Permanent Diaconate Information

About the Diaconate

The Office of the Permanent Diaconate of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana is responsible for providing pastoral care and continuing formation for deacons.   All of these activities are undertaken with complete fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and in complete communion with the Bishop of Lafayette-in-Indiana. The order of deacons in our diocese is under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our spiritual mother and St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.

The Role of Permanent Deacons

To be a Deacon a man must have the talent and determination to dedicate himself to three-fold service: Word, Charity, and Altar. Above all, the Permanent Deacon is to be an animator. As such his role is to remind his brothers and sisters of what each of us, by reason of our baptism, should be doing as members of the Church and, given our God-given gifts, what we should continually strive to become.
 

The Formation of Permanent Deacons

The Office of the Permanent Diaconate  has as its mission the selection, evaluation and  formation of men discerning and aspiring to the Permanent Diaconate.  These candidates, along with their spouses for those who are married, undergo formation designed to respond to the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral dimensions of the diaconate in our times.  Under the direction of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, and with fidelity to Vatican and National Norms, the Office of the Permanent Diaconate seeks to prepare deacons who will serve our Diocese through the ministry of the word, of the altar and of charity. In order to carry this out, the Office is committed to a Program of Formation which addresses four dimensions:  Spiritual, Human, Intellectual and Pastoral.  An explanation of each of these dimensions can be found in the Vocations Booklet in the left column.

If you feel God may be  calling you to disern a vocation in the Permanent Diaconate, please review the vocations booklet. If you are interested in further information, please contact Deacon Chris Bock, Coordinator of Vocations and Pastoral Field Education.  Contact Deacon Chris for more information [email protected].