Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Deacon Stan Stott will celebrate 50 years as a permanent deacon in December.
- Originally disqualified due to marriage, he was ordained in 1976 after a 1967 policy change.
- At 85, Stott remains active in the Salt Lake Diocese, emphasizing the importance of prayer in both his life and the lives of others.
SALT LAKE CITY — Fifty years in the same position is quite an accomplishment. Deacon Stan Stott, a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church, will reach it in December.
Deacon Stott did not start out as a deacon. He was already working for the Sperry Rand Corporation straight out of high school. The company sent him a letter requesting that he come work for it, and it had sent him to the University of Utah to continue his schooling.
He also originally was disqualified from becoming a deacon, since he had gotten married to his seventh-grade sweetheart, Alice Bennett. Deacons in the Catholic Church need to be celibate to be considered for the position.
Deacons existed within the Catholic Church in the early and middle history of the Church, but married men were not allowed to serve in those positions, largely because the office of deacon became a transitional office for men preparing to receive the priesthood.
Permanent deacons were not allowed within the Catholic Church until 1967. Bishops from the United States then began to petition the Holy See for permission to ordain men permanently as deacons, without the possibility of progression within the Catholic priesthood.
According to the Diocese of Salt Lake City, permanent deacons "are men called to serve God and the church through prayer, preaching, sacramental ministry, and works of charity." Instead of eventually preparing to become a priest in the Catholic Church, permanent deacons may hold jobs outside of the church and may be married men.
According to Deacon Stott, it was his friend, Deacon Tranquilino Otero, who pushed him to apply to become a deacon following the 1967 announcement. The Salt Lake City Diocese was searching for men who would be interested in becoming deacons.
"He just kept insisting (I apply with him), so I said, 'OK,'" Deacon Stott said.
Alice said her husband had been wanting to serve in the Catholic Church for a few years before the change to allow permanent deacons was made. She agreed with her husband's decision to apply. "If that's what you want, go for it," she said.
Deacon Otero, whom Deacon Stott called "Tom," applied alongside his friend, sending in applications to the local church board. Even after submitting the application, Deacon Stott said he didn't really think he would be accepted.
After two rounds of interviews, Deacon Stott was told to expect a call back within the next few days. To his surprise, one of the interviewers caught him in the parking lot before he could return home, informing Deacon Stott that he had been accepted.
He spent the next four years at divinity school, learning how to become a deacon. Finally, on Dec. 26, 1976, he graduated and was ordained with 14 of his classmates to be a permanent deacon by the Most Rev. Joseph L. Federal, sixth bishop of Salt Lake City.
Deacons in the Catholic Church must be at least 35 years old. Deacon Stott entered divinity school when he was 31 with special permission, as he turned 35 before he graduated.
Now, nearly 50 years later at age 85, Deacon Stott is the only deacon from his class still active within the Salt Lake Diocese.
"Now that it's been 50 years, I'm really glad I've done it," Deacon Stott said. "I still enjoy doing it."
He said the thing he loved doing the most as a permanent deacon was serving the people around him. He quoted the Book of Matthew in the Bible, explaining that Jesus said when you are serving other people, you are serving God.
His wife, while still supportive as they celebrate 66 years of marriage, said she wouldn't mind retiring. "I tell him, 'We ought to think of retiring,'" Alice said, "but he still wants to do it, and that's fine with me.
Two of his classmates, Deacon Mansueto Flaim and Deacon Lowell Palm, have already retired as active deacons. The other deacons have either died or moved into a new diocese. If Deacon Stott had wanted to serve outside of Utah, he would have needed to be incardinated into a new diocese. That process would typically involve a period of two years of additional training in the new location.
However, he was able to move around the Salt Lake Diocese with his service. He served in multiple locations across Utah, serving in Salt Lake City, American Fork, Provo, Sandy and Midvale. In each parish, the main thing he enjoyed was serving others, whether at baptisms, weddings or funerals.
"It's been good serving and working with the people in the various parishes," Deacon Stott said.
Over the course of his service, Deacon Stott emphasized the importance of prayer, both in his daily life and in the lives of others. He prays every day throughout the day, building a connection with God he described as "being with a good friend." He also encourages others to develop a personal "prayer life."
"I think if the people of the world prayed more, their whole outlook with each other and with the world would be much much different," Deacon Stott said.
While he doesn't expect to live long enough to serve another 50 years, Deacon Stott's heart of service would be willing to do so.
