By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
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Following are brief biographies of the 20 men who were ordained permanent deacons for the archdiocese Dec. 4.
Emilio Blanco was born in Havana, Cuba in 1945 and graduated from the University of Salamanca in 1974 as a medical doctor. He is married to Mirta and they have two sons, one daughter, five grandsons and six granddaughters. Deacon Blanco is a member of St. Benedict Parish in Hialeah. He does volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Committee on Scouting as well as his parish’s youth ministry.
José “Pepe” Chirinos, born in 1950, is the 12th of 16 children of the Chirinos family of Arequipa, Peru. He is married to Zulay, who is originally from Honduras, and they have three children and eight grandchildren. Deacon Chirinos works as business development director of Crowley Liner and is a parishioner at St. Augustine Church in Coral Gables.
Nelson Diaz, born in Havana, Cuba in 1948, immigrated alone to the U.S. in 1961 via the Pedro Pan program of the Archdiocese of Miami. He is married to Toni and they have two daughters. Deacon Diaz is a certified general contractor engaged in government and commercial work. He is active in parish ministry at St. Timothy Church in Miami.
Marco Fernandez was born in the Cuban city of Marianao in 1956. He is married to Judi Marie Kelly and they have four children. Deacon Fernandez has worked mostly in IT and business consulting but currently is part of the administrative staff at St. John Neumann in Kendall, his home parish.
Roberto F. Fleitas, Jr. , 54, is a native of Havana, Cuba. He is married to Nancy Fleitas and they have four children. Deacon Fleitas is a parishioner at Little Flower Church in Coral Gables and a practicing attorney.
Alpha Fleurimond, 35, is a native of Haiti. He is married to Glardia Jean and they have three children. He works as a social worker and program coordinator for students and parents in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is a parishioner at Sacred Heart in Homestead.
Raul Flores, 48, was born in Camaguey, Cuba. He is married to Yolanda and the father of two. Deacon Flores is an attorney and professor of criminal justice and a parishioner at Little Flower in Coral Gables.
Alex Garvey was born in Cork City, Ireland in 1964. He is married to Tricia and has a son. Deacon Garvey works as an associate chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, with his primary area of ministry being the Emergency Department and Hospice/Oncology. He is a member of Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Lauderdale.
William Horton, 58, is married to Shelia and they have five children. He is a banker and parishioner at St. Gregory the Great Church in Plantation.
Manuel Camilo Jimenez, 46, originally from Colombia, is married to Gloria Medrano, a native of Nicaragua, and they have two daughters. He is a member of St. Brendan Parish in Miami, and works for UPS.
Edgar Kelly, 48, originally from Managua, Nicaragua, came to Miami in 1979. He is married to Marisela San Antonio, a native of Cuba and they have four children. He is currently IT manager at Bank of Coral Gables and his home parish is St. Brendan.
Joseph Maalouf was born in Zahle, Lebanon in 1958. He has two daughters and currently works as body shop manager with Toyota of South Florida. He is a parishioner at St. John Neumann in Kendall.
Gerard McGuinn was born in Rochester, N.Y. in 1950. He is married to Jody and they have four children and three grandchildren. He works as a property manager, spent six years in the U.S. Army Reserves and is a member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Deerfield Beach.
Randy A. Millikin was born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1950. He is married to Sharon and they have three children. Deacon Millikin works in the pool business and is a parishioner at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Pompano Beach.
Jose Naranjo, 65, was born in Havana, Cuba and with his wife, Mayda, is among the founding parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Kendall. The Naranjos have three children and four grandchildren. Deacon Naranjo was an executive and business owner in several import/export and ocean transportation companies. He is also a former Miami-Dade police officer and U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam war. He presently works at St. Augustine Church in Coral Gables.
John William Okragleski, 52, is married to Viola and has four children and three grandchildren. He works for Broward County Parks and Recreation and is a parishioner at St. Jerome Church in Fort Lauderdale.
Marcos A. Perez, 40, is married to Ana-Maria Perez and they have four daughters. He is an executive with Leon Medical Centers and a member of Epiphany Parish in South Miami.
Fernando Sierra was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1958. He is married to Mirtha and they have one son. Deacon Sierra works as a cargo agent for American Airlines and is a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena in Kendall.
Eduardo Smith, 41, is married to Lisa Lynette, and has three children. He is a civil/environmental engineer who graduated from Georgia Tech and the University of Florida. Deacon Smith is a parishioner of Epiphany Parish in South Miami.
Isidoro V. Villa was born in Los Silos, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, in 1955. He is married to Elva Fernandez and has three children. He specializes in organic chemistry and is a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes in West Kendall.
All the deacon ordination photos are posted and available for purchase at www.dotphoto.com. Sign in as "guest" with the username "flcmiami".
