29 saint francis magazine | fall 2023 Deacon Daniel Avila (BA ’80, MA ’16) had already graduated from Saint Francis College by the time he learned the story surrounding his birth. As surprising as it was to hear and comprehend, the revelation reinforced his belief that God has a plan for everyone’s life. Avila, a native of rural Roanoke, Indiana, was born with a cleft palate and a malformed eyelid, the result of a Vitamin B deficiency. “The doctor told my mom that I would probably not develop intellectually and physically, so it would be better if she didn’t see me and he would arrange to have me put in an institution,” Avila said. Phyllis and Frank Avila vehemently disagreed. “My mom said, ‘Bring my son in here, I want to hold him,’” Avila said. “The story is, she started crying and the doctor or nurse said, ‘See, I told you this is too difficult.’ But my mom said, ‘I’m not crying because of all that, but because I’m realizing the challenges he’s going to go through in life.’” Avila experienced challenges, no question. But he faced each one head-on and proved to be a committed ally in the fight for the unique dignity of every person. Once erroneously deemed unlikely to thrive, he became a multi-degree lawyer, national pro-life lobbyist, adjunct USF professor and now a deacon serving St. Joseph Catholic Church in Roanoke, Indiana, and St. Catherine of Alexandria Church (Nix Settlement) in Whitley County, Indiana. He and his wife Elaine have a grown daughter, Miriam, and a shared devotion to service. “I’ve had a very full life,” Avila said. “I’ve loved every moment.” Avila’s lifelong commitment to pro-life causes, from abortion to euthanasia, first strengthened when he was thrown in jail as a Saint Francis student in 1978. “This was a time of sit-in movements at abortion clinics,” Avila said. “My mom was really active in Nurses Concerned for Life and pro-life was a big thing in our house. So, I decided to go to the local clinic to sit in, but I didn’t tell my parents until I had to call them from jail. I remember being arrested and put with a group of people in the wagon and everyone was asking, ‘What are you in for?’ They said stealing or assault and I said, ‘I’m in for sitting in at an abortion clinic.’ They said, ‘Cool, man, that’s great.’ So, I had support even then.” Avila, who earned a fine arts degree at Saint Francis and continues to create art today, pursued law school at Valparaiso University (JD ’83) and launched a career in working for pro-life causes. He met Elaine when both were part of a pro-life group in Speedway, Indiana. “Elaine keeps me centered,” he said. Over the course of his career, Avila served as a legislative director and lobbyist for Massachusetts Citizens for Life; chief staff counsel for the National Legal Center for the Medically Dependent and Disabled; associate director for policy and research for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference; policy advisor for marriage and family, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and an independent consultant on legal and policy issues. “I have worked through an onslaught of cultural challenges that the bishops and their allies have faced on all sides,” Avila said. “You can’t fit the Church into a box, especially lobbying for bishops. Some days, I was shoulder to shoulder with advocates on poverty issues or healthcare or disability rights—they were sometimes people who were our opponents on abortion or cloning or same-sex marriage. That’s the beauty of the Church. You can’t brand us right or left.” Avila returned to USF for his master’s degree in theology, which he earned in 2016. He then taught theology and philosophy as an adjunct for seven years before retiring in May. The path to becoming a deacon presented another challenge for Avila, a lifelong learner. With Elaine’s encouragement, he considered serving the Church in a new role. “He has always been vibrant in the Church, singing in the church choir and teaching religious ed, always involved,” Elaine said. “When we were first engaged, I said Dan would be great as a deacon and, 30 years later, it happened.” For Avila, ordained in January 2023, his latest journey is a natural and joyful one, tied to his faith in God and his commitment to serving all people. “Besides charitable outreach and liturgy, teaching is a very important function of the deacon,” Avila said. “Father Dale (Bauman of St. Joseph Catholic Church) asked me to put on talks and things like that. I love to learn and to share in ways people can appreciate. As I tell people, I’m still learning. I’m still a baby deacon.” “ I H AV E S E T Y O U A N E X A M P L E T H AT Y O U S H O U L D D O A S I H AV E D O N E F O R Y O U . ” John 13:15 NIV Photography by Tim Brumbeloe
