Press Release

R. David Profitt, a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Covington (Ky.) with a professional background in investments and asset management, has been appointed Director of the Permanent Diaconate Office for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, effective July 1. He will succeed Barry Mersmann, who is retiring after 16 years in the post.

“I’ve found that if I keep myself open and in tune with the call of the Holy Spirit, there is a mystical rhythm in my life that leads me to the right place,” Deacon Profitt said. “This opportunity to be a part of the Archdiocese (of Cincinnati) is evidence of that mystical rhythm. It’s that same call of the Holy Spirit that led me to the diaconate.  At the heart of this call is the need for me to serve Archbishop (Dennis M.) Schnurr and the deacons of the archdiocese. I’m so grateful for the great work that Barry Mersmann has done in building the program. The diaconate is a wonderful calling that these good men have answered and they deserve the best that I can offer them. I look forward to serving them and the people of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.”

The Office of the Diaconate offers general catechesis and information on the vocation of the deacon.  It conducts the selection and admission process for applicants to diaconate formation and provides – through the Athenaeum of Ohio – a diaconate formation program.  The office also encourages spiritual, intellectual, personal, ministerial and communal growth among deacons and serves as a resource for placement and other personnel concerns of diocesan deacons.

Permanent deacons in the Catholic Church are ordained clergy. Their ministry includes assisting the bishop and priest at Mass, witnessing marriages and presiding at baptisms and funerals outside of Mass, blessing objects and persons (usually within liturgical celebrations), proclaiming and preaching the Word of God, and providing pastoral care of the aged, sick, and dying

After completing the permanent deacon formation program at the Athenaeum of Ohio in Mt. Washington, Deacon Profitt was ordained to the diaconate in April 2013. He is assigned to St. Timothy Parish in Union, Ky.

As a senior investment consultant at AlphaMark Advisors in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., Deacon Profitt developed portfolios to help individuals and institutions invest assets according to the socially responsible guidelines established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Deacon Profitt has been married for 32 years to his wife Lynn. They have two sons, Nick and Alex. They are grandparents of one child and are expecting their second grandchild this fall. They live in Union, Ky., where Lynn works for St. Timothy Parish. He is a 1991 graduate of Northern Kentucky University.

This article originally appeared in the June 2014 print edition of The Catholic Telegraph.