June 10, 2026

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

“I’m really looking forward to serving the Church in a new way,” said seminarian Kevin McCullouch as he prepared to be ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Terry R. LaValley on June 6 at Church of the Holy Family in Watertown. “It’s definitely been a long journey – a lot of school, a lot of determination and perseverance and prayer. I’m very excited.”

After his ordination, Deacon McCullouch will be serving the Church in a ministry that is new to him, and he’ll do it while completing an academic and formation year that is structured in a new way.

“I’m in a unique position,” he said. “I’m a guinea pig – the first guy (from our diocese) who will graduate in December and be home for good after Christmas. My studies are kind of coming to an end next semester. Along with my studies, I’ll have a little ministry experience in the Diocese of Pittsburgh or one of the surrounding areas.”

Then, after he returns to the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the new deacon will spend time serving in that vocation until, God willing, he is ordained to the priesthood next year.

“It gives us a vocational synthesis stage,” he said. “It’s intended to be a better bridge and synthesis between diaconate ordination and priestly ordination. Before being thrown right into the grind of priestly service in the diocese, there’s that synthesis – bridge of diaconate ministry in our diocese and building connections in one of our local parishes so we’ll be all the more ready to serve as priests.”

While he’s excited to enter his last year of studies and his new ministry as Deacon McCullouch, he said he will be sad to leave behind some of his seminary experiences at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

“I have maybe two or three more seven-hour drives to St. Vincent’s,” he said. “There’s a bittersweet feeling. There’s sadness about going separate ways and leaving my classmates here. But I’m really looking forward to serving the Church in this new way. This semester, a lot of classes have been focused on the role of the deacon, and the main role of the deacon is to be at the assistance of the bishop and going wherever he asks me to go. In terms of what I’m particularly excited for – I hope to have a few baptisms. I look forward to leading Adoration in a new and particular way. One thing – when I began my seminary journey, I was nervous to do preaching. I’ve grown more comfortable in that, and I’m excited to share the word of God with people in a new way.”

The new deacon said he looks forward to the opportunity to grow as a servant leader.

“I tend to be more of a passive leader, and I’m sometimes not super good about making decisions,” he said. “I have a little nervousness about the leadership role and people looking to me for certain answers. At the same time, I’m also excited for that opportunity.”

As he prepared for ordination, seminarian McCullouch said he was grateful to God for bringing him to this point and for those who supported him along the way.

“I think my parents are just as excited as I am,” he said. “My family is very excited. Both of my siblings got married within the last two to three years. Now, as we’re planning all the ins and outs of the reception after the ordination and all the details, it’s almost like planning my own. I’m excited to have the (ordination) Mass in my home parish – where my vocation all began.”

The seminarian said he grew up in a Catholic household and attended public high school in Carthage.

“I was a cradle Catholic, but I didn’t have a lot of Catholic friends in school,” he said. “The school was definitely predominately Christian, but I didn’t have a huge Catholic influence with my peers. But between my family’s devotional practices, attending Mass together on Sundays and religious education, coupled with my experiences attending Family Guggenheim and (youth camp at) Camp Guggenheim and meeting a variety of Catholic friends throughout the diocese, there was a foundation that helped me grow in discernment and learning practices of prayer and discernment – it helped me learn where God is calling me to be.”

After graduating high school, the new deacon spent a few years working and taking college classes before entering seminary.

At one point, he wasn’t sure he was where God was calling him to be, and he stepped away from his seminary studies.

“After stepping away, I have broader experience,” Deacon McCullouch said. “I have a larger community of support through the friends and connections I made in college when I stepped away from the seminary for that time. And it affirmed me in this vocation. Even when I stepped away, I still found the urging of the call never fading and never faltering.”

He said he’s excited to take what he’s learned through his formation process and put it into service.

“I’m now at St. Vincent’s for my fifth year,” he said. “One of the things I take away from St. Vincent’s and the Benedictine influence is the beautiful charism of hospitality and conversations. They make promises and vows to live celibate life and to direct all their actions to daily conversion in their lives. I’m excited to take away a little of that rich Benedictine tradition and bring it into the parishes that I’m sent to. And I’m excited to foster relationships with people around the diocese and share our faith here in the North Country.”