By Deacon Charles Schiapelli
Are you a man of strong faith in God? Do you attend Mass regularly and participate actively? Are you involved in parish ministry or active in your parish community?
If you answered yes, it may be no accident or coincidence that you are reading these words at this very moment.
The Diocese of Camden is seeking men who feel they are being called to serve as permanent deacons.
A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups or “orders” of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, priests and deacons. All are members of the clergy.
A permanent deacon is called by God to serve in the manner of Jesus and is ordained as a sacramental sign of Christ, who came “to serve and not be served.” He receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders at ordination, and the grace of that sacrament flows through all he does.
As an ordained minister in the Church, deacons are called to functions of Word, Sacrament and Charity.
You may see the deacon involved in a number of liturgical functions. Most visibly, he assists the priest at the altar during Mass.
As ministers of the Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach and teach in the name of the Church.
As ministers of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages and conduct funeral and gravesite services.
As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then organizing the Church’s resources to meet those needs. He ministers to the needs of families, single parents, students, the aged, the infirmed, the imprisoned, and those who suffer from poverty or addictions.
Currently, the Diocese of Camden is blessed to have a diverse group of 16 men who have said yes to God’s call to the permanent diaconate – many being born in the United States with others whose life journeys began in Puerto Rico, Haiti, Nigeria, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
These men are currently participating in a 4 1/2 year diaconate formation program. Once completed, they will be eligible for ordination as deacons in 2025.
The formation program, following guidelines established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, focuses on human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral development. The program consists of three semesters per year: fall, winter and spring. Semesters are 13 weeks, and candidates complete two courses each semester. Classes are held weekly on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with an additional class meeting one Saturday per month.
The Diocese of Camden is planning on starting a new diaconate formation class and is seeking men discerning God’s call to diaconate ministry.
The Office of the Diaconate is holding a meeting to provide information and answer questions concerning the life and ministry of a permanent deacon. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 30 at the Diaconate Center, 15 N. East Ave., Vineland. Men 30-55 years old, married or single, are encouraged to attend.
The ministry of the deacon, particularly bilingual deacons (English-Spanish), are needed to serve the people of God in the Diocese of Camden. If you believe that Christ may be calling you to serve the Church as a deacon, please attend this meeting. If you know someone who you think Christ may be calling, please provide them this information.
For more information or to R.S.V.P. for the meeting, call the Diaconate Office at 856-583-2858 or email charles.schiapelli@camdendiocese.org.
Deacon Charles Schiapelli is Assistant Director of Diaconate Formation for the Diocese of Camden
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