God’s power, mercy bring healing to shattered family

Colin Meyer’s family: (front row left to right: daughter-in-law Eleanore, granddaughter Olivia, son Brandon, daughter Cassidy, and son-in-law Devin) Back row: wife Kirstin and candidate Colin. (ICR photo/Lisa Ormond)

St. Mary’s parishioner looks forward to new life as a deacon

By Lisa Ormond

ICR North Idaho Correspondent

On Palm Sunday, the Idaho Catholic Register sat down with acolyte Colin Meyer and his family at St. Mary’s Parish in Moscow to discuss Meyer’s spiritual diaconate journey. Meyer will be ordained June 5 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. Below are highlights of Meyer and his loved ones’ reflections.

Colin Meyer, 58, will be ordained a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Boise in just six weeks.

By his side on the altar and in the pews will be the people who matter most in his life to witness and celebrate the culmination of his powerful personal and spiritual journey of transformation and renewal.

He tried to explain how he felt about the upcoming sacramental ceremony in the presence of God after years of preparation and grace showered upon him, but he was rather speechless, which was “unusual” for him, as he attested.

“I think the best way I can describe how I feel right now is being wonderfully terrified,” he said. “It’s not really fear in the sense of being afraid, but being in right worship. A wise deacon once told me that God is not calling you to walk on water; he is calling you to walk in the mud with those who are deeply in need of your service.”

Joining Colin on the altar in receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders from Bishop Peter Christensen will be Jeremey Westmark, Keith Pettyjohn and Rodney Geilenfeldt.

As ordained ministers, these four men will serve their Lord, their local parish communities, and become part of the Diocese’s permanent diaconate, which numbers approximately 100 men across the state of Idaho.

“I am deeply grateful to have walked this faith journey alongside three godly men, filled with the Holy Spirit,” Colin said. “I trust that God will continue to knit our hearts together for a lifetime of brotherhood in Him.”

A new life given

Colin, a licensed massage therapist by trade, embraced his formation path for the past four years with all of his heart, soul and being. But first, there is an important pre-story to tell about Colin to better understand how he found his way to this religious vocation.

It begins with his family and the call to follow Christ.

“God took something that was seriously broken and crafted a new pot,” he said in reference to his rebirth. At age 49, Colin was baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil in 2017 at St. Mary’s Church, his current home parish.

“The day that I was baptized, I felt like I received more than just an indelible mark. I felt my whole soul, my heart change,” he said. “The person that I was before —the dark, angry, self-absorbed, self-serving person that I had been—was gone, washed away by the waters.”

Colin didn’t shy away from the mercy and the spiritual healing offered. He embraced the change wholeheartedly, seeking forgiveness and a new beginning with humility, especially with those he loved most—his family.

He attended RCIA classes with his two daughters and credits his eldest daughter, Ashley, for bringing him. “You see, she had a hard adolescent life, mostly, I’m sure, due to my nonexistence as a good father,” Colin recalled. “I felt the Holy Spirit worked through her to get to me.”

Mercy offered

The remainder of Colin’s faith story is nothing short of a miracle and a real-life testament to the power of the Holy Spirit. He said everything changed the moment the baptismal water hit his head. “It completely changed me. Thanks be to God!” he said. He never looked back, only upward to heaven with love, gratitude and a desire to be His devout servant.

“My favorite saint is St. Paul (known before his conversion as Saul), because his journey mirrors my own in many ways,” Colin said. “Like him, I experienced a kind of blindness before truly seeing and submitting to God’s will. His life is a beautiful reminder of how God can transform us, no matter where we start.”

Kirstin is his wife of 35 years and a cradle Catholic, and she faithfully walked with him through it all.

“Colin got saved by God—He saved his marriage and family,” Kirstin said. “There were addictions, abuse, belittling, controlling and lots of anger to work through.”

Colin described Kirstin as his “life force and true guiding light” throughout their marriage, and now she stands beside him in his communal pastoral service as a deacon, too.

“I thank God for my wife. He has blessed me with such a patient, kind and loving partner,” Colin said. “She is truly a reflection of Christ’s love in our ministry.”

With a compassionate tone in her voice, she responded: “There’s still a lot of healing that needs to happen, but now we have a pleasant marriage.”

Road to redemption and restoration

When Colin decided to pursue God, embrace his faith, and let the Holy Spirit enter his heart fully, visible, continuous shifts followed in him and within his family’s hearts as well.

His youngest daughter, Cassidy, 23, shared what she witnessed and lived.

“I really feel Jesus came into our life and fixed our family.”

Before Colin’s baptism, she said there were times she feared her dad and couldn’t talk to him, so, she would just go to her mom.

