Deacon Harry Turner Celebrates 25 Years of Service as a Deacon

Deacon Harry Turner grew up in Columbus and attended Columbus St. Mary for elementary and middle school. He was in the first graduating 8th grade class from the new school in 1957. He attended St. Charles and thought that perhaps God was calling him to be a priest. But he felt the call to married life when he met Melody—his wife of 47 years. They are blessed with six children—three boys and three girls, 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Lived in Shelby, Ohio for 27 Years.

Deacon Turner worked for Big Bear stores in various roles in Columbus and Springfield for about 10 years. He then accepted a new job which relocated Deacon Turner and his family to Shelby, Ohio where they lived for 27 years.
In Shelby, in the Diocese of Toledo, Deacon Turner began to get more involved in parish life at Most Pure Heart of Mary parish where he served as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, and eventually served as Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. Friends began encouraging Deacon Turner to consider becoming a deacon.

Active in the Parish

“I had a wonderful family, a great parish life, and a job I liked very much, but something was still missing,” said Deacon Turner. “I was feeling called to be a deacon, but I worked nights and weekends and that was when diaconate classes were held, so I didn’t think there was any way I could do it.”

Formation as a Deacon

Deacon Turner’s work supervisor would not permit a schedule change to accommodate classes. “But then, all the sudden, my supervisor got transferred and the new supervisor who was Catholic came in and I was then able to enter the diaconate program. Later that first supervisor returned, but I was already enrolled. So it seemed like divine intervention the way it all turned out,” said Deacon Turner.

Ordained in Toledo

After three years, he was ordained as a deacon on Nov. 17, 1984 in Toledo at the Holy Rosary Cathedral. With some changes in the diaconate curriculum in Toledo, Deacon Turner also took some classes after ordination. He served as a deacon for 15 years at Most Pure Heart of Mary parish in the Toledo area.

In Charge of a Parish for Three Months

At one point, while serving as a deacon in Shelby, the pastor went on a 3-month sabbatical and Deacon Turner was given leadership of the parish, “I learned a lot from that unique experience.”
In 1999, a job change for Melody brought the family back to the Columbus area and they settled in Gahanna and Harry retired from the grocery business. They registered at St. Matthew the Apostle parish in Gahanna. After getting to know the parish, Deacon Turner met with Bishop Griffin to receive ‘faculties’ to serve as a deacon in the Columbus Diocese. Father Paul Noble, pastor of St. Matthews, welcomed him and offered the opportunity to serve as deacon in the parish. Harry has been happily serving at St. Matthew parish for 10 years.

Enjoys Various Ministries

“My favorite ministry is RCIA. I love teaching,” said Deacon Turner. He also enjoys marriage preparation, preaching at Mass, presiding at weddings and baptisms, and especially being able to serve as a bereavement minister, and provide prayer, funeral and graveside services for many families at the Maeder-Quint-Tiberi funeral home where he has worked for nearly 10 years.

A Joyful Deacon

“It has been a joy to serve as a deacon. It has had its challenges over the years as you can imagine with raising six children, but it has been wonderful. It would not have been possible without Melody’s constant encouragement and support. Fr. Noble has been great and reminds me to keep balance.”
To relax, Deacon Turner enjoys golf and is also an avid football fan. He and his family enjoy visiting Disney several times a year. “We haven’t lost the kid in us yet!”
Serving God and His People
When asked how it feels to serve as a deacon for 25 years, Deacon Turner said, “I don’t know where the time has gone. It is the experience of just putting it in God’s hands and trusting. God makes all things possible. It has been very fulfilling to serve the people and the Church."