Call to be a Deacon?

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dochawk said:
Check out the Eastern Catholic forum, but read several long threads before posting, or you will likely start the standard arguments 🙂
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Great, thanks. I always only knew them as the Eastern Orthodox, or Greek Orthodox churches. That’s great news to hear we are all in communion.

Jesus said that a house divided against itself won’t stand. 🙂
 
EvangelistVictor said:
Great, thanks. I always only knew them as the Eastern Orthodox, or Greek Orthodox churches. That’s great news to hear we are all in communion.
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Not quite. The ones that use “Orthodox” in the name generally aren’t in communion with those called catholic–although the term “Orthodox in Communion With Rome” is sometimes used by Melkites and others. With a couple of exceptions, there are parallel EC and EO churches.

hawk
 
It might depend on when you left the Catholic Church. If you were very young, and never confirmed, and can produce your records, you might still be asked to do at least part of the RCIA course.

Have you been attending Mass? Have you met with your parish pastor yet to discuss your Sacramental preparation?

You have the “new convert” enthusiasm, which is great, but you might do better to just “be” a Catholic for a while, before pursuing the diaconate.
 
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anon10271182 said:
Have you been attending Mass? Have you met with your parish pastor yet to discuss your Sacramental preparation?

You have the “new convert” enthusiasm, which is great, but you might do better to just “be” a Catholic for a while, before pursuing the diaconate.
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Yes, been attending mass and have been to confession to partake in the Eucharist again. Haven’t met our Priest yet till my wife is convinced this is the right thing.
 
I don’t mean talk to your pastor about the diaconate. If you’ve been away from the Church since childhood and only returned this year, pursuing the diaconate seems very premature.

Did you receive the Sacrament of Confirmation?
 
Why not speak to your parish priest or the diocesan vocation director?
 
Thanks to all the responses. I’m good now and when its time will talk to my Priest if God wills.

In the meantime, I’ll continue my work as an Evangelist in preaching the “Good News”!:))
 
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I’m sure it is satisfying.

I’ve just seen too many deacons taken for granted in various parishes.

The deacon at my parish certainly is.

Jim
 
Actually, they do not take a vow of celibacy at ordination. They DO promise not to remarry if their wife dies. But since the Catholic concept of marriage includes being open to having children, and as MANY married Eastern Rite Catholic priests (as well as those under Anglican usage, etc.) continue to have children, what you say is simply not the case.
 
It’s also a five year process to become a deacon, at least in California. Lots of study.
 
It’s also a 5-year process in my diocese (Syracuse).

One other thing: since training for the diaconate for a married man involves his wife extensively, I would assume that a man who is both a very recent convert with a wife who remains an Evangelical might have a lot of difficulty being accepted into a formation program.

To the OP: I would strongly recommend that you both devote the next few years to volunteer ministry (not only lectoring and perhaps being a Eucharistic Minister, but also working with the poor and disadvantaged). I would also recommend a LOT of reading about what Catholicism is all about. To be honest, several of your comments here suggest that you are not all that well informed about a lot of things. This is not surprising for someone who has only been a Catholic for a very short time, but it IS a problem for someone seeking holy orders. Fortunately, Catholic Answers has a lot of resources online, and is not a bad place to start. There are many other resources online, as well.
 
In my dioceses, the only portion which mandated that the wives attend was the 12 week discernment period.

The training period, it was optional for wives to attend, except some of the Sunday afternoon seminar and retreats.

Jim
 
But generally, if one’s wife is adamantly opposed, it can pose an impediment to ordination.
 
If one’s wife is opposed, they will not allow the husband to enter into the diaconate program

Wives are interviewed separately from the husbands, so that the director of the diaconate can know for sure that the wives support their husbands becoming deacons, and that they will be there to support him in his ministry.

Jim
 
What interesting is that my wife goes together with me to confession and attends mass and receives the Eucharist. Deep in her heart I feel she knows the CC is right. She even takes my Catechism of the CC book and reads it at night when I sleep now.
 
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anon10271182 said:
It’s also a five year process to become a deacon, at least in California. Lots of study.
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That’s about the same everywhere in the Catholic Church.

Important data for OP and others in similar situation.

In many protestant churches, it doesn’t take long to become a deacon. Getting people involved is a high priority in a lot of voluntary organization, persuading them to accept responsibilities is a strategy and the office of “deacon” is one way.
 
Your wife is not Catholic but receiving the Eucharists is problematic and probably grounds for rejecting you into the diaconate.

I believe the wife must be a Catholic for a husband to be accepted into the diaconate program.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Your wife is not Catholic but receiving the Eucharists is problematic and probably grounds for rejecting you into the diaconate.

I believe the wife must be a Catholic for a husband to be accepted into the diaconate program.

Jim
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She was born and raised Catholic just as I. Baptized and did her 1st Communion.
 
And were you married in the Catholic Church? That’s also going to be important.
 
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