DIACONATE FORMATION PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
Diaconate – What does it mean?
Diaconate is a ministry deeply rooted in Scriptural accounts of the early church. The word “deacon” comes from the Greek work “diakonia,” which means “to serve.” It is grounded in one of the basic messages of the Gospel that says, “unless you serve others, you cannot enter the Kingdom.” As Christianity grew, it was necessary to appoint men as deacons to work alongside the apostles. In Acts 6:1-6, apostles laid their hands on deacons, wise men full of the Holy Spirit, to assist them in caring for the needs of people.
On January 15, 1983, Bishop Joseph Maguire ordained 19 men as the first Deacons to administer and serve the spiritual needs of the people throughout the Diocese of Springfield.
Currently, there are 61 active Deacons serving in our diocese. In addition,
- We have 14 candidates who will receive Reader and Acolyte on 11/16/08 at St. Michael’s Cathedral at 2 pm. This is the final step before ordination which will take place on 5/09/09.
- We have 13 aspirants who started their 2nd year in Formation this past August and God willing, will be ordained in May of 2011.
- We are also in the final stages of accepting members for the Class of 2013.
In March, 1998, two significant documents were issued by the Vatican Congregation for Clergy and Education-The Basic Norms for the Formation of the Permanent Diaconate and The Directory for Ministry and Life of the Permanent Diaconate. Through these documents the Church is able to ensure a certain stability of approach which takes account of legitimate plurality and in turn guarantees that indispensable unity necessary for the success of the ministry of the Diaconate, which has been fruitful and which will continue to make important contributions to our Church.
