The Rev. Christiaan A. Beukman has been appointed to serve as archdeacon, beginning Dec. 1. He succeeds the Rev. W. Michael Hamilton, who has been serving as archdeacon for ordained vocations since 2015.
Courtesy photo
The Rev. Christiaan Beukman
Beukman will serve alongside the Ven. Pat Zifcak, who continues as archdeacon for deacons in formation. While Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris has oversight of vocational deacons, the two archdeacons share in their supervision and in the process toward ordination. They meet regularly to coordinate plans, share information, provide pastoral care and ongoing ministry development for the vocational deacons.
Zifcak works with the Rev. Canon Edie Dolnikowski, canon for ordained vocations, in the supervision of the education and formation process for those preparing for ordination to the vocational diaconate, as well as the scheduling of deacons to serve as chaplains to the bishops on visitations and at other events. In his new role, Beukman will assist in coordinating site placements for deacons' ministries, including preparing sites for diaconal ministry, letters of agreement and other site issues.
Beukman is a native of the Netherlands who moved to the Boston area in 1981 after meeting his wife, Lucy, in Jerusalem. He attended Harvard Divinity School and Andover-Newton Theological School, and was the Protestant chaplain and diversity specialist at Carney Hospital in Dorchester for 14 years. Since 2004, he has been the pastoral ministries manager of Linden Ponds Retirement Community in Hingham. He was ordained a deacon in 2009 and has served parishes in Quincy, Walpole and Franklin.