Diaconate Office

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The director of formation and the minister to deacons provide a unified diocesan formation program in human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral dimensions for all permanent deacons (aspirant, candidate and post-ordination). The minister to deacons has responsibility for post-ordination formation for the permanent diaconate.

At his address to the permanent deacons of the United States ("The Heart of the Diaconate Servants of the Mysteries of Christ and Servants of Your Brothers and Sisters," Sept. 19, 1987), Pope John Paul II said the permanent deacon's ministry "is the Church's service sacramentalized ... This is at the very heart of the diaconate to which you are called: to be a servant of the mysteries of Christ and, at one and the same time, to be a servant of your brothers and sisters."

The "National Directory for the Formation, Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in the United States" promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Nov. 15, 2004, contains a statement from the "Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons" in 1998, which says, "The principal function of the permanent deacon, therefore, is to collaborate with the bishop and the priests in the exercise of a ministry (of Word, Liturgy and Service) which is not of their own wisdom but of the Word of God, calling all to conversion and holiness."

The Diaconate Office also conducts regional orientation workshops for all the new pastoral and finance council members twice a year. For more information, contact us.

February and March Meetings Set for Diaconate Inquirers

A new formation class for deacons will begin this fall. If you are interested in applying, attend a meeting in your area to learn more. Meetings will be held in English (PDF file) and Spanish (PDF file) across the diocese. Male applicants must be practicing Catholics who are involved in their parishes. They must also have the support of their wives and parishes and be at least 35 years old by ordination. Single men may apply but they may not marry after ordination. To learn more, see Arkansas Catholic.

To view deacon assignments in the diocese, click here. (PDF file)