Diaconal Formation

Thank you for your interest in diaconal ministry. To assist you in your discernment of God's possible call to Holy Orders, below you will find some documents for your prayerful reading and links to other resources. Bring all the learning and insights you find in these materials to prayer, discuss them with our Lord, ask if He is calling you to diaconal ministry, and listen for His response.

Please share how God is moving in your heart with your wife and discuss what you read with her (and your family). A wife's consent to the diaconal journey is essential.

1. Pray about your sense of call with:
   • Project Stephen meetings 
   • our Lord-for example, [Eucharistic Adoration]
   • your wife and family
   • your pastor (his consent is required to enter and continue in diaconal formation)
   • deacons in your parish and elsewhere
   • a spiritual director (ask your pastor about suggestions for a spiritual director, or click here for a list)
2. Begin and maintain a daily prayer life. Add prayers suggested by your pastor or spiritual director.  Add daily Mass if possible. Pray as much as you can with your wife and family. Some find that praying the rosary, keeping a prayer journal, practicing lectio divina, engaging in contemplative prayer, and attending in Eucharistic Adoration deepens their discernment efforts.