There are moments in a person’s life that, in retrospect, seem to have been quietly pointing in one direction all along. For Deacon Christopher Voigt, those moments stretch back decades: to a four-year-old boy making a conscious decision to follow Christ; to a profound encounter with the Eucharist that planted a seed he could not yet name; an Abrahamic calling to the Diocese; and to a bishop in Brisbane who offered what would later prove to be an almost prophetic word of patience. 

Last weekend, all of those threads converged as Christopher was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate at Sacred Heart Cathedral. It is a moment he describes not as his own, but as God’s. 

"The ordination is less about me and more about ordaining a new deacon in service of God, for the Church in this Diocese, at this time." Christopher Voigt

A calling that would not be silenced

The road to ordination was anything but straightforward. Christopher first sensed a call to ordained ministry as a young man and initially considered the priesthood. However, over time, marriage and family life revealed a different expression of that vocation. Today, he and his wife Gillian are raising six children, but the sense of calling never disappeared. 

“That call never went away,” Christopher says. “It deepened and grew over time, and eventually I came to understand that I was actually being called to the diaconate.” 

Christopher first formally explored the possibility in 2013 through the Archdiocese of Brisbane, at a time when he and his wife were expecting their fourth child. After discussions with his bishop, the discernment was that while the vocation appeared genuine, the timing was not yet right. 

“If I recall, his advice was to ‘revisit this in about ten years’ time, because your family is going to need you in these formative years,’” Christopher says. 

It proved to be wise counsel. In the years that followed, Christopher continued serving the Church in a variety of full-time ministry roles while raising his growing family. Quietly and steadily, the call to the diaconate continued to strengthen. 

Along the way, Christopher came to understand the diaconate as a ministry deeply rooted in service to the bishop and the wider Church. That understanding shaped much of his formation and willingness to go wherever he was needed. On three separate occasions, he discerned a call to leave behind the familiar and take up ministry in a new place and role. 

Then, almost ten years after that initial conversation, the call began returning in unexpected ways. 

“Almost every second person was coming to me and saying, ‘Have you thought about the diaconate?’” he says. “And I thought, ‘Alright, God. I get the message.’” 

For Christopher, the diaconate was never a passing idea. He simply knew there was a right time for it. In the end, the advice he had received years earlier proved prophetic.

Christopher's vision for ministry

Through his years of formation, Christopher says God has continued to open his heart to a deeper love for God’s people and a growing desire to share the hope of Jesus Christ with others. Along the way, he has also come to understand suffering as an essential part of the Christian journey, something not to be avoided, but united with the suffering of Christ. 

Ask Christopher what he is most looking forward to in diaconal ministry and his answer is both pastoral and far-reaching. At the top of the list is proclaiming the Gospel and breaking open the Word of God for others. He is also especially drawn to the ministry of Baptism, not simply as a sacramental moment, but as a privileged opportunity to accompany people as they begin their journey of faith. 

“I see real richness in that,” he says. “It’s a wonderful gift to support people as they begin that journey of faith.” 

At the centre of Christopher’s vocation is evangelisation. After more than 13 years of full-time ministry within the Church, he brings both experience and vision to the challenge of reaching those who may feel disconnected from faith or the wider Church community. 

He speaks enthusiastically about the potential of programs such as Alpha as spaces of accompaniment and encounter, and about the opportunities he sees within men’s ministry. 

“As young men come to the Church, their whole family tends to follow them in that journey,” he says. “So, it can be a really rich space for ministry.” 

Christopher also senses a growing call to serve those living on the margins. 

“There’s a desire in me to serve people who are struggling and simply need to know the love of God in real, practical ways,” he says. 

Exactly what shape that ministry will take is still unfolding. 

“The Holy Spirit will certainly enlighten me as we journey together.” Christopher Voigt

The Ordination

For Christopher, the Ordination was deeply personal, but not in the way many might assume. He speaks of it less as an achievement and more as an offering: a life placed in service of God and the Church at this particular moment in time. 

“It’s less about me,” he explains, “and more about being the vessel God has chosen to use to serve His people and help grow the faith.” 

That understanding is reflected in the scriptures chosen for the Ordination liturgy, particularly the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. In that passage, Philip comes alongside a searching stranger, opens the scriptures to him, and baptises him after leading him into an encounter with Christ. For Christopher, it is a compelling image of the ministry he hopes to live: accompanying people, breaking open the Word of God, and helping others find their place within the life of faith. 

“At the heart of any ordained vocation is service,” he says. “Giving our whole life to God, serving His people and laying down our lives for the sake of the Gospel.” 

Reflecting on his Ordination, Christopher describes it as a deeply graced, blessed and profoundly moving experience.

“During the prostration before the Altar and the Litany of the Saints, I felt the warmth and overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit move right through my body. It is difficult to put into words just how powerful that moment was,” Christopher said.

Now ordained, he looks ahead with a sense of openness and trust in where God may lead him next.

“I am looking forward to discovering how God wishes to use me in this new season of ministry, in ways different to how he has already worked through my life.”

A word for those still discerning

For anyone sitting with a question they are not quite sure how to name, a sense of call that keeps returning or a nudge that will not quite go away, Christopher’s counsel is straightforward. 

“Keep searching, keep exploring, keep asking questions, and most importantly keep praying” he says. “But ultimately, just keep saying yes to God. And the more that you do, the more God will guide you into spaces you never thought possible.” 

“It’s such a joyful ride to throw yourself into the hands of the Holy Spirit, allow God to lead you, and just step forward in faith,” he says. 

From a four-year-old’s quiet yes to a calling confirmed across decades, Deacon Christopher Voigt steps into his ministry as a man who has learned, one step at a time, to let God do the leading. 

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle rejoices and celebrates with him. 

 

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