Deacon Formation Program

Let us remember, please, that for the disciples of Jesus, to love is to serve and to serve is to reign. Power lies in service, not in anything else.” - Pope Francis in his address to the Permanent Deacons of the Diocese of Rome, June 19, 2021

[Read Programa de Formación al Diaconado]

Criteria for Entering into the Deacon Formation Program:

In reviewing a man for entry into the Program, the criteria include:

• Be a practicing Catholic layman who will be at least 35 years of age at the time of ordination and be not older than 61 on January 1st in the year of application.
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Be a fully initiated Catholic in good standing with the church.
• Have an active spiritual life.
• Have a familiarity with Catholic Theology.
• Should be actively involved in ministry at either the parish or diocesan level.
• If married, be sacramentally married and in a stable marriage of at least 5 years (at the time of application) and have the support and agreement of his wife and family to pursue a diaconal vocation.
• If unmarried (being single or a widower), to be living in a lifestyle consistent with the call to the ordained ministry in the celibate state within the Catholic Church.

The Application Process

The application process involves a number of steps that begins with requesting and returning to the Office of Deacons a fully completed application. The applicant is responsible for providing current sacramental records and letters of recommendation. The process can last up to 9 months or more before a class begins formation and involves several interviews, including interviews with the applicant’s wife. During the application process a series of information and discernment meetings will be held in various places in the Diocese to provide interested men with further information. Applicants must attend one of these meetings, which will be announced on the Diocesan website and elsewhere.
 

The Diaconate Program of Formation in the Diocese of Providence

The information gathered in the Application Process is reviewed by the Diaconate Office and those men meeting the criteria listed above are submitted to an Oversight Committee who make their recommendation on admission to the Diaconate Formation Program to the Bishop. The Bishop determines who may enter the program, which is overseen by the Diocesan Diaconate Office. As noted above, it is anticipated that it will take up to nine months or more from the call for a class to the beginning of the Program.
 

Aspirant Period

The first two years of the Program is called the Aspirant Period and will consist a series of weekly meetings for discernment, and instruction in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other Church teachings. Although a college degree is not necessary to enter the program, a viable candidate must be able to master materials presented at the collegiate or graduate school level and speak and understand English. During the Aspirant Period, monthly days of recollection and retreats are also required. 
 

The Candidate Period

Following the Aspirant Period, the men who qualify are again submitted to the Oversight Committee, which makes recommendations to the Bishop. Those approved by the Bishop become Candidates and enter 3 years of theology formation, typically at Providence College. Where appropriate, some of the theology program may be conducted online in Spanish by the Josephinum Diaconate Institute. Required monthly days of recollection and retreats continue through the Candidate Period. Additional Saturday classes in Homiletics, Canon Law, Liturgical Practices and other topics are also typically required.Those who complete the required classes are submitted again to the Oversight Committee for their recommendation for ordination. The Bishop make the final decision on those who will be ordained.  

It is expected that those in the Program will meet regularly with a priest who will serve as their spiritual director.
 

Ordination and Life as a Deacon

Upon completion of the Diaconate Formation Program, each man is prepared for ordination and assignment to serve as a Deacon in a parish and other ministerial situations: proclaiming the Gospel and sometimes preaching on the Sacred Scriptures; assisting in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and other rites of the Church; and serving in other ministries of charity and catechetics. Deacons must attend a retreat once per year and perform six (6) hours of Continuing Education Units (“CEUs”) each year. 

 Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am.” - John 12:24-26

• The Diaconate
• Diaconate Information & Resources
• Frequently Asked Questions About Deacons
• A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate: A Study for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 2022-2023
• Church Documents on the Permanent Diaconate

06.21.21 Permanent deacons are reminder of the power of service, pope says (Catholic News Service/Our Sunday Visitor)

06.21.21 Neither ‘half-priests’ nor ‘special altar boys’: Pope outlines expectations for permanent deacons (Catholic World News)

06.19.21 Pope: "Deacons are the guardians of service in the Church" (Vatican News)

06.19.21 Pope Francis: The humble service of a deacon tells of the greatness of God (Catholic News Agency)

06.19.21 Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Permanent Deacons of the Diocese of Rome, with their families (vatican.va)