By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
Deacon Ryan Sales has always felt a call to serve; and he has found many ways to do it—as a member of the Canadian Air Force, a paramedic, a homicide detective. But it wasn’t until he became deacon that his call to service gained focus: as a call to serve God and His Church.
Deacon Sales was born in Alberta, Canada, into a home that was far from Catholic.
“I had a fallen away Catholic, an agnostic, an atheist, and a Jehovah’s Witness as parents,” Deacon Sales said, referencing his parents and stepparents, “so, not exactly a milieu which would lend itself to a coherent view of God.”
Despite that early environment, Deacon Sales found his way to the Church. He credits “three wise women,” as he calls them, who were catalysts to his conversion.
The first wise woman was his paternal grandmother, who took him to a Protestant Sunday school during his youth; there, Deacon Sales received his first Bible. Although not Christian, the boy found himself occasionally turning to that Bible for comfort and guidance during moments of trial. This was the first seed of his conversion, Deacon Sales said.
The second wise woman was his wife, Anna. Deacon Sales met Anna, a devout Catholic from the Philippines, in an online chat room in young adulthood. After a few months of talking online, he flew to the Philippines to meet her. The two were married that same year, Aug. 17, 2003, and moved to Canada to start their lives together.
At the time of their marriage, Deacon Sales was not Catholic; but as he noticed his wife’s devotion to her Catholic faith, he began to grow curious.
“She had this beautiful faith,” he said, “and she was one of those perfect evangelists who, when you asked her what the source of her joy was, she would tell you that it was her relationship with Jesus Christ.”
He began attending Mass with his wife at St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Red Deer, Alberta. There, at the Blessed Mother’s church under a looming 30-foot-tall crucifix, he got the sense that Mother Mary—the third wise woman—was inviting him to the foot of her Son’s cross. Then, he came to realize that this Mother of God loved him.
“I couldn’t explain it, but I knew it in my heart,” he said. “It was through her that I finally came to know our Lord.”
Deacon Sales was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church in 2006 while visiting his wife’s family in the Philippines.
Answering the call
At the time of his conversion, Deacon Sales worked as a police officer in Red Deer, Alberta. His goal, when he began his work, had been simply to enforce the law well; but after his conversion to Catholicism, he began to have a more expanded view of the job. The people he interacted with were not just criminals to him; they were children of God worthy of love and respect.
This realization impacted the way he worked. Deacon Sales recalled one instance when a man he arrested immediately broke down crying; the man explained that it was his son’s birthday, that he had missed his birthdays in the past, and that he was trying to be a better father. Out of compassion, Deacon Sales allowed the man to return to his family for a short time before arrest to celebrate the occasion.
“Giving him that gift was a source of great joy,” the deacon recalled.
As Deacon Sales’ faith matured, his desire to serve grew. That desire eventually led him to the permanent diaconate.
The idea of becoming a deacon first entered Deacon Sales’ consciousness shortly after his baptism. Two of his priest friends had pitched the idea. But at the time, Deacon Sales was canonically too young to be a deacon, and his concept of the deaconate was flimsy; still, the “seed of the deaconate” was planted.
Almost a decade later, the call persisted. In 2014, he began his formation for the permanent deaconate; and in 2018, he became a deacon of the Catholic Church.
Voices of Faith
Deacon Ryan Sales has always felt a call to serve; and he has found many ways to do it—as a member of the Canadian Air Force, a paramedic, a homicide detective. But it wasn’t until he became deacon that his call to service gained focus: as a call to serve God and His Church.
In this episode of Voices of Faith, Deacon Sales shares the story of his journey of faith and how his ministry has taken him from Alberta, Canada, to the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.
An icon of Christ
Since he first considered joining the order of deacons, Deacon Sales’ understanding of his vocation has evolved. While his focus used to be largely on liturgical action—baptizing children, witnessing marriages, celebrating funeral liturgies—he now has a deeper understanding of what it is to be a servant of the Church. The deacon said he sees his vocation as a call to be a “living, breathing icon of Christ the servant amongst the people.”
Deacon Sales currently serves in the campus ministry office of the University of Dallas in Irving. The move to Texas followed a transition to ministry work after his 25 years in public safety. On campus, the deacon supports the spiritual life of the community in a host of ways—as a spiritual director, as a mentor for marriage preparation and for the UD men’s society, and as an assigned deacon at the Church of the Incarnation, among other ministries.
“From the first day Deacon began his time in campus ministry at UD, it was evident his primary role was to be here for UD students,” senior Rebecca Leonard said. “What I find most inspiring is that even with all his work, he always makes time for student outreach.”
“He is always available to any student for prayer, guidance, mentorship, and genuine friendship,” another UD student, Peter Key, remarked.
Karen Bless, who works alongside the deacon in campus ministry, said that his arrival has changed the university for the better.
“We are beyond blessed to have him here,” Bless said. “Deacon Ryan very much understands the nature of the diaconate, that he should be a servant first and foremost and be among the people in all of their celebrations, sorrows, joys, and messiness.”
Affectionately referred to as “Deac” by UD students and staff, Deacon Sales said he strives to live his vocation with “radical availability” to those on campus. As part of this effort, the deacon opens his home each Monday to students who would like to join his family for dinner.
Pedro Rubio, a UD senior, shared that these family dinners helped him through a difficult transition, as he discerned out of the seminary last spring. The deacon’s home, an on-campus apartment, became a respite to Rubio.
“(He) made his family in a way available to me as a place to come and just rest,” Rubio said. “‘Diakonos’ is the word for servant, and I think that pretty well summarizes Deacon to me… He really has made all of his life available to us.”
Tommy Tellson, who met Deacon Sales while working at the university’s counseling center, said the deacon helped him begin his own journey to the deaconate. Tellson witnessed the way the deacon lived out his call to service, especially through his reverence in the Mass and his ministry to students, and began to consider the vocation.
“He really helped me to understand the role of the deacon in the Church,” Tellson, who is currently in his second year of deaconate formation, said. “The way that he loves his ministry, the way that he loves the students, the way that he serves… The way that he loves is probably the thing that is most inspirational.”
Cutline for featured image: Deacon Ryan Sales serves the University of Dallas community as director of campus ministry and deacon at the Church of the Incarnation in Irving. Affectionately referred to as “Deac” by members of the UD community, the deacon is known for his “radical availability” to those he serves. (AMY WHITE/The Texas Catholic
