in Salem. Our daughter is married to a wonderful young man and is currently employed as a nurse. Our son recently graduated from SIU-E and is employed as a chemist. In addition to six grandkids, Janice and I have two cats and a St. Bernard. We have been involved in rescuing St. Bernards for 20 years or more and Bernice is our fourth. After each one, we have said it is our last, and yet, there always seems to be another one waiting for us.
Please feel free to reach out to Janice or me at any time and for any reason. We are here to serve.
Peace,
Deacon Steve Eischens