Dcn. John Barbour

Deacon John was born and grew up in Youngstown, OH. He moved to Newark in 1978 to take a job at Owens Corning Fiberglass and became a member of St. Francis Parish. After watching Dcn. Mike Franks and Dcn. Steve DeMers, he began to think about becoming a deacon. He would go to Eucharistic Adoration and ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” He discerned to become a deacon, was ordained in 2012, and has been our deacon at St. Edward Church for over 11 years. He preaches thoughtful homilies and is active in the life of the parish, visiting the homebound, doing baptisms, and participating in many parish groups.

School/Degree: 
Chaney High School; 
Youngstown State University, Engineering degree

Work experience: 
Owens Corning, 9 years producing building/industrial insulation; 
Himont-polypropylene Quantum-polyethylene, 9 years producing plastic pellets; 
Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, 12 years selling pharmaceuticals; 
Pioneer Sands, 10 years producing industrial grade sand
Retired in 2019

Other: John and his wife, Cindy, are active in the parish. Cindy is Chair of the Caring Committee, Chair of a Funeral Luncheon team, and a group leader in Walking with Purpose. Among others, John is active in the Knights of Columbus, Helping Hands, Men's Fellowship, and many church committees. They have three children and nine grandchildren, and they often take trips to visit the ones who do not live nearby. Deacon John enjoys working around the house, especially gardening. He enjoys traveling, particularly their last trip to Portugal and Spain, where he especially enjoyed visiting Fatima.