Nov. 12, 2014

By Deacon John White
Director, Permanent Deacon Formation

The Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 6: 1 – 7) tells of the need for assistants to the bishops and priests in the very early days of the Church. The rapidly increasing community of believers required more support and assistance than the original disciples were able to provide while maintaining their roles as evangelizers and teachers of the faith.

As a result, the community was asked to put forward the names of seven faith-filled men to take on the duties of physical and material support; allowing the Apostles to focus their energies on the ministry of Christ’s Word.
Two thousand years later, our Church feels a similar need for men to work in close consort with our bishop and priests to meet the needs of our own ever-changing communities of faith. Just as in those early days, ordained deacons are called to serve in the ministries of word, sacrament and charity.

Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Ogdensburg preside at baptisms, weddings and funerals, in addition to other liturgical services as their pastors deem appropriate. Deacons serve on the altar at Mass, proclaiming the Gospel, assisting the priest-celebrant and many preach on a regular schedule. Deacons serve in many additional roles including prison and hospital chaplains; representatives to various community and diocesan boards; catechists in faith formation programs for our young and not-so-young people; as staff in various diocesan departments; and many others. Deacons also serve some of our parishes as parish life coordinators, and serve on many parish committees.

The ability of men to serve our Church in the above-mentioned roles does not just happen on a whim. The men are called to discern their vocation to such service over the course of several years. Most, if not all, complete the two-year Formation for Ministry program offered by the diocese before even applying to the Deacon Formation program.

Their discernment continues through an additional four-year program of study, mentorship, spiritual direction and prayer, before they are request ordination by the diocesan bishop.

Participants in the program complete more than 1000 hours of study between their coursework on-line through the University of Notre Dame and their monthly weekend sessions at Wadhams Hall. This coursework includes spirituality, scripture, morality and ethics, sacraments, liturgy, public speaking and homiletics, human development, pastoral counseling, social justice, canon law, catechesis and more.

As may be easily imagined, such a course of formation, while balancing the responsibilities to family, career and community requires a high level of commitment; and a great deal of support from their families and their parishes. Part of this commitment includes the purchase of required texts for various courses, monthly travel to and from Wadhams Hall, and of course the time and effort required to complete the program.

A portion of the total formation cost is defrayed by each man’s parish as well, yet the contribution of the participant and parish together meets about one-third of the total cost of preparing that man for Ordination. The remaining two-thirds of the cost is made possible through the generosity of our North Country community of Faith in the form of donations to the annual Bishop’s Fund Appeal.

Permanent Deacons are and will continue to be a valued and valuable asset to our Diocese. Let’s “Open Our Hearts” to support their formation as generously as they open their hearts to God’s call.