Have you felt the Call to be a Permanent Deacon?

Who or what is a “Permanent Deacon” in the Roman Catholic Church?

• A deacon is an ordained minister of Christ. He is configured by the grace of the sacrament to Christ the Head in such a way that he allows Christ to act in him (“in persona Christi”) in the specific ministerial or sacramental acts for which he is ordained.
• A deacon is ordained, not for the sacrifice, but for service. A deacon is not a priest to offer Mass and Penance; he is a servant (diakonos), making present in his person Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve.”
• Christ’s service prepares someone to receive Christ as Word of life (Gospel) and as Bread of life (Eucharist). The deacon proclaims the salvation of Jesus Christ in word and example, in the Church and in the world. A deacon’s service has three interlocking parts: the diakonia of Word, Sacraments, and Charity.
• The ministry of the Word means the distinctive role of proclaiming the Gospel, both during the public liturgies of the Church (Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and other instances of the Liturgy of the Word), and as a catechist (teaching the faith to children and adults, preparing others to receive sacraments, leading retreats and renewal programs, etc.) He may also preach a homily, either in the absence of a priest or as agreed upon by his pastor.
• The ministry of Sacraments includes other roles during Mass, such as inviting the people to the sign of peace, and sending them forth in dismissal; leading the Kyrie (“Lord have mercy”) and the prayers of the faithful; assisting the priest as an acolyte or altar server; elevating the Chalice during the Consecration; and so on. Deacons are ordinary ministers of Holy Eucharist, for the distribution within Mass, and for bringing the Eucharist and Viaticum to the sick, elderly, imprisoned, etc. Deacons lead communal prayer, such as Eucharistic Adoration with Benediction, or the Liturgy of the Hours. Deacons also officiate at baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
• The ministry of Charity includes all the other “ordinary” or “mundane” aspects of helping the poor and the needy of all kinds (for example, the “spiritual and corporal works of mercy.”) This is where the leadership of deacons can be most influential in the community, as he carries the mission of the Church and the content of the Gospel into the world.
• None of these areas of diakonia is exercised in opposition to or isolation from the others. In all these ways integrally, the deacon strives “to bring the poor to the Church, and the Church to the poor.” Diakonia must always be driven by faith and love for Christ, which is cultivated in the liturgical and sacramental piety appropriate to the deacon, and lived out as faith and love for the poor.

How do I know if I might be called to be a Permanent Deacon?

The Permanent Diaconate is a unique vocation in the Church. It has a particular sacramental identity (the herald of Christ) and a distinctive relationship to the person of Jesus Christ (the icon of Christ the Servant). Everyone who is called by God to this vocation will have a set of natural and supernatural gifts suitable to it. If you experience a sense of commitment or joy in the following sorts of personal attitudes and characteristics, you may be called to serve God’s people as a Permanent Deacon.

Characteristics often shared by Permanent Deacons:

