Deacon Drew Petersen recalled as a man with quiet, deep faith

Friday, Aug. 15, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — Deacon Drew Petersen, who died July 24 at the age of 81, “generously gave of himself to build up the Church in Utah … with great kindness and fidelity” and served in many capacities in the Diocese of Salt Lake City “to the great benefit of all,” said Bishop Oscar A. Solis during the Aug. 1 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. 

Bishop Solis presided at the Mass. Concelebrants included Father John Evans, vicar general; Father Kenneth Vialpando, vicar for clergy; Father Christopher Gray, rector of the cathedral; Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general emeritus; and other priests of the diocese. 

Deacon John Kranz and Deacon Guillermo Mendez assisted.

In his homily, Father Martin Diaz, a retired priest of the diocese, said Deacon Petersen spent more than 40 years, “first as a lay person, then as a deacon, bringing communion to those who were homebound and also organized others in this ministry. … He gave his life in service.”

Throughout his life, the deacon brought the Gospel to people in Utah, Fr. Diaz said, suggesting that this is a model others could follow, to bring “that presence of Jesus to each person that we meet, to discover the presence of God in each and every person; to know that God moves in each and every person, to understand that and to bring that out by word and by action.”

At the end of the Mass, Mike Stransky, a friend of the Petersen family for almost 60 years, read an expression of gratitude from the daughters, who thanked their father for the many contributions their father gave them, including “modeling compassion, acceptance and empathy to others,” building a strong foundation of faith, teaching them hard work and perseverance, taking them on adventures and loving them unconditionally. 

Also at the end of the Mass, Bishop Solis thanked the family “for the gift of Drew, who has given his life for the service of the Church,” and added, “We are grateful for his ministry, as well as the witness of his life, what it means to be God’s servant and deacon.”

During the vigil the night before the funeral, Deacon John Kranz said, “We come with tears, with memories, with the pain of goodbye. But we also come with gratitude – gratitude for a life lived with quiet strength, for a heart that served generously, and for a soul that walked humbly with God.”

“There was a calm to Drew that I can only imagine must have come from a deep faith and trust in God,” Deacon Kranz said. “He served at the altar with grace, and as much as he disliked preaching, when he did preach, he preached very well and with sincerity. He offered his time and his hands for works of mercy, and he didn’t serve to be seen; rather, he served simply because he loved.”

The best way to honor Deacon Petersen’s memory, Deacon Kranz said, is to “live like he did: with quiet faith, generous love, with a servant’s heart.”