Timeline for Recruitment Process  |  Admission Requirements  |  Application Process  |  Formation for the Diaconate  |  Place of Formation   |  General Remarks about Diaconate Formation  |  Pastoral Formation  |  Theological Formation  | 
Spiritual Formation  |  Evaluations  |  Ministries and Candidacy  |  Ordination
 

(To print the "Deacon Manual" please click here.)
 
Timeline for the Recruitment Process
The recruitment process begins approximately one year before a new deacon class begins formation.
  • September:  "Deacon Sunday" materials are sent to all pastors, parish directors and Parish Pastoral Councils.  The date will have been set and promoted the previous spring.  Those individuals who have already expressed an interest in the diaconate are contacted.
  • November:  "Deacon Sunday"  takes place throughout the diocese.
  • November-January:  Information nights are held in each deanery regarding training, formation and commitment.  Parish interviews begin with applicants.  Names of suitable applicants are forwarded to the Director of Deacon Formation, who sends them application forms and other materials.
  • January - May:  Applications are received and processed by the Deacon Formation Council.  Recommendations are sent to the Bishop.
  • September:  Candidates begin formation.
 
Admission Requirements
The Order of Deacon is open to married or single men.  To help assure that a permanent deacon can fulfill his responsibilities and meet the demands of his chosen ministry, the Diocese of Pueblo seeks the following qualities in a prospective candidate:
  • Demonstrates a solid faith in God
  • Clear understanding of the Church its current teaching and role in today's world.
  • Sense of call to serve the People of God as a deacon.
  • Understanding and willingness to accept the demands of a lifelong commitment to diaconal ministry in the Church.
A prospective candidate is expected to give evidence, through various materials submitted in the application process, of the following:
  • At least 30 years of age and no older than 60 years of age at the start of formation.
  • Active participation in the Catholic Faith*
  • Received the sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation, and Matrimony (if married), all within the Catholic Church.
  • Record of service in the Church, with some demonstrated leadership roles.
  • Approval and support of the parish (e.g. pastor, parish pastoral council)
  • Sufficient economic security and job stability.
  • Good physical and psychological health.
  • Personal and psychological stability.
  • Ability to work well with others.
  • Openness to ongoing personal and spiritual growth.
  • Ability to handle college level work.
  • If the applicant is single - the commitment to a celibate life.
  • If the applicant is married - evidence of a stable and growing marriage; the understanding, approval, and support of his wife of the diaconal commitment; and the understanding that if the wife dies, the deacon will remain celibate.
*  Those who were baptized or received into the Church as adults must show active participation in the Church for a period of no less than five years before making application.

** Those previously married outside the Church must be living in a valid (i.e. sacramental) marriage for a period of no less than five years before making application.
 
Application Process
Prospective candidates take part in the application process by completing the following:
  • Interview with the pastor and a parish council member.  If they make a positive recommendation, the prospect continues with the process.
  • Both the prospective candidate and his wife will fill out application forms.  He will also be required to have at least three other recommendations.
  • Both the prospective candidate and his wife will go take a psychological examination.
  • The candidate will also take a physical examination.
  • Interview with the Director of Deacon Formation.
  • Interview with a deacon and his wife.
The Deacon Formation Council reviews all the materials and makes a recommendation (positive or negative) to the Bishop regarding the prospect's suitability for acceptance.  The prospective candidate is informed of the decision.
N.B.  If at any time during the application process, it becomes apparent that the applicant does not meet the requirements, he will be informed as soon as possible.
 
Formation for theDiaconate
 
Place of Formation
At the time of this writing, formation for the diaconate takes place at two locations.  For most candidates, this is the program located in Denver and run by the Archdiocese of Denver.  For some candidates, because of distance from Denver, take part in the program located in and run by the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.  This may change in the future.
 
