Are you called to be a Deacon?
If you are in the process of discerning God’s call to serve the Church in the ministries of Charity, Word, and the Eucharist as an ordained deacon in the Diocese of Brooklyn, you are invited to contact the Diaconate Formation Office for more information about the Inquiry Stage, by sending us an email at mplasencia@diobrook.org or jcantirino@diobrook.org or by calling the office at 718-281-9577.
The Inquiry Stage is designed to help you and your wife (if married) begin to discern whether this call is to the Diaconate or for another important and holy role within the Church. As is the case with any vocation, the Church must also verify this call through a process of discernment. Because God speaks in quiet and subtle ways, we all enter this process with open and prayerful hearts trusting that the Holy Spirit will lead us.
The Application Process
The Diaconate Formation Office welcomes applications from men of all communities and backgrounds. For the Good News to be incarnate, it is necessary for the Church to have ordained ministers in all the various communities. The presence and witness of deacons from all communities will assist in identifying community needs and advance the response of Christian service.
The man discerning a vocation to be a deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn should:
- Call or send an email to the Diaconate Formation Office to schedule a conference with the Formation Coordinator of the program.
- Obtain a Letter of Recommendation from his pastor.
- Attend, along with his wife if married, one of the evenings of inquiry.
- Complete and submit the Pre-Application Form, which will be distributed on the evening of inquiry.
- Once the pre-application is received by the office, the applicants will receive the Formal Application. This application is more extensive and once completed should be sent to the Diaconate office with the required documents.
- With the Formal Application, the applicant will receive the instructions to schedule the psychological test and attend one clinical interview with his wife (if married) with one of our diocesan psychologists.
- The applicant will also receive the procedure to follow for the background check.
- Once we have received all the above information, attend an interview with the Admissions Committee. Interviews are conducted for the applicant and his wife if married.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants must be aware that participation in the admissions process does not guarantee that someone is automatically accepted into the first stage of formation, which is Aspirancy.