Diaconate program prepares 22 for ordination

Intermountain Catholic

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Holy Cross Sister Patricia Riley from the Deacon Formation Office of the Diocese of Salt Lake City said the Class of 2010 is a very strong class of candidates. There are 22 men in the program.IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — There are 22 men currently on the journey in the Diaconate Formation Program in the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Presently it is their goal to be ordained in January 2010.

"I began working in the Diaconate Program with Benedictine Sister Jeremia Januschka (now deceased) in February 2005," said Holy Cross Sister Patricia Riley, of the Deacon Formation Office in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

"We had four information nights and about 75 inquirers from throughout the state of Utah, who filled out eligibility forms," said Sr. Patricia.

"The men were required to take a psychological test, have a background check, and an and interview or home visit," said Sr. Patricia. "Candidates must be recommended by their pastors and someone from their parish. We visited the homes of about 44 people throughout the state, which took about two months. From that, we had 23 men who were accepted into the program in Oct. 2005. Unfortunately one of the men was killed in a car accident on an icy road coming up from Moab on his way to class."

Sr. Patricia said the most important qualification of the diaconate program is a desire and an ability to serve the Catholic Church in Utah to meet the needs of the local community.

Sr. Patricia explained the Diaconate Program is open to both married and single men who have demonstrated leadership abilities and have been involved in ministry in the Church. The minimum age for ordination to the diaconate is 35 years and the maximum age is 69 years. The bishop of the diocese can make an exception for special cases.

Married men are required to show they have complete approval and support from their wives. Married men must demonstrate that diaconal service will not disrupt family stability. Should a wife die, deacons do not remarry.

Single men must give assurance that once ordained, they will remain single.

A deacon candidate must be a practicing Catholic familiar with the basic tenets of the faith. If a man is a convert, he must have been a Catholic for at leave five years and active in his parish. He must have the approval and support of his pastor.

The style of leadership required of a deacon is a man who is responsive to the needs of others and has the ability to serve in a variety of settings.

Some of the services which deacons perform are: ministry of the altar such as baptisms, marriage preparation and marriage ceremonies, funeral vigils and funerals, and Communion services. A deacon can give a homily, provide adult religious education instruction, and prepare individuals to receive the sacraments. A deacon cannot hear confessions or celebrate Mass.

In the ministry of Charity, a deacon provides social welfare, community service, visits the sick, provides family ministry, youth ministry, and prison ministry.

The first class of deacons in the Diocese of Salt Lake City was ordained in 1976, by Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal. The Diaconate Formation Program was established in the diocese to prepare eligible men for the three-fold ministry of the diaconate.

The preliminary requirements are a sufficient educational background to complete the academic program, general knowledge of the faith, and ministry experience in the parish and community.

The Diaconate Formation Program has been structured to acquaint the applicant with all areas of major importance for diaconal ministry within the Roman Catholic Church.

The program has three aspects. The first is academic course work. Classes meet twice a month for six hours for four years. Second, the deacon candidates must receive pastoral training through supervised internships and field experiences which are provided in the last two years of the program.

Third, each candidate has a spiritual director with whom he meets at least once a month. Retreats and Days of Recollection are an integral part of the program.

"Instruction in the program began in January 2006 with Aspirancy," said Sr. Patricia. "This is a period of discernment. During this time we stressed spirituality. St. Louis Sister Bridget Clare McKeever, from the Diocesan Office of Spirituality, was here before she retired, and taught many of these classes.

"During the Aspirancy period, we do not go into depth, we just introduce a lot of topics such as the Old and New Testaments, liturgical spirituality, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Lectio Divina, which is prayer through scriptural reading. Candidates also find time and a place to pray every day.

"The in the second year we go into depth in these topics. For instance, we had five classes on the Old Testament," said Sr. Patricia. "Various qualified priests, deacons, and teachers from throughout our diocese teach the classes because we do not have a Catholic college or a Catholic Seminary in this area.

"At the same time, we are studying the "Catechism of the Catholic Church," which Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, the former bishop of our diocese, insisted we study. That is always ongoing, and it will have taken us three years to complete when we finish. We have been studying it in segments.

"Father Langes Silva from the Tribunal Office in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, taught the segment on Canon Law," said Sr. Patricia. "Father John Norman, from Juan Diego Catholic High School, will teach a segment on morality, and and Father David Bittmenn, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Orem, will teach on the Church fathers.

"This has worked out well because the candidates know the local teachers, and we have not had to bring in national speakers from all over to teach the classes," said Sr. Patricia. "Msgr. M. Francis Mannion, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul, is currently teaching four classes on ecumenism, and he is very good. The fact that we have good, qualified teachers in Utah has made the program possible."

Sr. Patricia said there is an evaluation that takes place every year with each couple because wives are strongly encouraged to attend the classes. Deacons need the support of their wives.

Sr. Patricia is now working on the curriculum for 2008-2009, and preparing for ordination in January 2010."