Deacon Rick Miller

Deacon/Chaplain

I am Deacon Rick Miller and am honored to have been assigned to St. Anthony Retreat and Conference Center as a Chaplain. I have served as a Deacon in various roles and ministries for over 17 years. I was born to a Navy family in Virgina and traveled throughout the US ever 2 years during my childhood until my family settles in the Bay area. I served in the USMC reserves for six years while attending Fresno State where I met and married my wife, Bernadette Rocha, in 1973. I graduated from Fresno State in 1974 and moved to Visalia in 1975 where we have lived since.

The Holy Spirit grabbed ahold of me in a profound way during a Marriage Encounter we went on for our 10th wedding anniversary. The movement of the Holy Spirit within me let me to begin serving as a lay minister in the Church, first through teaching 9th grade CCD at our parish, St. Mary’s, and later hired me as the youth minister in 1998.

I served as a youth minister for 3 years but soon felt the call to do more and eventually was led to the Diaconate. I was ordained a deacon on January 13, 2007, and soon embarked on a new ministry as a Catholic Chaplain at Kaweah Delta Hospital, where I served for nearly 10 years. This was a profoundly humbling and rewarding experience that has shaped who I am and how I minister to others.

After retirement from Kaweah Delta in 2016 I traveled to Spain and walked the Camino De Santiago—a beautiful experience with unexpected challenges but which led to some of the most profound encounters with God of my life!

I am now excited to see how God will use my gifts and talents to benefit the retreat center and all who come here. It is my sincere hope to be an instrument of God’s mercy and grace. Just as he has journeyed with me throughout my life, I hope to help others find rest on their journey and to walk with them as they encounter Christ in their daily lives. I look forward to meeting you all and getting to know you!