Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
PROFILE:
DEACON BILL SCH
T
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hough we may not all describe ourselves as a convert, newly ordained Deacon Bill Scholl says the life of a Catholic is, in fact, one of continuous conversion. It’s a never-ending process of discovery and growth, as we work daily to become more Christlike in our thoughts, words and actions. Yet, every so often, God blesses us with what Deacon Bill calls “big moments,” designed to steer us on the right course. “There is always some aspect of you that needs to be turned more towards God,” Deacon Bill says. “It’s a life of constant conversion. But there are still those big moments in life when you are turned away pretty completely from God and He needs to step in so you can have a 180.” Deacon Bill experienced one of these big moments during his college years. Though raised in a Catholic family and privileged to have attended Catholic schools throughout his formative years, unfortunately, like many people raised during the ‘70s and ‘80s his catechetical background was wanting. So while, on paper, he appeared to have had a solid foundation, the reality was that Deacon Bill hadn’t received the fullness of truth. “Consequently, when I graduated from high school I pretty much stopped practicing the faith
entirely,” Deacon Bill says. “And when it came time to go to college, I felt that I had spent most of my life in Catholic institutions and I wanted something different. I went to the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.” There, Deacon Bill quickly became disillusioned by the relativistic ideology of the school. It led him to an interior dark place, feeling empty and alone. Fortunately, Deacon Bill had a friend who was attending a Catholic conservative institute — Thomas Aquinas College, or TAC. Though still far away from God and Catholicism, Deacon Bill was attracted to the school’s classical approach. He had discovered a love for the great books and philosophy and appreciated the fact that TAC welcomed intelligent disagreement — provided it was grounded in facts. “I decided this is where I wanted to be, though I still didn’t want to be Catholic,” Deacon Bill says. “I thought I was going to be one of the few people who managed to graduate from the program without being Catholic. But then following some profound disappointments in my life, I ended up at a midnight Mass, talking to God about this tremendous sense of emptiness inside of me. What I heard God say was, ‘Don’t you realize that I’m the only One Who
Deacon Bill Scholl was ordained to the permanent diaconate on June 20.
Deacon Bill Scholl gathers with his fellow newly-ordained deacons.