General Remarks about Diaconate Formation
Formation for the diaconate in the Diocese of Pueblo has four important characteristics:
  • it is primarily pastoral in orientation
  • it is theologically sound and well integrated
  • is adapted to the needs and resources of the Diocese of Pueblo
  • it is grounded in a spirituality of service, as particularly reflected in the works of charity and justice
Deacons are ordained for service.  Just as the ability to serve is an important part of the admission process, so will the needs of the Church for service direct the formation of deacon candidates.
The formation must be well integrated.  The pastoral, theological, and spiritual elements of formation do not exist as separate departments.  These three elements must be so interrelated that they provide a living integration is the exercise of diaconal ministry.
The wife and family of the candidate will be involved in the various aspects of the formation program.  Familial relationships are bound to be influenced by the commitments that the deacon makes.  By having his wife and family involved from the very beginning of formation, diaconal commitments and family relationships will enrich and confirm one another.
Formation for the diaconate for the Diocese of Pueblo will last four years, which includes pastoral training.  (The minimum is three years - Canon 236).  Only the bishop, and only for exceptional reasons, may dispense from this four year requirement.
 
Pastoral Formation
The entire formation program has a pastoral focus.  Its immediate concern is to provide the necessary knowledge, sensitivities, and skills for the special ministries of service.  The program recognizes that the candidate has already had some involvement in service ministries, and yet builds upon those previously displayed talents and skills.
In addition, the program aims at helping the candidate discover talents, perhaps unrecognized, and develop new skills necessary for ministry.  At the end of the program, the candidate should have both the genuine confidence in his abilities and a realistic sense of his own limitations.
During formation, the candidate will exercise any pastoral ministry open to the laity, but he is cautioned not to take on additional ministries for which has not been properly trained, nor which give the appearance of his having a special role in his community.  During formation, the candidate will be involved in parochial and non-parochial supervised ministry.  This will give the candidate not only a sense of the needs and mission of the local church, but will also help him discern his particular talents and skills.  These experiences will include theological reflection as a means of integrating theory and practice.  Competent, objective, and sympathetic supervision will be required.
In additional to the theological courses offered, certain courses directed to skillful pastoral practice will be offered.  Among them are the following:
  • Self-knowledge and inter-relational skills appropriate to effective ministry.
  • Liturgical practice
  • Skills for effective preaching
  • Principles of Christian social justice and works of mercy.
  • An introduction to the principles of counseling, parish social ministry, and community organization, as they apply to the situation of the local Church.
  • Canonical and pastoral administration principles, especially for those who anticipate having the pastoral care of parish communities.
  • Multi-cultural awareness, especially as experienced within the Diocese of Pueblo.
  • Gender-inclusive awareness.
The demonstration of pastoral skills by the candidate is a crucial element in the evaluation of his fitness for ordination.
 
Theological Formation
The theological program will be oriented toward ministry, providing the candidate with the knowledge and appreciation of the faith that he needs in order to be able to carry out his ministry of Word, sacrament, and service.  It will also promote the deacons' lifelong effort to reflect on his ministry in the light of faith.
Theological formation will take into account the general needs of diaconal service in the communities for which a man is to be ordained.  It will also be constructed in such a way that a candidate can evaluate his society and culture in the light of the Gospel and to understand the Gospel in light of the particular society and culture in which he will be serving.
Theological formation will make use of the methods and processes of adult education.  The candidate will be invited to draw and reflect upon his adult life and faith experiences.
The theological program is designed to communicate a knowledge of the faith and church traditional in such a way that the candidate will become a knowledgeable and  reliable witness to the faith and spokesman for the Church's teaching.  Among the specific areas covered are:
  • Sacred Scripture
  • Basic Dogmas and Doctrines
  • Moral Theology
  • Ecclesiology
  • Sacramental and Liturgical Theology
  • Church History
Particular course requirements are published by the director of the formation program, and are in compliance with the guidelines issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Candidates are held accountable for their performance in their theological formation.  How this is accomplished is left up to the judgment of those responsible for the program.
 
