Deacon Allison sees 'hand of God' in his vocational call

Deacon Don Allison has seen the hand of God working his life through blessings and protection. When the deacon pondered the “why” of it all, God’s guiding hand then ushered him into the office of deacon.

Bishop Duca ordained Deacon Allison and three other men to the diaconate Aug. 12 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge.

A native of Pineville, Deacon Allison graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

He and his wife, Beth, have three daughters, two sons-in-law and three grandsons. The Allisons became members of St. Aloysius Church in Baton Rouge after they moved across the city to live near their eldest daughter and their grandchildren.

When they married, Beth was Catholic, but Deacon Allison was not. After they had their first daughter, Deacon Allison went through the RCIA program at St. George Church in Baton Rouge and joined the Catholic Church in 1984 at the Vigil Mass at St. George.

In 2019, Deacon Allison retired after more than 40 years as a CPA, business consultant and governmental affairs professional. In 2017, while planning his retirement, the big question came up, “What am I going to do after I retire?” said Deacon Allison. Thoughts such as playing golf came to mind.

But God’s plan for Deacon Allison began to develop when he attended the ordination of his friend, Pat Broussard, a former priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 2017.

“At his ordination they were also ordaining a transitional deacon (now Father Tim Grimes) and that struck my eye and ear,” said Deacon Allison. “This young man was being ordained a transitional deacon (in his last year of formation before being ordained a priest).

“I thought becoming a (permanent) deacon would be something I could do in my retirement that might be interesting and a better way to spend my time than just playing golf and other things. That was the moment I got the tap on the shoulder or the ‘knock on the head.’ That’s the moment the Holy Spirit first hit me with the idea of exploring becoming a deacon.”

A man doesn’t “decide” to become a deacon.” Its responding to a calling, noted Deacon Allison.



Along with the “stirrings of the Holy Spirit” at Pat Broussard’s ordination Mass, there were brushes with death in Deacon Allison’s life that also moved him toward the diaconate.

The first brush of death came when Deacon Allison was shot at close range during a robbery and attempted murder in 1996.  The deacon’s experiences with the criminal justice system and discovery of how some inmates who have commited horrendous crimes can turn their life around, especially when turning their lives over to Christ, ultimately led him to be actively involved with the Louisiana Parole Project and to his diaconal ministry of charity, prison ministries.

The second was surviving two heart attacks days apart in 2004 that left him with 100 percent blockage in one of the main arteries of his heart.

In all these cases, doctors were amazed that he survived.

“I’d often look back and say, ‘Wow, why me? Why did I survive these? Most people don’t survive gunshots at point blank range. Most people don’t survive heart attacks that completely block a very important artery. Why me? What’s going on?’

“Well God wasn’t through with me; he just threw me back. Looking back, it all makes sense that God has the diaconate in mind for me,” Deacon Allison said.
Throughout diaconate formation, there were lots of ups and downs. But during the process, Deacon Allison and his classmates became close.

“When any of us faced challenges, we supported each other tremendously,” said Deacon Allison.

Another thing that helped him during the challenging times were certain Scripture verses and messages from God, such as: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few" and “I will make you a fisher of men” and “Come follow me.”

The new deacon said he is blessed to be assigned to his home parish, St. Aloysius.
During diaconate formation, Deacon Allision said he learned “an incredible amount, more than he ever dreamed possible” and grew in his love for community service. As he steps forward into his new ecclesial role, he knows there will be more “to learn,” yet he looks forward to facing challenges because they will help him grow in his vocation.

“I take consolation of that fact that whatever God wants me to do, he’ll make sure I’m able to do it,” said Deacon Allison.


Photos by Collin Richie | Collin Richie Photography