• You have a natural inclination to serve the Church and the needs of all people. This inclination might be expressed in a career of service (teaching, medicine, advocacy, direct service to the poor in some way, etc.), or in an avocation (parish commitments, local service groups of various kinds, volunteering in some way, etc.).
• You are a man of prayer, with a meaningful personal relationship with God the Trinity and a strong sense of the positive fruits of a good prayer life for yourself and those around you. Your prayer life has also led you to a recognition of the reality “communion of saints” supporting you, and you have some friendship with at least a few of those recognized by the Church in their sanctity, especially Mary and Joseph.
• You have psychological integrity, i.e., you are well balanced physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This maturity is the crucial, pre-discernment foundation for growth and further formation. Spiritually, it implies that one has already made the basic choice to love and follow Jesus Christ before all other things. This choice demands commitment: to ongoing conversion, to avoiding self-deception, and to living out existing sacramental identities (baptism, confirmation, and likely matrimony). It does not imply that one has no more room human or social growth. If one has not yet made this choice, one cannot begin the process of vocational formation.
• You have a sense of docility and openness, especially for the wisdom of the Church. You are willing to follow the teaching of the Church, even when you do not understand them or agree with them. You do not presume to know everything. You are willing to give up unnecessary opinions, including any prejudice against persons or cultures. You are developing a capacity for dialogue, based on an overriding love and hunger for the Truth which is Jesus Christ.
• You have the ability to talk about your faith, and its corollary, a capacity to listen respectfully to others. Our Catholic belief in the unity of faith means that everyone has the same basic relationship to Jesus Christ before baptism, and another after baptism. But every person is also unique in their identity and experiences, and so within the overarching unity of faith, there is a great plurality of details, vocations, charisms, choices, etc.
• You have good communication skills for listening, writing, and speaking.
• You have a strong sense of responsibility, in all aspects of your life (family, Church, work, local community), including:
• Assiduous attention to fulfilling one’s work;
• Accountability to others;
• Balanced and prudent judgment;
• Generosity in service;
• Ability to lead, facilitate, and motivate others to appropriate actions.
• You possess these spiritual and evangelical characteristics, and actively seek to develop them further:
  • Sound faith;
  • A good reputation as a Christian man among your family, peers, and neighbors;
  • Active involvement in the Church’s apostolate;
  • Personal integrity, maturity, and holiness;
  • Regular participation in the sacramental life of the Church;
  • Evidence of recognized, ongoing commitment to the Church’s life and service;
  • Participation in opportunities to enrich and enliven your faith;
  • A positive and stable marriage, or a mature commitment to celibacy if unmarried;
  • A capacity for obedience and fraternal communion;
  • A deepening spirituality and prayer life.

Beyond these eight most common characteristics, someone who feels called to the permanent diaconate must:

• Have the willingness and desire to serve others as Christ, demonstrated in some experience
• Have humility, compassion, simplicity, zeal, love for the Truth which is Christ, love for the Church which is Christ’s Body, commitment to faith and love, and desire to grow in holiness.
• Be a fully initiated, practicing Catholic in good standing, aged 30-61 (special permission to begin formation younger or older is possible, case-by-case.)
• Have the support and permission of your wife, if married; and of the pastor and people of your parish

Other items of note about the program:

• The program of formation normally takes five years to complete; but time in the formation is not a demonstration of progress in being formed.
• Four areas of study/training: intellectual, spiritual, social/human, pastoral
• Intellectual formation includes study of Scripture and the Catechism, and several college-level classes in theology and liturgy.
• Spiritual formation includes individual spiritual direction, various means of exploring vocation and meaning, and deepening of prayer life.
• Social formation includes leadership training, group dynamics, and personal reflection.

• Human formation includes thorough examination of life, choices, and priorities, and formation in Christ-like virtue

• Pastoral training includes experience and mentoring in various areas of service.
• Two-year Aspirant Path includes discernment and application to candidacy
• Call to candidacy is at the invitation of the Bishop
• Candidates complete an additional three-year diocesan program of study
• According to universal Church discipline, may not marry or remarry after Ordination

If you are interested in becoming a Deacon, it is important to explore this vocation as fully as possible, both before applying to the program and afterwards. For example:

• If married, discuss in great detail with your wife (and children, if they are old enough)
• Discuss in great detail with your pastor (and spiritual director, if you have one)
• If functioning as a lector, usher, etc., continue in the ministry; or if not actively leading any aspect of parish life and worship, seek out some way to contribute meaningfully (lector is highly encouraged to start)
• Pray on a daily basis and open yourself to the will of the Holy Spirit in your life; pray specifically for clear discernment
• Make regular use of the Sacrament of Penance

Prayer and Litany of St. Joseph

All:
To you, o blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our tribulation, and having implored the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently implore your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the immaculate virgin Mother of God, and through the paternal love with which you did embrace the Child Jesus, we humbly beseech you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by His blood, and with your holy power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence. O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in this struggle with the powers of darkness. As once you did rescue the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and aid, we may be able to live piously, to die righteously, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.