What happens when the church keeps growing but there are no priests to come help the pastor?  The last associate priest, Father Mast, left in 1987.  Father Sweeney was able to get a visiting priest, Father Breslow, to assist him for a while.  Father Craig was a friend of Father Montgomery and asked him to come sometime while he was pastor.  Upon Father Craig’s departure and Father King becoming pastor, there still was a shortage of priests.

Father Mike had a relationship with Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary and was able to enter into a partnership with them to help train newly ordained deacons that were outside of the Archdiocese of Washington.   The first deacon in this partnership for St. Joseph is now Father Akan Simon. Father Akan was the first African deacon to be trained in our church.  He was a seminarian from the Rockford Diocese in Illinois.  He is currently a parochial vicar at Holy Family Catholic Church in Rockford, IL. 

Father Stephen Folorunso also was in the program at St. Joseph and a seminarian from the Rockford Diocese.  He is now in the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota and is currently the pastor of St. Pius V Catholic Church in New Salem, North Dakota. 

Father Godwin Nsikan Asuquo was the last seminarian from the Diocese of Rockford to serve at St Joseph.  He is a cousin of Father Simon and is currently the pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in McHenry, IL.   He has remained in the Rockford Diocese since ordination. 

During this time Alton Davis had a calling to become a deacon and in 2000 was ordained a deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington and assigned as permanent deacon to St. Joseph Church joining Deacon Bechet. 

With two deacons, the pastor had help with visiting the sick, baptisms, preaching, and funerals.   

Lastly, Father Mike was able to obtain the services of Father Albert Anuszewsbi, a teaher from DeMatha High School, on many weekends to help.