MILLTOWN — Jeff Hanna is in his first year at Saint Mark’s High School, but already the permanent deacon from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia seems to have made quite the impression in that little bit of time. Deacon Hanna was nominated for The Dialog’s Teacher Feature by junior Tyler Iudica.
“I showed my wife as soon as I got home,” Deacon Hanna said of the nomination. “I love it. It’s very sweet of him.”
The deacon spent 38 years in business and is retired from State Farm Insurance, where he was a claims manager and training team manager. He enjoyed his work but says he always wanted to teach. He spent two months last year at Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia and jumped at the opportunity to apply at Saint Mark’s, which is much closer to his home in Avon Grove, Pa.
His barber, John Ruffini, told Deacon Hanna that Saint Mark’s was looking for teachers. Ruffini is the father of Chris Ruffini, who is the esports manager at Saint Mark’s.
“So I came in June, interviewed with Mr. Fertal, and he offered me the job on the spot,” said Deacon Ruffini, referring to Saint Mark’s president Tom Fertal.
He said he knows that he has to give grades, but he wants to do more in his classroom. He said he had a message for his students at the beginning of the academic year.
He told the students, as he had at Neumann-Goretti, that “I want you to know there’s two things that I want to get through to you. One, I want you to understand the true meaning of love. And secondly, there’s nobody like you in this world. You are special. God knows you by name.”
He teaches theology, which is not surprising given his training to become a permanent deacon. He has a course on Scripture, the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He also has a class on social justice, which he very much enjoys.
“I try to bring up everyday events that show the things that I’m teaching,” he said.
In his nomination, Iudica said Deacon Hanna stands out. Iudica said the deacon makes his students feel heard in a way that makes them want to learn.
“He gives his full attention to what the class is saying, valuing their perspectives and taking the time to understand their thoughts,” he wrote. “Deacon Jeff’s positivity contributes to his effectiveness as a teacher.”
Deacon Hanna, 61, is not a stranger to public speaking, nor to working with young people. He said he coached his children in various sports when they were younger. He was a toastmaster, and as a deacon he is accustomed to preaching in front of a crowd. He has been a permanent deacon since 2011. He is assigned to St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Phoenixville.
His journey to becoming a permanent deacon began in Springfield, Pa., in Delaware County. He went to Grove City College north of Pittsburgh to become a Methodist minister.
“I’ve used that in homilies,” he said. “If you want to make God laugh, tell him what you’re going to do.”
His mother died shortly after he graduated from college, and he drifted away from church. When he met his wife, Betsy, she drew him into the Catholic Church. They have been married nearly 37 years and have four children and three grandchildren.
He left the Methodist faith, but the calling he said he first felt on Christmas Eve of his senior year of high school remained. He said being a deacon helps with his teaching.
“It brings some, what do the kids say, cred? I hear, ‘Deacon, deacon’ all day. I think it helps,” he said.
Deacon Hanna had to get past his fear of plan books and curricula, and sometimes he tires of cell phones. But overall, being in a classroom gives him optimism for the future. He wants the students to share his optimism.
“Everybody always says, ‘It’s such a bad time. The world’s awful.’ Yeah, there’s issues, but the world isn’t really awful, and I kind of just want to tell them that. From my experience, I’ve had a pretty good life,” he said. “I’m not worried about them. I’m hopeful for them.”
When not chasing his grandchildren — a 5-year-old and twin 3-year-olds — Deacon Hanna loves to golf, and he is preparing for his “15th or 16th” Broad Street Run. He is also getting involved at Saint Mark’s. The cheerleaders asked him to do a dance on spirit day, and he’ll be in the school’s annual Blue-Gold Fashion Show in mid-March. He has no idea what he’ll be wearing.
“I’m going to look silly again,” he said with a hearty laugh.
He has told the school that he would like to return next year.
“Yeah, there’s stress here. I don’t know. I come in that driveway and you see that last sign that says, ‘This is home,’ and that’s when it hit me in September. I said, ‘This is great.’ I love this.”
