Hello: I am happy to introduce to you as Deacon John Maria and I was recently ordained by Bishop Ron Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois on the 5th of December 2020. I feel honored to be the first person that Bishop Ron Hicks ordained for the Roman Catholic Church as a transitional deacon. I owe a debt of gratitude and appreciation to Bishop Ron Hicks and our diocesan Vocation Director, Father Steven Borello for their wonderful support and guidance in helping me to reach the holy altar as deacon. Pretty soon God willing, I will be ordained as a priest. I also wish to mention to you that the day of my diaconate ordination was very memorable to me because it was the day of the fourth anniversary of the death of my mother, Mom Tita. I feel she was with me on this special special day. The ordination to the diaconate took place at St. Mary's Church in Mokena in the first parish which I was assigned. I was blessed to have a wonderful support and guidance by Father Dindo Billote who helped me a great deal. I am delighted and blessed to be assigned to St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield, Illinois as I start to prepare for my ordination to priesthood under the mentorship of Father Pat Mulcahy. If it pleases God, I will be ordained to the priesthood soon, hopefully this May 2021 and I will be doing special apostolate with the Deaf Community of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. I am very grateful to my religious Superior, Father Thomas Coughlin, Prior General of the Dominican Missionaries for helping me to achieve my goals of becoming a priest in the Diocese of Joliet. With God's grace, after my ordination to the priesthood, I will dedicate a major portion of my priestly service for the deaf and disabled people who need to hear God's words in Sign Language. I am also equally grateful to Father Burke Masters former Vocation Director and Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Joliet Daniel Conlon.