Deacon Bob Killoren Celebrates 10 Years as a Deacon

Deacon Robert (Bob) Killoren is from Florissant, Missouri near St. Louis. He remembers from a young age that his uncle, who was a Jesuit priest, was very influential in his life. “Uncle Jack” worked with minority, inner city families for 20 years and then spent 20 years serving on an Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
“My uncle was committed to service and social justice,” said Deacon Killoren. “He never made a big deal of it, though; it was just what he did. But in my eyes he was a hero.”

Active in his Parish

Bob grew up in a religious family and served as an altar boy, pre-Vatican II. Later on, he spent three years in seminary at Notre Dame before realizing that he wasn’t called to the priesthood. He attended St. Louis University where he met his wife Pat, and they married in 1972.
After working several years at McDonnell Aircraft, he went to graduate school at the University of Missouri -St. Louis. He then went into Research Administration at the University of Missouri and later at Penn State.

Liturgical Musicians

He and Pat were active liturgical musicians in their parish, and music played an important role in his spiritual journey. ”Through music ministry, I realized the power of Liturgy in people’s lives and its potential to bring people closer to God,” said Deacon Killoren.
When he was working at Penn State in 1992, he went for a jog one morning and noticed people entering Church for 7 a.m. Mass. He went in with his jogging clothes on and during that Mass he suddenly felt drawn to daily Mass.

A Calling to the Diaconate

A few years later, he received his call to the diaconate. “I remember it so clearly. I was attending Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington D.C. in 1995, and God spoke to my heart; it was almost like I could hear a real voice say, ‘I want you to be a deacon.’ When I came home to Pennsylvania I told Pat what happened,” said Deacon Killoren. “And she said that she was wondering what took me so long to figure that out!” They decided that he should talk with their pastor, Fr. Bender.
The following Sunday during Mass at Good Shepherd Church, in the Altoona-Johnstown Pennsylvania Diocese, Fr. Bender said at the end of Mass, “You know I don’t like to make announcements from the altar, but I need to tell you that God is calling someone in this parish to be a deacon.”
“Well, I was blown away! I took that as confirmation that God really was calling me. So I met with Fr. Bender after Mass,” said Deacon Killoren. “I think God called me like that not because I was special or anything but because I was just too thick-headed to hear him any other way.”

Diaconate Formation

Bob was accepted into the formation program and began attending classes several nights a week. There were also sessions held at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA. “It was wonderful to study and pray with the Benedictine monks.” he said. “Formation was a very special time for us candidates and our wives. Attending all those classes and spending those weekends at St. Vincent’s together, we became a very close community.”
It was also a very busy time as he and Pat were raising four children. “Pat was very supportive and took care of the kids so I could study. She was essential to my development and provided a lot of temporal and spiritual support.”

Ordained to the Diaconate in Pennsylvania

Robert Killoren was ordained a deacon on May 22, 1999, at St. Michael Basilica in Loretto, PA. Since then, he has enjoyed serving as a deacon at a state penitentiary, in hospitals and nursing homes, and in hospice care, as well as with young people. “I try to be God’s instrument, as Mother Teresa used to say. In my ministry I sometimes really feel Jesus working through me.”

Scouting Chaplain for Columbus

Deacon Killoren and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2006. “I felt God was calling me to serve in Columbus.” He now works at OSU as Associate Vice President for Research and serves under the Bishop as Scout Chaplain for the Diocese.
Deacon Killoren and his family are parishioners at New Albany Church of the Resurrection where he also helps out at weekend liturgies.

Service as a Deacon

“Service has always been a big part of my life in both my profession and in my ministry,” said Deacon Killoren. “Like St. Paul says, we must ‘Put on Christ,’ and I think this is especially true for deacons who through ordination are sacramentally conformed to the image of Christ as Servant. I need to put on Christ so that through me he can continue to help others in this world in a very tangible way. How could life be better than that?”