Deacon Gerry Scilla recently celebrated his 20th ordination anniversary.

Ordained on June 28, 2003, he has served the Essex Catholic Community since.

He and his wife, Michele, moved to Essex in 1990 as he continued his career with IBM. They became engaged in the parish, and upon his ordination as a deacon, he began his ministry at St. Pius X in Essex Center, and Michele led the religious education program for many years.

Deacon Scilla’s recruits, trains and oversees lectors, altar servers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

During his years of service he has performed 125 baptisms and 43 weddings and numerous burials. For 18 years he has been overseeing the prison ministry for the Diocese of Burlington and ministering to the incarcerated every Friday evening, first in South Burlington and now in Swanton. He serves on the Diocesan Diaconate Board and has a life-time term on the parish council.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and then a doctorate in Chemistry from Cornell University.