Deacon Formation Program

 

Archdiocese of Chicago

 

University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary

What about tuition and books? What if I can’t afford it?

 

The archdiocese pays for about half the tuition costs, and your sponsoring parish is expected to pay the other half. Applicants are responsible for costs of books, spiritual direction, transportation and fees. Limited scholarships are available.

 

I’ve been out of school for awhile. Are classes difficult?

 

Classes are equivalent to entry-level college courses and are taught in an adult user-friendly, yet, challenging style. Good reading and writing skills are paramount as is the ability to articulate orthodox (Catholic Christian) theological knowledge. Initiative, ability to research and resource, as well as extract foundational knowledge through classroom participation and diligence toward assignments are the hallmarks of a successful candidate. Students are held accountable through various outcomes/assessment instruments.

 

Can I make up classes if I am sick or have another emergency?

 

Generally, yes. But the participant is expected to make arrangements to complete any missed assignments necessary to meet program requirements.

 

Once I am accepted into the program, does that mean I’ll be ordained in four years?

 

The Aspirancy Path year and three years of Candidacy constitute a period and process of discernment and evaluation of a man’s call to ordained ministry. In addition to call, one must always pray over another question: Is this the right time for me to continue in formation? As noted previously, the added demands of formation present challenges. Health issues, caring for children, and assisting elderly parents are just some points for reflection. Occasionally, participants must step back for a time to address issues and priorities in their personal lives. However, acceptance into the program in no way confers a right to ordination.

 

My pastor has mentioned that with my extensive parish ministry experience and college and graduate-level background, I should be ordained rather quickly. Are you saying that even though I have an advanced degree and have also worked in a parish environment for a long time I would still be required to attend classes and formation for all four years?

 

Yes.  Extended time in formation geared toward ordained ministry, and, particularly the diaconate, is necessary to prepare a person spiritually, intellectually and emotionally for the rigors and demands on the ordained. For most, this also means acquiring a new set of skills acclimated to this precise ministry. In the case of a person already possessing an advanced degree in theology (Master, Doctorate), academic class work is evaluated and in many cases ‘comped.’ This does not, however, affect the four-year timeline. Students with advanced theological degrees are still required to participate fully in four years of formation.

 

Will new deacons be automatically assigned to their own parish?

 

A deacon participates in the Bishop’s ministry and is ordained for the archdiocese. The Vicar for the Diaconate Community notes that the current norm usually assigns a newly-ordained deacon to his sponsoring parish—which may, or may not, be the deacon’s home/residential parish. The Bishop, however, always remains free to make assignments based on archdiocesan need. In consultation with the pastor, and with input from wife and family, duties are determined and a ministry agreement is signed with the parish.

 

Can an ordained deacon marry if his wife predeceases him?

 

A discipline of the Latin Rite is that deacons cannot get married once ordained. On a case-by-case basis, widowed deacons with minor children may apply to Rome for a dispensation to marry. This is the exception and not the rule, however, and offers no guarantee.

 

Since single permanent deacons cannot marry after ordination can I get married while studying for the permanent diaconate?

 

A candidate for Holy Orders who is unmarried makes a promise to a lifetime of chastity and celibacy (celibacy refers to the state of being not married). If a candidate were to enter the Sacrament of Matrimony during the candidacy years he would be asked to step back from the program for a minimum of three years. This period provides further discernment for both the candidate and the Deacon Formation Program. Issues regarding family life, age, wife’s consent, etc. would need to be evaluated before consideration of potential re-entry to the program.

 

What kind of salary can I expect after ordination?

 

The permanent deacon is not a salaried position within the Archdiocese of Chicago. It is a calling—an invitation from God to a life of Christian service. In its noblest form it exemplifies stewardship as a lived reality. In some cases, deacons assume roles within parishes that are a salaried position, e.g., Business Manager, DRE, Youth Minister. Those positions follow the personnel guidelines of the archdiocese. It is important to remember, however, that being invited and accepted into the Deacon Formation Program is not an invitation to a career change or career advancement. Employment and personal financial sustenance are a requirement for acceptance into the Candidacy Path.

 

I have heard that the deacon is distinctively different from a priest—as is the academic tract and formation. Is this true? And can a permanent deacon move forward to priesthood?

 

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is three-fold: deacon, priest, bishop. In reality, the permanent diaconate lives up to its name—permanent. The Second Vatican Council desired a distinct and permanent order. Although the permanent deacon receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the formation and academic path is distinct from the priesthood path and the role and function of a deacon —post-ordination—is distinct from a priest. The United States Bishop’s Conference has stated that a path to priesthood from the permanent diaconate is not the norm and in only rare instances should the potential be considered.

 

At a lower level of the hierarchy are deacons, upon whom hands are imposed "not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service."(74*) For strengthened by sacramental grace, in communion with the bishop and his group of priests they serve in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word, and of charity to the people of God. It is the duty of the deacon, according as it shall have been assigned to him by competent authority, to administer baptism solemnly, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, to officiate at funeral and burial services. Dedicated to duties of charity and of administration, let deacons be mindful of the admonition of Blessed Polycarp: "Be merciful, diligent, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who became the servant of all."(75*)

 

Since these duties, so very necessary to the life of the Church, can be fulfilled only with difficulty in many regions in accordance with the discipline of the Latin Church as it exists today, the diaconate can in the future be restored as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. It pertains to the competent territorial bodies of bishops, of one kind or another, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, to decide whether and where it is opportune for such deacons to be established for the care of souls. With the consent of the Roman Pontiff, this diaconate can, in the future, be conferred upon men of more mature age, even upon those living in the married state. It may also be conferred upon suitable young men, for whom the law of celibacy must remain intact.

 

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

Lumen Gentium

November 21, 1964