Permanent deacons and their spouses: (top row from left) Deacon Pacceli DosReis Braga and Daniela Jesus DeAlmeida Braga, Deacon Paul Christopher Bukow and Lisa Bukow, and Jasmine Cosgrove and Deacon David S. Cosgrove. (middle row from left) Deacon Thomas Francis Hines and Susan Belhumeur, Deacon Luc Joseph Lambert and Annette Lambert, and Julie McGarry and Deacon Colm Francis McGarry. (bottom row from left) Martha O'Brien and Deacon Frederick J. O'Brien, Deacon Thong Phamduy and Dieu-Tu Vo Phamduy, and Deacon Gilbert Joseph Sullivan and Shirley Sullivan. Photos courtesy/Deacon Christopher Connelly
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Deacon Pacceli DosReis Braga
A native of Brazil, born in Contagem, MG, Brazil, on June 13, 1983, one of the two sons of Antonio Jorge Braga and Edilmar DosReis Braga, he attended local school in his native Brazil for elementary and middle school and on arrival in the United States enrolled in and was graduated from Somerville High School. He has a younger brother, Christopher Michael DosReis de Mello.
He and his wife Daniela Jesus DeAlmeida Braga are the proud parents of two children: Vitoria de Jesus Braga and Davi de Jesus Braga. The family presently lives in Revere and find their religious home at Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine in East Boston.
Prior to his entrance into the diaconal formation program, he and his family were active at St. Anthony of Padua (Italian) Parish, Somerville. He was involved with the Charismatic Renewal program, and then in baptismal preparation with his wife, and also assisted the parish and individuals seeking the services of the metropolitan tribunal. He also assisted the liturgy team in its preparations for Mass and other celebrations.
He is self-employed and manages two of his own businesses: Sacra Tours, a pilgrimage company; and PCI Pro Services, a property emergency services company, both located in Revere.
Deacon Paul Christopher Bukow
With his wife Lisa (Ralston) Bukow, they are the parents of three: Haley Elizabeth, Providence, R.I.; Mikaela Ann, San Francisco, Calif.; and Jacob Paul, West Newbury. He was born in the Hub on Oct. 9, 1962, and raised in Randolph, the oldest of the eight children of George and Mary (Pumphret) Bukow. Three sisters: Anne Marie Sarakiniotis, Eileen, and Tara Montagon; and three brothers: George, Stephen, and James; are the younger siblings. The youngest of them, Theresa, is deceased.
Educated in Randolph Public Schools, he attended Donovan Elementary, North Junior High, and Randolph High schools prior to entering Northeastern University in Boston, from which he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering degree. The Bukow family lived in St. Bernadette parish in Randolph.
An employee of Oracle Corporation in Burlington, the family calls Holy Ghost Parish, Whitman, its home.
Deacon David S. Cosgrove
One of the seven children of the late Joseph and Patricia (Welch) Cosgrove, he grew up in Duxbury. Born in Quincy on March 27, 1972, he attended local schools in Duxbury: Chandler Elementary, Duxbury Middle, and Duxbury High schools. The youngest of the Cosgroves, his older siblings are four brothers and two sisters: Michael, Barbara Coleman, Joseph, Kelly LaFratta, Brian, and Daniel. Married to Jasmine (Varieur) Cosgrove, they are the parents of Jack, 19; Aidan, 17; and Bridget, 15, also members of Holy Family Parish in Duxbury.
He studied history in his undergraduate years at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., from which he graduated in 1995. He is currently employed at Skinner Overlook in Weymouth.
Deacon Thomas Francis Hines
A Malden native born there on Feb. 5, 1958, he is the oldest of the four children of the late Thomas and Anna (Fitzgerald) Hines. His siblings are Maureen Simopoulos, Kevin, and Kathleen.
Raised in St. Joseph Parish in Malden, he attended the parish school for both elementary and junior high school before entering Malden Catholic High School. He continued his education, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Management at the University of Massachusetts-Boston; and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University in Boston in 1980 and 1985, respectively.
Married to Susan Belhumeur, they are the parents of Shaun, 31, of Dorchester; and Erin, 31, of Abington.
Employed as a finance manager at Analog Devices in Norwood, he has been involved in several service activities, including extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and visitor at Madonna Manor, North Attleborough; and as a volunteer at My Brother's Keeper in Easton. He has also been assisting at two parishes: St. Martha, Plainville, and St. Mary, Wrentham, in various parish ministries, among them: baptism and marriage preparation; and as both reader and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Deacon Luc Joseph Lambert
Born July 2, 1960, in Lachine, Quebec, Canada, Luc is the middle child of Andre and Doreen (Parise) Lambert. His older brothers, Andre and Marc, are deceased; his younger brothers are Michael and Daniel. He was raised in the Garden State, attending local public schools: Allenwood Elementary, Allenwood, N.J.; and Wall Intermediate and Wall High School in Wall, N.J.
