Frequently Asked Questions About the Diaconate
We have prepared a list of questions that are frequently asked by those interested in exploring a vocation to the Permanent Deaconate. Please look through the categories below. If you cannot find the answer to your question, feel free to contact us.
Who is the Permanent Deacon?
The Permanent Deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church called to be a "sacramental sign" of the Servant Jesus in the world. The Permanent Deacon is a reminder to all the baptized of their call to be people of service and ministers of justice in the world. The Permanent Deacon leads by his own witness of faithful service and advocacy for justice, and he empowers others to be signs of Jesus' service in the world. Before he was ordained, the Permanent Deacon was an active Catholic lay person, known for his dedication and service to the people of God. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, the Permanent Deacon is ordained to lifelong service of the people of God.
What is the role of the Permanent Deacon?
The Permanent Deacon's role is most properly defined by his lifestyle of personal commitment to Christian service. He is primarily responsible for promoting and sustaining the apostolic activity of the Church in his most characteristic ministry; the ministry of charity and justice, a ministry that is distinguished by works of social concern and human development. In addition, the Permanent Deacon may baptize solemnly, officiate at marriages and funeral services, assist as Permanent Deacon in liturgical celebrations and preach in the Eucharistic Liturgy, and he may preside at various forms of community devotions.
As an individual, the Permanent Deacon maintains his current job and family life. Through his Ordination, the Permanent Deacon is committed to a lifelong ministry of worship, word, and service. The Permanent Deacon neither replaces nor inhibits the ministry of priest or laity in the Church. The Permanent Deacon's role is unique, and its focus is to be a living reminder of Christ the Servant present in the Church and world today.
What kinds of things does the Permanent Deacon do?
The Permanent Deacon reaches out to the poor, the sick, the elderly, the forgotten, the divorced, the alienated, the imprisoned, those who have no voice or suffer injustice, and others. He performs works of charity, justice, and administration in the name of the Church. He helps organize, lead, and support lay ministry. He may assist in marriage and baptismal preparation as well as other forms of catechesis.
Since the Permanent Deacon is identified in the role of servant, he can be more effective as an evangelizer and as a liturgical minister who proclaims the gospel and preaches from a base of direct contact and ministry among God's poor and needy.
The Permanent Deacon is often called to lead God’s people in prayer.
What is the difference between Transitional and Permanent Deacon?
Men who are to be ordained priests are ordained Deacons prior to priesthood. These men are sometimes referred to as Transitional Deacons, because they are in the process of transition to priesthood. Men who are ordained Deacons and remain in that state for the rest of their lives are referred to as Permanent Deacons. Both Transitional and Permanent Deacons are ordained into the one Order of Deacon.
Is the Permanent Deacon ordained for the parish or for the diocese?
Orders are the sacrament of the whole Church. Anyone ordained; bishop, priest, or Permanent Deacon, is ordained for the Church. The promise of obedience at Ordination is to the diocesan bishop. It is up to the bishop to assign clergy to whatever ministry is most appropriate for the good of the whole Church. That assignment may be to the local parish, another parish, or to some other institution or ministry. As an ordained minister, the Permanent Deacon has a special relationship to the diocesan bishop. Candidates for the diaconate should not assume that they will be assigned to their home parish.
Can a Permanent Deacon be married?
Married men can become Permanent Deacons. If married, a potential candidate should be in a stable marriage for at least five years and have the expressed consent and support of his wife. If a married Permanent Deacon is widowed, ordinarily he may not remarry. Wives of Permanent Deacons take part in the full formation process so that they and their husbands can grow together and support one another in their lives and ministries. When single men are ordained as Permanent Deacons, they make a promise of celibacy and may not marry once they are ordained.
What is some of the history of the restored Diaconate?
What is some of the history of the restored Diaconate?
The Order of Deacon was instituted by the apostles. Initially, seven were chosen and "hands laid on them" (Ordination) so that they could carry on in the name of the apostles the ministry to certain widows in need. The ministry assigned to Permanent Deacons grew to include others in need, administration of temporal affairs of the Church, preaching, and certain sacramental ministries (Acts 6 and following).
After a few hundred years the Order of Deacon disappeared as a separate and distinct order in the Western Church. This order was restored as a permanent and public ministry in the Roman Church as a result of a decision made by the bishops at the Second Vatican Council. The restoration of the Permanent Diaconate was authorized in the United States in 1968. The number of Permanent Deacons in the United States has continued to grow steadily. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis incardinated the first Permanent Deacon in 2007 and ordained the first class of Permanent Deacons in 2008.
Discernment
Discernment is the process of listening to the voice of God, who calls us to follow Him. In discerning a call to the diaconate, a person listens to hear God's call to service and a life-long commitment to charity. Ultimately, discernment is about growing in discipleship - in a daily, intentional relationship with Jesus Christ.
A good way to discern is to focus on three areas:
- Prayer - growing in a daily relationship and conversation with God
- Sacraments - encountering Christ through regular celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Service of Others - learning to be more and more like God by putting the needs of others before our own
In discerning the call to the diaconate, first speak with your wife if you are married, your family, perhaps some close and trusted friends and, of course, your pastor about your sense of call. It is important that you spend time in prayer, discerning why you feel a call to the diaconate. You might seek out a spiritual director that can assist you in this discernment. The Archdiocese offers assistance in finding a spiritual director by emailing: spirtualdirection@archindy.org We also encourage you to find out more about the diaconate. There are many books and articles on the diaconate. Here are just a few that you might spend time with:
The Character of the Deacon: Spiritual and Pastoral Foundations by Deacon James Keating. Paulist Press, 2017
The Heart of the Diaconate: Communion with the Servant Mysteries by Deacon James Keating. Paulist Press, 2015
The Deacon Reader by Deacon James Keating. Paulist Press, 2006
101 Questions and Answers on Deacons by William Ditewig. Paulist Press, 2004
Encountering Christ the Servant: A Spirituality of the Diaconate by Dominic Cerrato, Our Sunday Visitor, 2020
In the Person of Christ the Servant: A Theology of the Diaconate Based on the Personalist Thought of Pope John Paul II by Dominic Cerrato, St. Ephraem Press, 2014
Understanding the Diaconate: Historical, Theological, and Sociological Foundations by Shawn McKnight, Catholic University of America Press, 2018
Our Life of Service: The Handbook for Catholic Deacons by Harold Burke-Sivers, Ave Maria Press, 2021
Love Become Service: The Integration of the Sacraments of Matrimony & Holy Orders by Michael Chaback, Dufour Editions (September 28, 2013)
Compendium on the Diaconate, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (July 1, 2024)
Apostolic Letter Given Moto Proprio Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem General Norms for Restoring the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church - June 18, 1967
https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19670618_sacrum-diaconatus.html
Meeting with the Men Ordained to the Permanent Diaconate - Address of His Holiness Pope John Paul II - Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Saturday, 19 September 1987
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1987/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870919_diaconi-permanenti-detroit.html
Deacons Serve the Kingdom of God by Pope John Paul II – October 5, 1993
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/deacons-serve-the-kingdom-of-god-8682
Address of Pope John Paul II to the Participants at the Jubilee for Permanent Deacons - Saturday, 19 February 2000
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/jan-mar/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000219_jubilee-deacons.html
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Permanent Deacons of the Diocese of Rome, with their Families, Hall of Benediction, Saturday, 19 June 2021
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/june/documents/20210619-diaconi.html
These titles are not required reading before formation begins but give insight into how the church views the diaconate and what the ministry of the deacon entails.
Feel free to contact the Deacon Formation Office with questions: