Deacon John Devine

Deacon John came to St. Luke the Evangelist from St. Pius V. Catholic Church in Pasadena, Texas in the spring of 1985. He was ordained Deacon, March 4, 1978, in Rockford Illinois. His first assignment for liturgical and catechetical ministry was to the parish of St. Anne in Dixon, Illinois. He also represented the Catholic Church in the Dixon Ministerial Association hospital ministry. Arriving in Texas in 1981 (we all know he got here as quickly as he could!) Deacon John was assigned for a short time to our Lady of Mt Carmel parish and then St. Pius V. where his primary ministry was in marriage preparation. In February of 1985, John and his wife Marcie moved to the Sagemont area and were welcomed at St. Luke. They have six adult children and six grandchildren. Deacon John then retired from teaching in 1992 after teaching for 35 years, the last 11 years of which were spent teaching English and French at Booker T. Washington High School and the High School for the Engineering Professions here in Houston. At this time, Deacon John is busy writing and has produced a collection of related short stories, “Hood Street Anthology”. Works in progress, include a collection of Spiritual pieces he calls: “Conversations with Haskin Flagg- Recluse” Since coming to St. Luke, he has been involved in various ministries: marriage preparation, Confirmation Preparation of adults, Baptism Preparation, teaching assignments in RCIA, and of course his liturgical ministry.

Deacon Jim Sharpless

Deacon Jim was ordained in May of 1987 and we’ve kept him busy in the parish ever since. Jim is married to Fran and they have shared their life together for 38 years; they have five children ages 21 to 37 . As well as his liturgical duties as our deacon, Jim has been very active in the parish for many years working with teenagers in our faith formation program. His primary ministries now are marriage preparation and RCIA and is often presider at marriages, funerals, wake services and rosaries. Outside the parish, he has a ministry to the homeless, where once a month, donations from our parishioners are brought downtown to help to those who have no place to live but the street. Confirmation students are often seen accompanying the small, adult group and they hear the gospel message of compassion without judgment. His wife Fran, is an Extra-Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist, lector and is also active with the RCIA team.

Deacon Reinaldo (Rey) Egusquiza

Deacon Rey was born at his father’s farm in Camaguey , Cuba . He went to Catholic school until Castro’s government closed the private schools in 1961. He then came to the U.S. in 1965 and lived with his mother and brother (his father died the previous year) in Newark , New Jersey. In 1972, Deacon Rey moved to Houston, where he met his wife, America and they were married in 1972. In 1974 their son, Reinaldo was born and when Reinaldo reached high school age, the family moved to the Sagemont area and started attending St. Luke. After some time, America started to work in the parish helping the poor and Rey started taking Communion to the sick and little by little, began to move closer to God. In 1997, after consulting with America, Fr. Steve and other priests, he decided to take the big step and become a deacon. Both he and his wife attended the classes at St. Mary's Seminary, and he was ordained on February of 2003. One of the things that attracted Rey was the need for Spanish speaking clergy to work with this growing community. Deacon Rey is very happy that he made the decision to become a deacon and he and his wife América are constantly working for the Hispanic Community’s intellectual and faith growth. Deacon Rey has attended several courses since ordination regarding, marriage preparation, annulments, spiritual care of the sick, etc.

Deacon Al Birsinger

Deacon Al and his wife Marcia have been married for 43 years and are the parents of seven children and 14 grandchildren. Married life started out attending couples retreats in St. Louis, Missouri. As the family grew, Al and Marcia became involved in their parish by teaching teenagers, and then started a prayer meeting over 35 years ago. Al was transferred to Houston and arrived in time to be part of the beginning of St. Luke Church in 1975. Marcia and Al were prayer leaders in Praise Gathering for 20 years. Deacon Al was a member of the first Pastoral Council and helped write our parish Concept of Giving and our first Vision and Mission Statement. Both Al and Marcia have been involved in many of the different ministries and found the people at St. Luke to be family to them. Many years ago, Al thought about becoming a Deacon, but decided to wait until the children were grown as it takes much time for education and ministry. Currently, Marcia and Al both teach classes in the diocese and work together in bringing educators and spiritual leaders to our parish for continuing growth of the community.

Deacon Jesse Tollett

Deacon Jesse is a Galveston boy, from a family of eight boys, whose mom did a great job spoiling all of them. Jesse married his wife, Linda, whom he met at Mt. Carmel High School in 1965 and they married in 1973. They have three adult children. In 1974 the Tolletts moved to the Sagemont area and became involved in our parish, as the pastor allowed the people of the parish to take ownership and develop a faith community that would be a light for the diocese. Jesse has served on our Pastoral Council, has been a cantor, Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist lector, hospital minister and a member of the grounds maintenance crew. He’s been involved with Bible Study, Praise Gathering, RCIA, and Faith Formation. Deacon Jesse learns each day more and more about God’s love for us and because of his love, Jesse feels drawn to serve Him.

Rev. James Burkart

Born: October 27, 1963 Place of Birth: Orange Texas Education: Graduate of West Orange-Stark High School 1982 Graduate of the University of Houston in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree Admitted as a Seminarian for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in August of 1987 Seminarian formation for 6 years Received his Masters of Divinity from University of St. Thomas in Houston in May of 1993. Ordained a Priest May 22, 1993 Received his Masters of Arts in Systematic Theology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston in 1994. Received his Masters of Arts Degree in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 2004 Prior Assignments: St. James the Apostle Parish in Spring Texas St. Theresa Parish in Houston Texas Pastor of Mary, Mother of God Parish in Hempstead July 1999 Pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Prairie View 2000 The above two Churches merged together in 2001 to become St. Katharine Drexel in Hempstead where Fr. Burkart was Pastor which was his last assignment before coming to St. Luke. On a Personal Note: During Fr. James’ college years he participated in a work-study program working at the Scene Shop in the Theater Department for most of the time he was at U of H. Once moving off campus, money seemed to always be short. As Fr. James became more known at St. Frances Cabrini, Fr. John Keller (the Pastor at the time) was willing to help him and this is how Father got started at St. Frances Cabrini. Father John was friends with Father Dominic (St. Luke’s Pastor at the time) and this is how Fr. James got started at St. Luke’s. Fr. James worked at both churches as a part-time janitor at night to help with rent, tuition, etc. When Father was in college he envisioned himself working in theatre. Fr. James had a great passion for Theater and tried everything he could to find a place for himself in that field. However, the more he began to get involved in the Church as an adult, the more he felt drawn to his true calling. During this time he heeded the call of Stewardship by teaching religious classes for 2nd grade, volunteering with middle & high school youth groups and eventually becoming a part-time Youth Minister at St. Frances Cabrini. Fr. James was blessed enough to be able to go with the youth of the diocese to Rome in 1984 for the first World Youth Day where he was truly touched and overwhelmed by the Universal Church and the common bond that all Catholics have. Due to this event and a gradual process of prayer, discernment and spiritual growth, Fr. James would come to perform on the greatest stage of all and help spread the news of the greatest script ever written. Father loves to read and scuba dive (although, due to allergies, he has not been able to scuba in several years), however, he still loves to be around water. He grew up on the bayous of Orange, TX where his father owned a boat marina. Fr. James enjoyed going horse back riding, but due to his hectic schedule has not had time to ride lately. However, he does volunteer with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as part of the Transportation Committee. Father does not have a favorite sport’s team, and organized sports were never a part of his life, however, he did study fencing in college for a while and he had LOTS of fun doing that.   We are very lucky to have Fr. James because of his past experience as the Pastor of St. Katharine Drexel. Father helped St. Katherine become what it is today from the ground up; from finding the land, to interviewing the architects and general contractors, to trying to get buildings on the property. Father will be an invaluable source of knowledge and guidance for St. Luke’s in our own quest to take our church to the next level with our own plans of “Building for the Future”! Father James really never worshiped here at St. Luke’s, but he spent many hours in prayer in the chapel in the middle of the nights. Father feels at peace and feels really good about God’s plans in bringing him to us. “Everyone has been wonderfully welcoming and supportive. There is already more on my plate than I know what to do with…but it will all get sorted out. I love the diversity of the parish. I think it is WONDERFUL that there are so many cultures and races represented here.” - Fr. James

Fr. Thomas Puthusseril

Fr. Thomas came to St. Luke in July 2007. He is a member of the religious order the Oblates of the Sacred Heart, from Kerala, India. He states: I was born May 1, 1951 and when I finished high school in 1967, I joined the Society of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart. After my preliminary studies in the minor seminary, I made my final profession of vows in the Society and took my seminary studies at St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary/College and was ordained a priest March 14, 1978. During my studies I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Theology. For the last twenty-nine years of my priestly life I served in the Archdiocese of Kottayam as a Pastor in several parishes. I also served the Society of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart in various capacities such as Rector, Novice Master, Counselor, Vicar General and Superior General. A word about my family: my father died in 1988 and my beloved mother and my seven siblings are still living in India. My mother is now 91 years young; I have three brothers and four sisters. One of my sisters is a nun and serves as the principal of the nursing college. I am happy to be here in St. Luke parish to serve you and your spiritual needs and will try my best to be available always. I request that you be kind enough to pray for me that I will be a better priest for Jesus and His people. Thank you for your kindness.