BY KATHI STEARNS

Larry Niese continued his preparation for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, when he was ordained a transitional deacon at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Ottawa, Ohio.

During the May 1 ordination by Bishop Albert H. Ottenweller, the retired bishop of Steubenville, Rev. Mr. Niese committed himself to the celibate life and the daily recitation of the Divine Office. As a transitional deacon he may baptize, distribute communion, preach during the liturgy and witness marriages.

Rev. Mr. Niese, 35, holds a 1991 bachelor of arts degree in psychology from St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. By the spring of 1995 he expects to complete his master of arts degree in morals at Mount Saint Mary’s in Maryland. Before entering the seminary in 1987 he managed farms for 10 years.

For Rev. Mr. Niese, the sixth child of 12, a strong sense of family serves as the foundation for his personal faith development. “Parents are very instrumental in who you are. By their example they have nurtured a gift that God has given me…Because of them I have always had a deep love for the church and God’s word.”

His parents, Victor and Monica Niese of Leipsic, Ohio, along with 10 families of his brothers and sisters attended the ordination. Father Don Kenny, director of vocations, represented the Archdiocese of Atlanta at the May ordination. Father Kenny described Rev. Mr. Niese as a “godsend” for the Atlanta Archdiocese.

Rev. Mr. Niese has done pastoral work at St. Pius X Church in Conyers and at All Saints Church in Dunwoody. “I’ve tried to plug in wherever I could.” This summer Rev. Mr. Niese will work at St. Joseph’s Church in Athens.

He anticipates priestly ordination in June of 1995.