In Memoriam
JMJ
Dear Gentle Reader,
On April 26, 2023 our beloved Deacon Lawrence Klimecki was quite unexpectedly called Home to the God he loved to serve. I think he must have accomplished the purpose for which he was sent. I am blessed to be the woman for whom Lawrence was created and the one made for him to be his one love and wife. I speak of his life not as in the past but in the present because I know his soul lives even though his mortal body has died. Ours is a love story of divine grace. And I am grateful for your interest, or at least curiosity, in this remarkable man I’ve known for 50 years of my life.
Our beloved Lawrence was born Francis Lawrence Klimecki on August 8, 1960 in Yuba City, CA. His parents, Francis (Frank) Klimecki and Sandra Lou (Chancey) Klimecki raised him as a Catholic Christian. He is the firstborn of 3 children in the beautiful and lively Klimecki family. To avoid confusion between “Francis Lawrence” and his father “Frank”, they always called him “Larry”. But he was never that informal a personality. His nature was always quiet and reserved and he preferred his full middle name, Lawrence, which is how many know him. Those of us who knew him well in middle school and high school knew him better by a nickname… “Gryphon”. We enjoyed a good deal of historical reenactment activity in those days and, for many reasons, the name Gryphon suited him well. And I have called him Gryphon since, every day of his magnificent earthly life… I still do in quiet moments.
Lawrence has been a gifted artist since childhood, an excellent student and poetic learner, an avid reader and a very successful competitive swimmer. His mind is made for learning; his heart made for tremendous love, and his physique was wonderfully made for swimming. He is always happiest near big water. A sailor’s heart beat within his chest and dreams of adventure light up his imagination. He loves stories of great kings, courageous knights, valiant champions and their supernatural quests; of fair damsels to be rescued, dragons to be slain and villains to be vanquished. And so he grew up admiring virtue and spurning vice. He enjoys the intellectual exercise of science fiction and the wonder of fantasy. He has always been a gentleman in every way, a man who is thoughtful, kind, gentle and noble. He has an inquisitive mind- always wanting to learn how things work and the “why” of things. He is intellectually brilliant; what many would call a “high concept thinker”. And oh, how insightfully he preaches and teaches our Catholic faith!
I remember one day when Lawrence was courting me, my father said about Lawrence in a rarely paternal tone, “Still waters run deep”. Daddy was right. Lawrence was remarkable even as a teenager and only improved as he grew into manhood.
Our wedding was the first of all the best days of my life. We had hardships and suffering to be sure, as everyone does, but they forged an unbreakable bond between us, and the crosses we endured together made us strong. I always knew that in every action and decision he first thought about how it would impact me and our son, who is also an answer to many prayers. Shamefully, we fell away from the practice of our faith in those early years.
Lawrence worked for 29 years at Federal Express Corp (FedEx) and he worked hard at a physically demanding job. In the “90’s he lived on 4 hours of sleep a night working his day job and then coming home at night honing his writing and illustration skills by creating two independent comic book series:: Palatyne and Syrenniel. He deeply felt his artistic gifts were given to him for a purpose but that purpose was still hidden, a driving and yet frustrating mystery. At the same time he was committed to providing stability for our family. My prayers were again answered in 1998 when Lawrence felt a call back to the Lord. He had been driving to work and scanned the radio for something to occupy his mind in rush hour traffic. He stumbled upon a radio presentation of “Pilgrim’s Progress” and was intrigued. Suddenly, he saw an image of Jesus crucified looking down directly at him with a gaze of deep love and sadness. It was a moment of spiritual awakening that captured his mind and heart. He made a full confession before Easter and we returned to the faith of our fathers. We never missed Sunday liturgy or holy days again.
A year later after Sunday Mass he said, “I think I’m being called”. I said, (wait for it) “who called?” (I am a seriously simple woman) He chuckled and explained, “I think God is calling me to the diaconate.” “What does that mean?”, I asked. Well, 8 years later after inquiries, application, lengthy formation and discernment, Lawrence was sacramentally ordained in the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento… in the same Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in which we were married. In case you’re wondering, “deacon” means “servant” and is a completely volunteer vocation. There is no compensation for it on this side of the veil but we knew that going in. So Lawrence had serious concerns about how he was going to provide for his family and struggled with whether this was a responsible act given our financial needs. On June 7, 2008, the day of his ordination, as he lay prostrate at the foot of the altar, he heard a voice within his heart say, “Be a deacon, I’ll take care of everything else.” And in Lawrence’s characteristic discipline, he placed his life in the Lord’s hands, taking his oath of fealty and obedience to the King of Kings. He promised to the Virgin Mary that he would never say no to any request made of him if there was any human way he could say yes. In his 15 years as deacon, he kept that promise. He served at his assigned parish as deacon every Sunday and preached at all 4 Masses two weekends a month. He lovingly taught the faith to all ages. He joyfully assisted at parish school events (he especially enjoyed performing the “knighting ceremony” for the 7th and 8th graders Virtues program and the “blessing of the animals” on St. Francis’ feast day). He assisted the Bishop of Sacramento and the diocese in many and diverse ways. He was called upon by the Catholic cemetery system to perform many graveside committals and by several parishes to do Vigil rites and rosary services. He performed baptisms, weddings, and trained and served as a deacon for a Melkite rite parish in the Byzantine liturgy. He had the honor of assisting and chanting the Gospel at a liturgy celebrated by Cardinal Pell in the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Sacra Liturgia conference.
Deacon Lawrence holds true to his vows and promises in every way from his wedding vows to his ordination vows. His daily prayer life is rich with the Divine Office. Grace at meals, prayers before and upon completion of work, and in thanksgiving for all manner of blessings that God sends each day. He has said, “thank you, Daddy” out loud for every check that arrived, even if it was for pennies. He prays for everyone and I believe his prayers are efficacious. So ask him to pray for your needs just as you ask anyone to pray for you. And be sure to thank God when your prayers are answered!
Deacon Lawrence Klimecki, pray for us!
AnNita Klimecki
Wife of Deacon Lawrence
Deacon Lawrence Videos

Chanting the Exultet
Heroes Journey - Gifts & Grace Talk
The Heroes Journey Talk
A Chat about religious art
Experience more of Deacon Lawrence
