Deacon Joe Blanck’s home parish is Saints Peter & Paul in Boonville MO. He and Lorraine were married in 1990, at Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson City MO, Lorraine’s home parish. They moved to Cedar Rapids in 2007. They have two sons.
He graduated from the University of Missouri Columbia with a Bachelor’s of Science in Accountancy (1985), Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (2007), and a Spiritual Director certification from the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Institute of the Transfiguration (2023). He was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in 2021.
He is the Monday overnight on-call chaplain at Mercy Hospital. His ministry has focused on adult faith formation, pastoral care, and baptism preparation. His particular devotions are Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, contemplative prayer, and assisting individuals with deepening their faith.