Candidates sought for new Deaconate Formation Class

Diocese of Salt Lake City

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Diocese of Salt Lake City began its first program of diaconal formation in 1974. Instituting the diaconate as a permanent order of ministry in our local Church, the Most Rev. Joseph Federal, sixth Bishop of Salt Lake City, said, “At this time I feel that for the good of souls, the order of Permanent Diaconate should be established in our Diocese of Salt Lake City. … For most of you the idea of the Permanent Diaconate will be something new, but, in fact it has been with the Church from the beginning.”

Formation for the diaconate is now a five-and-a-half-year process. This process is set forth in the “National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States,” which was first promulgated in 2004; the second edition was issued in 2021.

One of the major changes made in the directory’s second edition is lengthening the first phase of diaconal formation, known as aspirancy, from one to two years. Aspirancy primarily focuses on vocational discernment. During this time, the human and spiritual pillars of formation are emphasized. Aspirants are also introduced to the intellectual and pastoral pillars of ministerial formation.

For those selected as candidates at the end of aspirancy, the final four years delve more deeply into the intellectual and pastoral aspects of formation for ministry, while continuing to foster human and spiritual development. Some topics covered during the Candidacy period are Scripture, theology, Mariology, the Second Vatican Council, moral theology, homiletics, Christology and canon law.

During the final year, candidates are assigned to a parish for a practicum while continuing to attend academic sessions.

The diocesan Office of the Diaconate is offering a new Diaconate Formation Class. Information about this program will be available to interested married men and their wives as well as interested single men aged 35-55 during the inquiry sessions that are scheduled for early 2024. The sessions will be both virtual and in-person, and bi-lingual (English and Spanish).

To receive information about the inquiry sessions, visit the diocesan website, dioslc.org, under the Office of the Diaconate tab or contact Mirna Gomez, 801-328-8641, ext. 322 or mirna.gomez@dioslc.org.

Courtesy of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of the Diaconate