Deacon Ryan Sales
I was born and raised on a farm near Cherry Grove, Alberta, Canada. My parents divorced when I was 3, both remarrying. While this has presented many challenges over the years, it provided me with a wonderful stepfather, for whom I am eternally grateful. However, spiritually, being raised by a fallen away Catholic, an atheist, an agnostic, and a Jehovah’s Witness was not the ideal place to nurture a love of Christ. Thanks be to God, my parents allowed my grandparents to take me to church, and so I had some exposure to Protestant Sunday school. Receiving my first Bible and my grandparents witness were enough to establish in my heart that there was a God, and that He loved me!
The seed planted in my childhood would have to wait until when at 25 years of age I met a beautiful Filipina-Catholic woman. After spending 60 days together, we were married. Her quiet witness encouraged me to start attending Mass. Coming from a military/police background, I was first attracted to the order and history of the Church. Then I fell in love with our Lady. Her unconditional love filled a hole in my heart I didn’t know I had and her patient, but insistent encouragement led me to the foot of the Cross, where I ultimately began to know and love her Son. I was welcomed into the Church in my wife’s home diocese in the Philippines and became an active server in our parish.
At the encouragement of two priest friends, I started a 15-year journey that ultimately led to my ordination as a permanent deacon. This journey was filled with ups and downs, as with any relationship, but the constant throughout was my wife’s strong and steady faith. She was, and continues to be, the hands of the Holy Spirit in my life, gently turning me back to Christ in my moments of weakness.
After 20 years living across Alberta and in the Philippines, we settled on my grandparents’ farm. I still work in policing, serve at a military chapel and volunteer as a police chaplain. We have an adopted son, a daughter, and 3 granddaughters. My ministry centers on a love of Our Lady, as well as seeking to help people find Jesus amidst our crazy lives.