Deacon Anthony Llorens, 85, died Aug. 25. He was a member of the first class of permanent deacons in the archdiocese, ordained in 1972, and served at Providence-St. Mel and St. Martin de Porres parishes.

Deacon Llorens owned a company that made grinding wheels for the aeronautics industry, according to his daughter, Julie Richardson. 

As a deacon, he led classes for people participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. He was active in the Westside Catholic Cluster, which gave him its first Bishop Dempsey Award; and the Black Catholic Deacons of Chicago. He received the Augustus Tolton Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Black Catholics.

He was the deacon who sang the prayers of the faithful at Pope St. John Paul II’s 1979 Mass in Grant Park, Richardson said. 

He served as president of the Providence-St. Mel school board, was a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and was an honorary member of the Knights of St. Peter Claver.

He and his wife of 66 years, Mathilda, had 10 children: Anthony, Magdalena, Michael, John, Arnold, Ronald, Julie, Martin, Antoinette and Sophia. They had 24 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.