ROME — Two seminarians from the Diocese of Madison, Timothy Mergen and Enan Zelinski, will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 9:30 a.m. at the Altar of the Chair in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
The ordaining bishop will be Bishop Robert Deeley of Portland, Maine, who serves as chairman of the North American College (NAC) Board of Governors and is a 1973 graduate of the college.
A total of 34 men will be ordained to the diaconate. Transitional deacons are those intending to become a priest.
Timothy Mergen
Mergen is the son of Denise and Greg Mergen, Madison, members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona.
He attended Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Monona; Edgewood High School, Madison; and the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. After college graduation, he served as an active duty pilot, captain, in the U.S. Air Force.
He studied at Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Md., and is currently in the fourth year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Enan Zelinski
Zelinski is the son of Mary and Todd Zelinski, Ixonia, members of St. Henry Parish, Watertown.
He attended kindergarten at St. Henry School, Watertown, and was homeschooled until college.
He spent two years at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., studying electrical engineering. He studied at St. Andrew Seminary, Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J., and is currently in the fourth year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.