Permanent deacons emerge from all walks of life

    Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond will ordain 20 men to the permanent diaconate for the Archdiocese of New Orleans Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Louis Cathedral.
    The diaconate Class of 2012 includes married men from virtually every part of the archdiocese, which currently enjoys the service of 213 permanent deacons. The United States has nearly half of all permanent deacons in the worldwide Catholic Church, with 17,289 men serving in the U.S. out of a global total of 39,564.
    Another 23 men are aspirants in formation for the archdiocese’s Class of 2015, said Deacon Ray Duplechain, director of the Office of Permanent Diaconate.
    The deacon candidates spend many years in formation and training. After a one-year period of inquiry and discernment, the men spend one year as “aspirants,” deepening their human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation for ministry, followed by three years of candidacy, which is designed to confirm the presence of a vocation.
    That process leads to a petition to the archbishop to be ordained to the order of deacon in the Catholic Church.
    The permanent diaconate as an ordained ministry was restored by the Second Vatican Council with the 1964 promulgation of “Lumen Gentium,” the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. In 1967, Pope Paul VI implemented the council’s intention by promulgating the apostolic letter “Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem,” and the U.S. bishops petitioned the Vatican in 1968 to restore the diaconate in this country.
    In 1972, Archbishop Philip M. Hannan authorized a formation program for permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the first class was ordained in 1974.
    Formation for diaconal ministry requires a lifelong commitment to deepening one’s relationships and acceptance of God’s will for a life of ministry. It leads a person to answer the universal call to holiness in a particular service to the people of God.
    Permanent deacons offer service in parishes, hospital, prisons, social service programs and many other Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Their sacramental ministry includes proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, presiding at Communion services, witnessing marriages, presiding at funeral rites and conferring baptism.

Meet the Class of 2012