Deacon Dennis Vander Ven is a retired Air Force instructor pilot and meteorologist, and also retired as a pharmacy technician in Washington Park, IL.  He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Sciences from the University of California, Riverside; a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Webster University, St. Louis; and a Master of Pastoral Studies through the LIMEX program from Loyola University, New Orleans.  Baptized in the Disciples of Christ Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, he joined the Catholic Church in 1998 and was ordained as a Permanent Deacon in the Belleville Diocese in 2008. He and his wife, Debbie, have nine children and 17 grandchildren.