Anna Betancourt
Cris Thompson
For many, one of the challenges of Catholic life is discernment: figuring out what God wants us to do, what path to take. It can become even more complicated for a couple, as speakers Deacon Mike and Anna Betancourt shared with attendees of the March 11 meeting of the RR Catholic Community.
Mike and Anna are recent arrivals to North Texas from their home state of California. Both have been active since high school in numerous parish ministries. Anna has always been involved with music, from singing to composing. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where she studied voice and music theory. She has worked in various bilingual communities as music director, choral director, and cantor. She has performed professionally on more than 50 recordings of both liturgical and popular music. Anna began their talk by singing “The Deer’s Cry” (“St. Patrick’s Breastplate”).
Mike and Anna had been members of their home parish for 40 years when changes in the church administration made it impossible for Anna to continue in her job as music director. She found a job in another parish, which led to the family leaving their old parish. The incident caused Mike to become disillusioned, and he decided to no longer be actively involved in church ministries, i.e., to be a “pew Catholic.” As he “wandered in the desert,” questioning his faith, he got to know their new pastor and eventually started to get involved again as a lector.
It was their pastor who suggested Mike become a Deacon. Becoming a Deacon is a life-changing decision. He had to have the consent of Anna and commit to a training period of five and a half years. He had first considered it in 2007, but their sons were young, and he decided not to pursue it. Mike entered the program in November of 2019. He attended classes every weekend after a full work week, which included commuting back and forth to Texas. It was a period of intense study and self-reflection. Mike spoke with pride about the homeless ministry he and his fellow Diaconate students started during his training.
In March of 2023, Mike accepted a work transfer to Texas. He was so close to finishing his Diaconate training that he was ordained early, on June 24, which was Anna and Mike’s 28th wedding anniversary. He was assigned to St. Mark parish in November of 2023.
The move to Texas seems to be God’s plan for Mike, but what of Anna? She admits that it has been difficult to leave family, friends, and her job. She ended their talk singing the hymn “I Surrender All.”
The Catholic Community welcomes all Robson Ranch residents to attend our events. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. RR Catholic Community activities also include a book club, rosary groups, potluck dinners, field trips, and supporting Our Daily Bread ministry. For more information, please contact Joan Bridges at [email protected].