Deacon Michael B. Augustino

Hometown: Yambio, South Sudan

Current Residence: Westbrook

Home Parish: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland

Wife: Dozetta

Family: Michael and Dozetta have 8 children
 
On his call to the diaconate:  "I feel called by God to bring people to know and accept his mercy and love by participating in the servant ministry of the Church through the Order of Deacon to which I will be ordained."
 
On his diaconal ministry: "I will be a bridge to bring people to the full life of the Church, especially those from the immigrant and refugee communities of the diocese."
 
Current employment: African outreach coordinator at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception; works at Maine Medical Center and Portland District Court to assist refugee communities.
 
Hobbies: Reading, exercise, running
 
Michael's story:
Michael Augustino was born in Yambio, South Sudan, in a predominantly Christian area.  However, because of increasing civil unrest, when he was a teenager, his parents sent him to the northern part of Sudan to continue his education. He first stayed with a friend and then connected with an aunt.  A priest at the cathedral in Khartoum also befriended him, and he became an altar server there.
 
After high school, he went to the university but says that he did not feel comfortable because of underlying tensions between Christians and Muslims. He stayed for only a few months.  Fluent in several languages including English, Arabic, and Azande, he went to work as an interpreter for the United States Embassy and, also, handling logistics for the United Nations Development Corporation (UNDP). His jobs, however, nearly cost him his life. 
 
He says when the United States bombed the El-Shifa Pharmaceutical Industries plant in 1998, suspecting that the plant was making chemical weapons, the Sudanese government was convinced that Sudanese embassy workers had provided inside information as to the plant's location.  Dozens, including Michael, were arrested.  He remembers them all being placed together in a small room.   When they were let out the next day, nearly half of the people had died. He says that he was fortunate because he was near the wall, so he was able to get air from the outside and breathe.
 
Michael says the workers who had survived were taken for questioning in groups of 11 at a time.  One by one, they were asked if they were going to be a Christian or a Muslim.  Refusing to answer or saying that you were a Christian was a death sentence.  The seventh in line in one of the groups, Michael saw the first three people killed.  He says he knew that he could never denounce his faith, despite the consequences. Then, the UNDP arrived, and the killing stopped.
"God, he saved me," Michael says.
 
Before he was released from prison, Michael says he had to sign paperwork pledging not to discuss what happened and, also, agreeing to no longer work for the United States or United Nations.
 
Traumatized by what had happened and knowing that Sudan was no longer safe for him and his family, he looked to leave the country. Changing the spelling of his name and with the help of the Church, community members, and the United Nations, he was able to get the needed papers to go to Cairo, Egypt.  He and his family remained there for approximately six months before being granted refugee status by the United States.
 
Michael arrived in Portland, Maine, on Friday, January 28, 2000.  It was the first time he and family had seen snow.
 
Two days later, he made his way to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, where he remembers crying in thanksgiving to God.  He immediately approached Father Jim Nadeau, rector at the time, asking him if he could volunteer somehow at the church.  He has been active ever since.
 
Understanding the difficult cultural adjustments that refugees have to make, Michael has served as a bridge to the refugee/immigrant community, helping them connect with the Church, as well as with civil authorities.  While working as a truck driver, he has also served as an interpreter, including for Maine Medical Center and the Department of Health and Human Services, and he has worked to resolve conflicts related to members of the refugee/immigrant community.
 
Michael says he never dreamed of becoming a permanent deacon while in Sudan because there were no permanent deacons there.  He says he inquired about it several times before this class opened up, but then, he was also considering pursuing a doctorate in legal studies from the University of Cairo.  Unsure which direction to take, he turned to his wife, Dozetta. He recalls her telling him, "'Honey, if you become a professor, you will be helping us only, but you will not be helping other people. Am I right?' I said, 'You are right.' She said, 'Go to be a deacon.'"
In order to tackle the rigors of study for the diaconate, Michael gave up his job as a truck driver, with his wife assuming the financial burden for the family.  He is thankful to her and everyone who has helped him on his journey.
 
"I thank God for all the people here, especially in our diocese. They are very friendly. They encouraged me a lot, especially those I have been with in all these courses.  For some of them, I've been like a kid, and for some of them, I've been like a brother," he says.
 
Michael says he plans to continue to serve as a bridge between the Church and the refugee & immigrant community, but he is looking forward to serving the priests and the people in whatever ways are needed.
 
Michael was ordained a Deacon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on September 16, 2017 by the Most Reverend Robert P. Deeley, J.C.D., Bishop of Portland.