Holy Trinity is very fortunate to have Deacon Greggory Golemo as a member of its religion department. He brings 21 years of teaching experience having taught at the high school and junior college levels.
Deacon Golemo has been married to his wife, Camilla, for 35 years. They have four grown children: Kathleen, Neil, Benjamin and Elizabeth. He holds a B.A. degree in psychology and anthropology and has graduate hours in social work and public administration. He retired in May 2008 after 34 years with the Illinois Department of Human Services where he was a social worker and local office administrator.
Deacon Golemo and his wife are members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hamilton, Ill., where he was an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, lector, sacristan, parish trustee and CCD instructor for 25 years. He was ordained May 19, 2007, by Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC, bishop of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois.
Deacon Golemo is currently assigned to Sacred Heart Church in Warsaw, Ill. and St. Mary’s Church in Hamilton, Ill., in addition to his teaching duties at Holy Trinity, where he is responsible for teaching the 12th-grade religion classes. This class is an adult living course for high school students. Its emphasis is to prepare the senior students for their entry into their adult roles, with a strong Catholic, social, moral and ethical perspective.
Teaching is something that Deacon Golemo finds both personally challenging and rewarding. “I really enjoy the exchange of ideas that occur in the classroom. These are some really neat people, and they are our future. They surprise me every day with their sincerity, their generosity and their sense of humor. They also teach me as much as I teach them, every day.”
When Deacon Golemo was asked what he wishes to instill in his students, he had this to say.
“As a student of sacred Scripture, I take the call of Jesus to ‘bring the children to me’ literally. My ministry as a deacon is a call to service to all the members of his church family. What better way to do that than to help the formation of young minds? The seniors that I teach are no more than five years from finishing school, entering the job market, marriage and parenting. It is a staggering responsibility.
“Many of my students have been a part of the parochial school system their entire academic careers. They are encouraged at HTC to think and expand their personal horizons. They will be leaving the comfort zone of HTC. They never have experienced in their formal education the challenges that the secular world presents to a person of faith. Our objective in senior theology is to give them the moral and intellectual tools they will need to make wise choices for the remainder of their adult lives.
“We also want them to be prepared to assume leadership roles, as adult Roman Catholic members of our society. The opportunity to share in this personal journey of discernment is an honor.”
