Some Catholic parishes wait many years to have their first vocation to the diaconate or priesthood. Our parish is blessed with already having a deacon and next year on May 30th, 2008, God-willing, we will have our first vocation to the priesthood.
Dr. Edward Anderson was ordained a Transitional Deacon on May 24, 2007, which means that he has one more year to study at the seminary before he becomes a priest. Rev. Dr. Ed Anderson is attending Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA. This seminary is for older men who have had other careers before choosing to study for the priesthood.
Deacon Ed’s father flew amphibious antisubmarine planes from Newfoundland in the North Atlantic protecting shipping bound for Britain. Later, he become an officer in the Navy and was a test pilot. When his mother was five months pregnant with Deacon Ed, his father was killed on a test flight. His mother decided to remain in Philadelphia because she had relatives there. Deacon Ed received Bachelor’s degrees in both Liberal Studies and Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Georgetown University. He completed his internship at Great Lakes Naval Hospital and then his anesthesiology and critical care training at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Deacon Ed spent a total of nine years in the Navy Medical Corps. He then worked as an anesthesiologist for 26 years at Sioux Valley Hospital here in Sioux Falls.
Deacon Ed has an older brother, John, who went to the Naval Academy and then became an Air Force Intelligence Officer. He subsequently had assignments in the Strategic Air Command and NASA. John is currently retired and living with his wife in Louisiana. They have five adult children and nine grandchildren.
After being married for 28 years, Deacon Ed’s wife asked for a divorce. Three years later he was granted an annulment. At that time, his plan was to marry again; however, the good Lord had other plans. Deacon Ed received a call from God to the priesthood, something he first experienced while in college but resisted. He also resisted this time since he was at a time in his life where he could consider retirement and enjoy travel, fishing, and golf. God’s call was too strong to overcome though, and Deacon Ed entered the seminary in August 2004. Two things were particularly difficult for Deacon Ed as he was getting ready to enter the seminary. The first was recovering from bilateral knee replacement surgery as he was making the transition. The second was not so much selling his house or downsizing, but, rather, finding homes for his pets. Over the years, Deacon Ed adopted many cats and both German shepherd and Siberian Husky dogs from the Sioux Falls Humane Society. His four cats now have a wonderful home in Sioux Falls. He knows they are happy since they totally ignore him when he visits! When he is back in South Dakota, Deacon Ed travels to a farm near Faulkon to visit his Siberian Husky, Molly. She is very happy and active while living with a family including five boys.
After he was ordained a deacon, Ed spent the summer at Sacred Heart Parish in Yankton assisting Fr. Mark Lichter and Fr. David Garza. On August 5th, St. Katharine Drexel Parish staff helped celebrate Deacon Ed’s birthday and his going back to the Seminary. Deacon Ed is presently back in the seminary at Weston, MA, where he is taking classes, participates in a year-long certificate program through the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and is assigned as a deacon at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Braintree, MA.
Please keep Deacon Ed in your prayers as he completes his final steps toward the priesthood. God has wonderful plans for him and for our diocese. Below you will find his address:
Blessed John XXIII National Seminary
558 South Avenue.
Weston, MA 02493
He loves to hear from home! Please consider writing to him and letting him know of your love and support. Our seminarians truly need our prayers. Prayers know no distance, so send them toward Massachusetts and trust that they will come back a thousandfold!
