Informational meetings to answer questions about diaconate

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
July 10, 2003

A series of informational meetings have been scheduled this month to raise awareness and answer questions about the permanent diaconate.

"At the present time, we have 19 active and 16 retired deacons," noted Deacon Ron Forrest, co-director of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Sioux City. "We are looking for men that can humbly serve the needs of others. The key ingredient is humility. We do not need people that want to dictate to others. We want them to be leaders in humility."

All of the meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The meeting dates and locations are as follows: July 13 at the chancery, Sioux City; July 20 at Sacred Heart Parish Center, Early; and July 27 at Corpus Christi Parish Center, Fort Dodge.

The deacon pointed out that he offered similar meetings two years ago and he believes it helped to yield eight applications for this ordained ministry that are under consideration at the present time. About 42 men attended the meetings in 2001 that were held in Algona, Carroll and Sioux City.

Forrest found the meetings to be an effective means to spread the word about the dicaonate.

"I would like to see the diaconate more reflective of the population of our diocese which would include minorities," he said. One of the big obstacles in this area is that the formation classes are only offered in English.

In order to be ordained, men must be a minimum age of 35 and maximum of 65 in the Diocese of Sioux City at the time of ordination. They can enter the formation program at 31 and 61.

With this in mind, men between the ages of 31 and 61 who are interested in more information about the diaconate are encouraged to attend one of the meetings. Because wives play such an important role, they are also invited to attend as are older, teenage children.

"We start with prayer and read Scripture that pertains to the diaconate," he explained. "I talk about the diaconate, show a film, pass out handouts and open it up for questions."

One of the handouts contains frequently asked questions about the diaconate. Some of these questions include: Who is the deacon? What is the role of the deacon? What kinds of things does the deacon do?

He will also distribute information relating to the requirements to become a deacon and an overview of the formation process involved to become a deacon as well as issues such as canonical responsibilities to the bishop.

These same handouts are also available on the Internet. Go to the diocesan Web site - www.scdiocese.org. Click on Links and then scroll down to O - Office of the Permanent Diaconate. The information has also been distributed to about 35 other dioceses.

Usually other deacons and wives are on hand for the meetings, so they can help describe their own experiences in the ministry.

The video to be shown is from the National Council of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and is titled, Deacons - Ministers of Justice and Charity. It is built around the theme of Jesus the Servant.

"It will catechize them about what the ministry of deacon is all about," said Deacon Forrest. "We are looking for qualities in individuals that might be called to serve that need."

He acknowledged that some men attend the meetings who are in the initial stages of discernment about this vocation and are not ready to make a decision as to whether they even want to apply.

"They will not be pressured in any way, shape or form because it takes a while," said the deacon. "It took me several years to make the decision to start diaconal formation."

Presently the formation process lasts about four years, but Deacon Forrest said he expected it to change to five years upon the approval of the new deacon directory.

Those interested in the diaconate must be of sound moral character, mature faith and possess a sense of vocation to serve and open to experiences in works of charity and justice.

Deacon Forrest stressed, "They must be servant-oriented."

Because many of the best qualified men for the diaconate are so humble, others such as pastors may want to help identify potential candidates for this ministry. They could forward names to the co-director of the diaconate and then Forrest could send them information. Pre-registration is not required to attend the meeting, however, if people know they plan to attend Forrest would like to know so he can have an adequate number of handouts.

Deacon Forrest said he is willing to speak with those wishing for more information about the diaconate at any time. They can call him at (712) 276-6486 or they can e-mail him at deke@cableone.net.

He pointed out that classes will start up this September. Financial assistance is available.