Deacon candidates of Cohort 10 stand with Bishop Larry Silva at St. Stephen Diocesan Center, from left, Michael Browning, John Metz, Derek Wong, John Thomas, Jason Jacinto, Darryl Salvador, David Bruce, Marlowe Sabater. (Photo by Dann Ebina)
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
A psychologist, war veterans, a baker, an electrician, a former prison warden, a truck driver. These are some of the men who make up the diocese’s 10th class of permanent deacons to be ordained next month.
Eight men, collectively called Cohort 10, are closing in on five years of deaconate formation in the Diocese of Honolulu. In January, Bishop Larry Silva will ordain them permanent deacons and assign them to parishes to live out their new vocation. Six will be ordained at 10 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Co-Cathedral St. Theresa. Two will be ordained at 10 a.m. Jan. 27 at their parish of St. Joseph in Makawao, Maui.
Here are profiles of the future deacons of 2024.
Derek Wong
Born at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu, Derek Wong grew up on Pearl City and graduated from Damien Memorial High School in 1975. He earned a degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University. He moved to the mainland, returning to Hawaii in 1996.
Wong, 66, has worked in human resources and as a manager for several companies, retiring as a district sales manager for Hunter Douglas in 2019.
Wong met his wife, Lani, while working at GTE California. They married in California in August 1991 and have two children, Robert, 31, and Kela, 29. The Wongs are enjoying two grandchildren from their son Robert.
Lani Wong was instrumental in Derek’s journey to the Catholic faith. He did not belong to any religious denomination until he went through the RCIA program in 2016-2017. “One would think that after graduating from a Catholic high school and Jesuit university, I was already a Catholic. But only after battling panic/anxiety attacks from 2013 to 2016 did I find my faith and love for God who had a plan for me and Lani for our future. When I stepped through the doors of St. Jude Church in Kapolei, I finally felt peace and the Holy Spirit. I have not had a panic/anxiety attack since then.”
After converting to Catholicism, Wong became a eucharistic minister, lector and acolyte. He is also a part-time chaplain for St. Francis Hospice Services. “I found my ministry in hospice,” he said.
Wong is a parishioner at St. Jude.
Michael Browning
Michael Browning was born in Honolulu and grew up in Mililani and Kaneohe.
He is married to his wife Aggie and have three children Brandon, David and Brittany. They have four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Browning graduated from Leilehua High School and joined the U.S. Marine Corps assigned to the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company. He worked for GTE in Hawaii for 20 years, then started a technology company, Pacific DirectConnect Inc. in 1999.
“People that are close to me understand that I have an intense desire to ‘fix’ things, i.e., computers, people and situations. I have channeled that desire through my formation journey to be a better listener to God and discern more closely what he is calling me to do,” Browning said.
He is a parishioner at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani.
David Bruce
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Bruce moved to North Fort Myers, Florida, at the age of 13.
Bruce and his wife Hazel have two sons, David II and Atlan, and grandchildren, Savannah and Colton.
He retired as a federal prison associate warden and a disabled U.S. Army veteran.
His special interests are evangelizing, golf and being the best grandparent.
Bruce is a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Ewa Beach.
Marlowe G. Sabater
Born and raised in Metro Manila, Philippines, Sabater is married to Maggie, a middle school teacher at St. Joseph, Waipahu. He has two sons, Sealthiel Miggy Sabater, who is a medical assistant at the Hawaii Pacific NeuroScience Clinic and Uriel Mauwie Sabater, a junior at Seattle University studying criminal justice. “Both sons’ first names were adopted from archangels,” said Sabater.
Sabater has been a fisheries management specialist for the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center under NOAA Fisheries for 18 years. His job is to apply fisheries science to the management of fisheries in the U.S. Pacific Island region. “My career puts me in a unique situation that allows me to work with secular society to become a good steward of God’s creation. I am both working with fishermen and as fishers of men,” Sabater said.
His interests are tennis, playing the guitar, dreaming about sports cars and dreaming about racing them. “Most special of all is serving God’s church,” said Sabater.
He is a parishioner at Resurrection of the Lord Church in Waipio.
Darryl Stephen Salvador
Born in Honolulu and raised in Pearl City, Salvador graduated from Aiea High School.
He and his wife Diana have a daughter Sophie.
He is a licensed clinical psychologist and has a doctorate in psychology. He works as a staff psychologist and behavioral health consultant in the Primary Care Medical Home at the Desmond T. Doss Health Clinic, Schofield Barracks. He is also a staff psychologist and clinical supervisor at the Molokai Community Health Center in Kaunakakai.
His special interests are mental and behavioral health. He is also a co-leader in Stephen Ministry, a Christian education organization that provides training and resources that support spiritual growth. He also serves in the marriage and family life ministry.
Salvador is a parishioner at Resurrection of the Lord in Waipio.
Jason F. Jacinto
Jason Jacinto was born in Yokosuka, Japan, when his father, who was in the U.S. Navy, was stationed there. The father was also assigned to Seattle, Washington, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the Philippines. The family in 1977 moved to Hawaii, where his father retired, and then relocated to Maui.
Jacinto, 57, and his wife Diane have three children, Jonathan, Jacob and Kianaleialoha, and two grandchildren, Sebastian Delarosa Jacinto, and Ku’uleimaikalani Jacinto Anien.
He enlisted in 1987 in the U.S. Navy where he served four-years. He was deployed to Desert Storm from 1989 to 1990. He transferred to the U.S. Army National Guard in 1992 and was sent to Iraq from 2004 to 2005, and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010.
He retired from the Guard in 2019 and now works with the County of Maui Environmental Management as an electrician and electronic technician.
His interests are “hanging out with the love of my life, Diane, and traveling everywhere we can.”
He also enjoys shopping, morning or evening walks and occasionally gardening. He especially loves to play with his grandchildren. “I like doing physical activity with my kids JT (Tazzy), Jacob and Kianalei. And when time permits, working out, jiu jitsu, muay thai (a combat sport) and reading DC and Marvel Comic books,” Jacinto said.
Jacinto is a parishioner at St. Joseph Church Makawao in Maui.
John Thomas
Born in Honolulu, Thomas was raised in the plantation town of Waipahu. He graduated from James Campbell High School.
Thomas and his wife Sandy have six children, Melissa, Chelsea, Felicia, Bridget, Brandon and Braden. “God has blessed us with four grandsons, Marcus, Mason, Matthias, Liam; and four granddaughters Janaiah, Brooklyn, Lacey and Sophia,” said Thomas.
He served in the U.S. Army for 13 years. He retired as a commercial truck driver and has spent 13 years with the City and County of Honolulu. His most recent position is with the Department of Enterprise Services as the auditoriums maintenance supervisor.
“My special interests are golf, baseball, football, fishing, serving with the Basic Christian Community and learning more about God and how I want to share God’s love with everyone I meet. I’m excited to see the plans that God has in store for us,” Thomas said.
Thomas has been a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ewa Beach for more than 25 years.
John Robert Metz
Metz was born in Nürnberg, Germany, and raised in Olinda, Maui. He attended Makawao School and graduated from Maui High School in 1988.
Metz is married to Josephine Bumanglag Metz. They have three sons, John William, 31, who is married to Kim Diane; Joseph Anthony, 27; and Jacob Ryann, 22. They have one grandson.
From 1987 to 1991, he worked as a hotel room service server. He learned how to bake on the job and from 1991 to 2001 was a baker for Inter-Continental Hotel in Wailea. Since 2001, he has been a baker for the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.
His interests are drawing, baking at home and working outside.
Metz is a parishioner at St. Joseph Church, Makawao.
