Deacon Odland Finds Physical and Spiritual Home in the Diocese of Baton Rouge

Deacon David Odland traveled broadly and moved around for many years until putting down roots with his family in Gonzales. Over the years, God had placed in his mind the thought that he should become a deacon. When he found a place to call “home,” the Lord conveyed “now is the time” to answer the call to the diaconate, which had been on his mind for years.

Bishop Michael G. Duca ordained Deacon Odland, 64, and Deacon Byron Bordelon, 63, to the permanent diaconate My 24  at St. Joseph Cathedral.

Deacon Odland grew up in Denver, Colorado. He attended Catholic schools with strong Catholic traditions, including the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

After college Deacon Odland served in the United States Army for four years and was stationed in Japan. He then went back to school at Cornell University in New York and received a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

The deacon then worked for Mobil Corporation, which is now ExxonMobil Oil. His career required him to move around the country, starting on the East Coast and then the West Coast.

Deacon Odland, who is the father of three and husband of Kay’d, met Kay’d while he was in California.
 Top right photo: Bishop Michael G. Duca presents Deacon Odland with the Book of the Gospels. 
Photos by Abry Layrisson | Digital Media Manager, 
Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Above photo: Bishop Michael Duca lays his hands on Deacon Odland’s head and gives a prayer of blessing.​
About nine years ago, the Odlands moved to Gonzales and Deacon Odland worked for Marathon Petroleum. They are members of St. John the Evangelist Church in Prairieville.

Deacon Odland had thought about joining the diaconate when he was in his 30s and lived in California. But he never “stayed in one place” long enough to enter formation.

“When we got down here to Louisiana and after we settled in for a few years, I realized that we were going to retire here and stay here. It was time,” said Odland, who recently retired from Marathon Oil.

After Deacon Odland attended an ACTS retreat, he was moved to inquire into becoming a deacon. He talked to Father Jerry Martin, then pastor of St. John. Father Martin put him in touch with Father Jamin David, vicar general of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, who was then director of diaconate formation for the diocese.

The diaconate discernment sessions for Deacon Odland were originally scheduled from January to May, 2020, but they were cut short because of COVID.

“Going through the application process was tricky because I had to go through all the testing and everything with everything shut down,” Deacon Odland said. “We muscled through it. That year was tough.”

The deacon believes having gone through that process, plus his life experiences and background in raising children, will help him be prepared for the challenges of the diaconate.

Because he did not have to write much as an engineer, Deacon Odland found writing papers and reading complicated theological information difficult. Kay’d supported him through his formation process and will continue to do so through his vocational journey, he said.

“I’ve been in Catholic Schools forever, and I thought I had a solid basis (of the faith). But after the theology lessons I’ve been through, even now I’m scratching the surface. There’s so much to it. It’s a very humbling experience.”

The deacon looks forward to learning more about serving the people of God through the diaconate.

“It has been an interesting journey that brought us physically to Louisiana and now spiritually to the diaconate. We look forward to the new adventures that lie ahead,” Deacon Odland said.

Bishop Duca has appointed Deacon Odland as deacon assistant at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant with his assigned ministry of charity to serve the spiritual needs of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.