Meet Our Diaconate Candidates

Wydmarck Kwan

I was born and raised in Cebu City, Philippines. Being the eldest child of three, I witnessed how my parents strove hard to provide us with the best education they could afford. In my case, I was blessed to receive basic education in a private Catholic school ran by the Salesians of Don Bosco. I did my elementary and high school in Don Bosco Technical School. For university education, I went to a university ran by Augustinian Recollects, called University of San-Jose Recoletos, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Development in 2000. Although I was educated in Catholic schools, I honestly was one of those adolescents who were a bit self-centered and who didn’t really care about Catholic faith. My life took a 180 degree turn when I was around 18 or 19, when I had a profound religious experience during a weekend retreat. I attended this retreat because of my parent’s promptings. A few months earlier, they both joined a Catholic Charismatic group for married couples in our parish. I witnessed their spiritual transformation as they became more and more involved in our parish community. When our parish organized a charismatic weekend retreat for the youth, my parents were relentless in making sure that I participate in this event. Through this retreat and by God’s grace, I experienced Christ in a deeply personal way. This experience has led me to make life choices that involved discernment for God’s will and purpose in my life. I became actively involved in our parish youth ministry and was discerning for religious life within the last three years of university. After graduation, I entered the Philippine Province Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, and received priesthood seminary formation for seven years. After seven years of formation, it became clear to me that I was not called to the priesthood vocation. What was clear to me then, was that my calling entails serving in the faith formation of the youth as a lay person. In this sense, God has led me to Campus Ministry work in a Jesuit-run university called Ateneo de Davao. I met Julie, who became my wife in 2008, in Ateneo. She served as campus ministry head in the grade school; while I was assigned in the college department. Our married life was deepened by a shared vision and common goal to make Christ known and loved in our respective school communities. In 2013, God has blessed us with a beautiful boy, Jeremy. To this day, Jeremy remains to be our only son. Life, for us, took another sudden turn. Through sheer God’s providence, we found ourselves migrating to Canada as permanent residents upon entry in 2016. Like all immigrants, we faced uncertainties in transitioning life in a foreign country and culture. But then again, if there is one thing we were certain is this: that God, who paved this way for us, has sent us to share our ministerial gifts as lay persons for the Catholic Church in Canada. Our journey of faith in Canada has been a testament of God’s mercy and providence. We volunteered in parish communities and was involved in married life faith formation through the Couples for Christ community. I graduated with an MDiv, STB degree from Regis College and consequently was hired as chaplaincy leader, under the Niagara Catholic District School Board in 2021. We, as a family, became Canadian citizens in 2022. Our journey of faith eventually took Julie and I towards discerning for the permanent diaconate. Please do keep us in your prayers as we undergo this process of discernment and formation as collaborators of Christ’s kingdom for his Church in Canada.

Autobiography written by Wydmarck Kwan.

 Jean Max Philome

My name is Jean Max Philome, born in June 1972 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, into a loving Christian family. My parents, Christian Philome and Clairicia Louis, profoundly shaped my life and faith. Though they are now with Jesus, their legacy of morality, respect, and unwavering faith in Him continues to inspire and guide me. As the fifth of eleven siblings, I grew up in a close-knit and supportive family environment.

Marie Ange and I have been blessed in our marriage since October 2003. Together, we have two wonderful children, Rose-Arielle and Maximilian Oliver. I consider my family as the greatest accomplishment in my life.

From a young age, I dedicated my life to vocational service in the church and my community. Guided by Ecclesiastes 9:10a, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,” I have always sought to serve wholeheartedly. Through these experiences, the Lord has drawn me into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ a constant source of joy and fulfillment. My faith grew stronger through youth ministry. God preserved me from straying from His path and cultivated in me a heart for service. To this day, I find immense joy in helping others, which motivates me to say “yes” whenever someone asks for assistance. Making someone’s day brighter remains one of my greatest joys.

This same passion for service inspires my community involvement. Over the last ten years, I have volunteered with organizations such as Hamilton/Niagara Community Health Centre, Habitat for Humanity, Niagara Health System, the Canadian Cancer Society, Niagara College, and the Multicultural Center in Fort Erie.

Currently, I serve as a volunteer at Sacré-Cœur Parish in Welland, the Knights of Columbus, and Canadian Tire Corporation.

In addition to my passion for service, I have pursued an academic and professional development, as I hold a bachelor’s degree in business management, a bachelor’s degree in science of accounting, and certifications in human resources management and health and safety from the Ontario Ministry of Labor. I am also a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) in Ontario under HRPA.

My professional journey has been diverse. I began my career managing a restaurant for four years while attending university before transitioning to Human Resources’ field, where I worked for 13 years. Currently, I now work in Fraud Investigation at Canadian Tire Bank. Additionally, I serve as the current trustee for the regions of Welland and Port Colborne for the French Catholic School Board MonAvenir.

Living in Canada has enriched my perspective and broadened my horizons. As a bilingual individual, I bring a deep understanding of cultural diversity, religious interpretation, and a profound love for all people.

I feel deeply blessed and joyful as I embark on this journey of becoming a Deacon. At the start of my diaconate formation, I reflected: “You may have taken something seriously, but that thing you’ve been taking seriously may need to be taken even more seriously at a certain point in your life based on who you truly are.”

