DEACON DAVID JOHNSON

At the age of ten, David Johnson was already making cherished memories; one of which was walking with his father to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, where he faithfully served as altar boy every Sunday. It was at this time when David received the sacred calling to become a priest.

As the years progressed, David was called to a different vocation. He met and married Pamela Mitchell. David and Pamela have been married for 35 years and have three grown children.

While David enjoyed he marriage and a 30 year career with the Houston Chronicle, the longing to serve still lingered with him. David’s parents had instilled the ideal of service to the needy at a very early age.

During his youth, one particular event had a profound effect on David. The live Passion Play at Blessed Sacrament made a deep impression; especially the image of the scourging, then Jesus hanging on cross. Suddenly, David grasped the idea that Jesus died for the salvation of all.

In 2007, well before David retired from The Chronicle, he began planning how to best use the rest of his life in service through the Catholic Church. David’s plan began with a five-year course of study in the deaconate at the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary. David received a degree in Pastoral Theology, leading to his proudest moment: investiture as a Permanent Deacon in 2012, ordained by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

David’s “dream job” came in 2015, when he joined Magnificat House as Director of Operations at Loaves & Fishes, the legendary downtown Houston soup kitchen. There he is charged with feeding a daily hot lunch to 250-400 of Houston’s neediest. He also counsels and assists with Sunday Mass on site. David credits his newspaper experience – managing 100 employees in a daily production line and distribution chain – with honing the skills he now needs to feed the hungry on a deadline.

David considers this post a fulfillment of his lifelong longing to offer hands-on service through the Corporal Works of Mercy as enumerated in Matthew 25. Magnificat House, which also houses the homeless and provides care for those with mental illness. This type of service offers David a unique opportunity to offer both spiritual and temporal service to those Christ loved most.

It is this conviction and dedication to service that positions David Johnson to be respectfully considered to be Clergy of the Year.

He’s chaplain of Knights of Columbus Southwest Council 3910 (chartered December 19, 1954) and was a recipient of the Certificate of Appreciation at the January 20^th, KC-sponsored, Archdiocese of Galveston Houston’s, Annual Clergy Appreciation Night, his eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, guest speaker.