He is a graduate of South Dakota State University, Brookings, S. Dak., from which he received a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering in 1993; and from Colorado Technical University, in Colorado Springs, Colo., from which he received a Master of Science in Systems Management in 1997.
He and his wife, Annette (Trinder) Lambert, are the parents of two: Victoria Martone, Merrimack, and Gabrielle, Westford. They are also the grandparents of Bria, of Merrimack.
Blessed Trinity Parish in Littleton and Westford is their home parish.
Deacon Colm Francis McGarry
Colm was born in the Cathedral City of Newry, which is in County Down in Ulster County. His birthplace is interesting because it is divided by a river and is actually located in two Ulster counties: Armagh and Down; its Cathedral Church of Sts. Patrick and Colman is the principal church of the diocese of Dromore.
His parents, James and Maeve (McHugh) McGarry, welcomed him on Nov. 18, 1964, the seventh of their eight children. His older siblings are Noreen O'Neil, Margo Cosgrove, Claire Hannah, Patrick McGarry, and a younger brother, Neil; the oldest sibling, Anita McCourt, is deceased.
He attended Abbey Primary School and Abbey Christian Brothers School, both in Newry. In 1987, he received his undergraduate degree in psychology from University College, Galway, Ireland; and a Master's Degree in Religious Education in 1993 from Assumption University, Worcester.
He is married to Julie (McCormack) McGarry and they are the parents of Bethan Horne, Baltimore, Md.; James and Rua, both living in Northampton; and son Owen, an undergraduate at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. They are also the grandparents of Llewyn and Pomona McGarry.
Prior to his entrance into diaconate formation, he served in youth ministry in the Worcester Diocese; as a teacher at St. Bernard High School, Worcester. He also served in youth ministry at St. Linus, Natick; as teacher at Marian High School, Framingham; and, more recently, in parish ministry at St. Julia, Weston.
Good Shepherd Parish, Wayland, is the home parish for the McGarrys.
Deacon Frederick J. O'Brien
Born in Lynn on July 23, 1962, he and his brother William are the youngest of the seven children of Mary (Shannon) O'Brien and the late Frederick. The older siblings are sisters Rosemary Platt, Elizabeth Doherty, Theresa Hanley, and Catherine Allen; the twins have an older brother, Paul.
He attended public schools in Medford: Swan Elementary, Roberts Junior High, and Medford High. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in 1986 with a degree in accounting; and from Boston's Suffolk University with a Master's Degree in Business Administration in 2000.
He is married to Martha (MacAndrew) O'Brien and they are the parents of Frederick. The family now resides in Wilmington and are parishioners at Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Parish there.
Currently employed at Verizon, Lowell, he has been involved in several parish ministries at the Wilmington parish, including serving as a reader, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and at baptisms and funerals.
Deacon Thong Phamduy
Thong Phamduy was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam on Sept. 23, 1961. He grew up in his native land when things were peaceful before they were not. He attended local Catholic schools: Lasan Hien Vuong (elementary); and for both middle and high school, Don Bosco in Thu Duc. His family came to the United States and he graduated in 1985 from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, and three years later, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge with a Master's in Science degree, also in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently employed by the Malden Public Schools.
He is the eldest of the eight children of Lam Nguyen Pham and the late Linh Pham. The siblings are Thuy, Huong, Thao, Trang, Hong, Ha, and Quang. He is married to Dieu-Tu Vo Phamduy and they are the parents of five children: Theresa, Maplewood, N.J.; Paul, Lowell; Timothy, Hartford, Conn.; Anthony, also of Lowell; and Catherine, Walpole.
They are parishioners at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Tyngsborough and work with the Vietnamese Catholic Community there, including in the RCIA for the Vietnamese community, as well as teaching the Vietnamese language to the children.
Deacon Gilbert Joseph Sullivan
With nine siblings: four brothers and five sisters, he counts his "lucky numbers" as four (fourth son) and seven (seventh child) of the late Andrew and Virginia (Quintal) Sullivan. His siblings are Virginia, Andrew, Trudy D'Agostino, William, Edward, Rita Duffy, Elizabeth Lampros, and Andrea Persico. Born in Lawrence on April 19, 1959, he was raised in neighboring North Andover, attending the parish elementary school before going back to Lawrence for high school at Central Catholic High. He is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, receiving in 1983 a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Technical Communications. He is currently employed at Ultimate Kronos Group, Lowell.
He and his wife Shirley (Leland) Sullivan are the parents for three sons and a daughter: Jason, Everett; John, Methuen; Sarah Kafkas, Malden; and Michael, Burlington. They have three grandchildren: Addison, Connor, and Preston.
Their home parish remains the one in which Gilbert was raised, St. Michael, North Andover.