I am immensely grateful to have the agreement and the full support of my wife, the support of my children, my 10 siblings and my childhood friends. However, I humbly ask for your prayers as I seek to fulfill God’s will through this ministry. My heart is open, and I am excited to see how the Lord will continue to use me to serve His Kingdom and His people with faith and love.

Autobiography written by Jean Max Philome

Joseph Abad

 I was born in the Philippines and grew up in a strong Roman Catholic family.  I attended a Jesuit Catholic school through the fifth grade.  Growing up in the Philippines, my grandmother was the person who kept me close to the Catholic faith.  I was an altar server and would accompany her to daily mass. My parents brought me to mass every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation. 

With the government intervention in the Philippine financial market, our family looked to immigrating to America. My parents came to America first to establish a solid foundation for the children to settle. We came later and settled in the United States when I was twelve. 

Setting foot in America, I realized that not all people believed or were associated with the Catholic Church.  I grew up thinking Roman Catholicism was the one and only religion.  My parents were striving to make my older brothers, myself, and younger sister get a good college education. Before I graduated high school my father fell gravely ill.  I saw the devastation to my family, especially my mother, who held my father in high esteem break down, when my father was given a shortened life expectancy.   I made a promise to myself to become financially and physically independent if my father should pass. I realized that I could not be a burden to my family who would be financially supporting me through college. 

I joined the military after high school which was a sure way to get employment and pursue my engineering degree.  As a self-centered, arrogant, young teenager, I thought I knew best.  My father looked at me and said, "What if there is a war, then you lose everything if you die.”  My high self esteem, boastful naive self said to my father, “There will be no war.” 

 Desert Shield came and I was called in to support the war.  Upon Iraq invasion into Kuwait, I was given orders to go to theater and defend Kuwait, in Desert Storm.  In the military, I was trained in operational survival in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical, non-conventional warfare.  Naive and ignorant, I thought I would get to see the Middle East.  There was a good chance that the Middle Eastern war would escalate to this non-conventional warfare.  As the war progressed from Desert Shield to Desert Storm, I was transferred to an operational training unit to get the other units, supplied and prepared for inevitable.   My unit was set to go when the ground war started. Then it was over and, my unit was told to stand down.  I lost a few friends and realized a few of them came back totally changed. 

This started a spiral in my spiritual life. I learned to detach myself and focus on the objective. When I came back from Desert Storm, I did not see life as young arrogant, kid anymore.  I began to ask myself what is the true religion and who was this person who appeared two thousand years ago.  After a long trip through the southwestern United States, I vowed to search, understand, and seek the one true God. I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. 

Unfortunately, I fell further away from the Catholic Church.  I began to explore other religions, from Jewish, to various protestant denominations, to stranger beliefs.  I did notice that a strong Catholic background gave me the foundation to ask the right questions and keep close to the Catholic faith. 

I worked as a manufacturing process engineer in the electromechanical field, building the foundational instruments for the fledgling internet, semi-autonomous robots, automated medical instruments, and computers.  Other positions brought me to work as a software applications engineer. At the same time, I was the regional Northeast US manager for a porcelain doll kiosks in various malls.  I also managed a few mall stores that sold music boxes, calendars and Christmas toys. I also worked for a defense contractor, HVAC automation and locomotive project engineer.  I was lost and needed something to fill my life.  

I met someone who I thought would give me insight and purpose.  We had a couple of children.  I soon realized, her focus on drugs, partying and alcohol was her god.  We parted ways.  At this point, my life had a big hole.  I refocused and came back to the Catholic church gradually. 

 I became a volunteer and sponsor in the RCIA program at the Catholic Church.  I realized then, I did not know my faith and did not know God as I should.  I started reading more on the Bible, desert fathers, Thomas Aquinas, the saints, St Augustin, and realized more what was lacking in my life.  I volunteered with Rebuilding Together, a group of like minded Christians who rebuilt houses for the elderly and underprivileged people who could not afford to maintain and repair their homes.  Construction Hardware supply warehouses, like Home Depot, Lowes, True Value Hardware, donated materials and I donated my skills and labor.  I became the materials manager and in some cases a House Captain who trained and guided volunteers on repairs and replacement of much needed work.  I also volunteered the Listening House, a place where the homeless could park themselves in a safe area to rest, get supplies, read, and be treated with dignity.  I was a program facilitator for the Just Faith ministries.  

To be close to the Catholic church, I became an acolyte, an extraordinary eucharistic minister, and liturgical minister.  I also volunteered as a maintenance technician for the oldest Basilica in North America.  Being close to Church made me feel closer to God, and provided me purpose.

 At this point, I was discerning whether an ordained chaste life in the priesthood or diaconate was for me.  As a volunteer maintenance technician for the Basilica,   doing some work at the sacristy, I ran across a wonderful, compassionate, empathetic volunteer whose company I adored.  What I did not know was she was at the Basilica in passing, on her way to Canada.  I was smitten by this woman.  We struck up conversation and got to know each other more in a long distance manner,  She was in Canada, I was in America.  I managed to get transferred to New York where I could get closer to where she lived.  We got married and now am blessed with her.  I realized later that she was also in search for spiritual cohesiveness with our Lord as I was.  We share the same enthusiasm in learning more and being closer to God.

 I was given the grace and mercy by our Lord to discover him, and be a servant to the church and to provide me a wife who supports me.  I ask you that pray for me as I go through my diaconate formation and discernment and to fulfill whatever God has planned for me. 

Autobiography written by Joseph Abad