“But all that changed when we started going to church; a bond started to form between us,” Cassidy said.

Colin’s son Brandon, 25, shared what he witnessed and experienced. “Throughout my childhood, I was confused by my father,” he said. But Brandon said their relationship now was “definitely stronger” since his dad was “willing to listen,” and now he’s there for him as a father, unlike before. “I’m proud and inspired by him,” Brandon said.

Eleanor is Brandon’s wife. She has known Colin for 10 years. “Colin is a great example that people can change,” Eleanor said. “He’s a really, really great father-in-law.”

Devin is Colin’s son-in-law and the newest member of the family, having married his daughter, Cassidy, in February.

“It is good to see what a life with Jesus could be and what a family is like with God at the center,” he said.

Devin himself was baptized and confirmed Catholic just weeks ago at the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Mary’s in Moscow.

“Colin has been a good role model for me,” Devin added.

The deacon called to come

The next fork in the faith-traveled road for Colin and his family was the diaconate program. Colin shared how divine intervention made this choice clear for him. “I think there wasn’t so much that an ‘event’ led me there; it was more like a thunk on my stubborn head,” he said. “It came about through continued service in the Church. I was doing laundry, ironing, and then one day I was praying while ironing and I asked the Lord, ‘What more could I do for you?’ and that was that.”

Colin said right away he went to his wife Kirstin to “float the idea” by her. This was in 2018.

“I told her I think I’m being called to be a deacon, and I didn’t even know what a deacon was or did,” he said. “So, what was her reaction? She laughed!”

Kirstin explained more about her initial reaction.

“God and Colin weren’t something I ever pictured. I wondered to myself whether he was trying to do ‘something more’ to look good to others,” Kirstin said. Quickly, his true intentions became clear to her and the rest of their family through his committed actions.

Stepping forward in faith

For Colin, entering diaconate formation was another obedient step of surrender to the Lord.

“While the formation requires commitment, it is also a time of tremendous personal and spiritual growth,” he said.

“Before entering the diaconate program, there was a quiet restlessness in me, a sense that something was missing, a gift or a calling I didn’t yet understand,” he shared.

“Through this formation, God has patiently brought light to that uncertainty that I’m His beloved child, and my faith has become the steady foundation that guides every part of my life.”

Colin recognized two specific areas of growth in his spiritual development over the past four years. The first was prayer, and the second was Eucharistic Adoration.

“For me, prayer has become the constant thread that keeps my heart open to Him. My prayer life has grown in depth and meaning, helping me navigate challenges, discover purpose, and deepen my love for others,” he said.

“The most important Catholic ritual for me is Eucharistic Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a sacred pause for me to simply be with Jesus, to sit in His presence and let His love speak to my heart. It deepens my relationship with Him beyond the Mass, offering peace, healing and clarity in the midst of my life’s challenges.”

What deacons do

Colin’s observation is that most parishioners don’t truly know or see how deacons serve the Church.

“Our contributions go way beyond the altar,” he said. “Through our faithful service, God’s love is made real, faith is nurtured, and His kingdom grows among us.”

Through his interactions with his community, he makes efforts to educate.

“They don’t get to see our ministry efforts on the ground—that we go out to the homebound, assist families in crisis, help guide marriage preparation, support OCIA and more,” he said. “God’s love becomes visible and tangible through our pastoral service.”

He explained the role of the deacon is to dedicate themselves to selfless service.

“I have learned to see my work not just as a job, but as a vocation, as a way to offer the gifts God has entrusted to me for the good of His people,” he said.

Arms open wide

Colin said he is ready and joyfully awaits what is next in his discipleship journey with Christ as His ordained minister in the Diocese of Boise.

“I wake up every day, and I thank God for allowing me to serve,” he said.

He explained more about how he views his “gifts” and how they will shape his role going forward.

“I feel God has called me to be a ‘people’s deacon,’ someone who can be relied upon to respond whenever there is a need, someone whose ministry is defined by presence, care and compassion.”

And for those in the Moscow-area Catholic community where he’ll serve, he seeks to be a “visible reminder” of what Jesus embodied.

“By pointing to Christ, the Church helps people discover meaning, purpose and joy amid the noise of contemporary culture. The ever-increasing use of social media and busyness also challenge spiritual life,” he said. “Pastoral outreach today must meet people where they are, offering opportunities for prayer, reflection and community that fit into the rhythm of daily life.”

Whatever he may do as a deacon in the years to come, Colin wholeheartedly seeks to be present and purposeful, offering hope and renewal to all those he encounters.

“I want people to know that their parish community cares for them,” Colin said. “For me, each day is a chance to walk more fully in His plan, to serve with joy, and to reflect His love in everything I do.”