Spiritual Formation
The spiritual formation program is conceived and designed as the element that integrates the other two dimensions.  The candidate is prepared in such a way that his life as the Church's minister forms an integrated whole of skills, commitment, and devotion to Christ and the Church.  Founded on his baptism, and centered on the Paschal Mystery, his faith is constantly nourished by reading and meditating on Scripture, and regular participation in the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation.
The program of spiritual formation builds upon the candidate's previous adult Christian experience and commitments, especially, in the case of married deacons, their commitment to wife and family.  A man will not be admitted to the program who has not demonstrated the personal integrity and maturity, as well as the Christian commitment and generosity that make him a likely candidate for diaconal ministry.  The spiritual program presumes his Christian adulthood and seriousness.  And yet, the varying quality and depth of these characteristics are taken into account in helping the candidate grow in self-knowledge, commitment, and dedication to service.
One of the chief aims of the spiritual formation program will be to assist the candidate in achieving a spiritual integration of his life and ministry.  Most candidates are married men with secular occupations.  They need a spiritual life in which ministry, family, and occupation enrich and confirm one another.  For this reason, the wife of the candidate will be closely involved in the activities for spiritual formation.  This common participation will often strengthen and enrich their marriage.
The spiritual program will cover to some degree the following areas:
  • A variety of prayer experiences, covering traditional and contemporary spiritualities
  • Weekend retreats and days of recollection
  • Diaconal vocation and the spirituality of service
  • Spirituality of marriage
  • Eucharistic and sacrament spirituality
  • The practice of spiritual direction
  • Mariology
  • Celibacy
candidates will be introduced to and encourage to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.  Deacons are expected Co know the nature and structure of the Hours and be able to lead it publicly.
At their ordination, deacons make a lifelong promise of obedience to their diocesan bishop.  The spiritual formation program will explore with the candidate the nature and extent of this obligation and its implication for their ministry, marriage, and personal spiritual life.
From the beginning of formation, the candidate is required to secure the assistance of a personal spiritual director as an aid to spiritual reflection and growth.  The director must be qualified, in the sense of having the training or experience necessary for guiding another in spiritual matters.  The director may not be the candidate's pastor or pastoral supervisor, in order to insure the separation between the internal and external forum.
During formation, at times determined by the formation program, the candidates will petition the bishop for, and upon his approval, will:  1) make an official declaration of their Candidacy, 2) be installed into the Ministry of Lector, and 3) be installed into the Ministry of Acolyte.  These are official steps toward ministry and will not be taken unless the candidate has shown sufficient progress in his formation.  The spiritual formation program will explore the meaning of these steps with the candidates.
Unmarried men, upon ordination, make a lifetime commitment to celibacy.  Special provisions will be made in the program to prepare them for the celibate life.
 
Evaluations
Because, at this time, the Diocese of Pueblo makes use of formation programs outside the diocese, and relies on the expertise of those in charge of the programs, we are obliged to follow the criteria they  have established for evaluations.   In addition, however, the Diocese of Pueblo reserves the right to have additional criteria for evaluation.  This is contained in the paragraphs above.
Regular evaluations of the candidates will be made and communicated to him and the bishop each year during the formation program.  These evaluations will review the candidates performance is all areas of the program.  These evaluations are also communicated to the Director of Deacon Formation.
Conducted seriously and communicated frankly, such reviews can be valuable occasions for the candidate's development and for the discernment of a vocation.
Areas of the candidate's formation needing special attention, and/or causing serious concern will be communicated to the candidate by the Diocesan Director as soon as possible.  A growth plan addressing these areas will be discussed and decided upon, using the evaluation of those responsible for the program as well as input from the Deacon Formation Council.
Should it become necessary to dismiss a candidate from the formation program, this decision will be communicated to him, in person, as soon as possible.  In such a case, a candidate may appeal this decision to the bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo, but he should know that in all likelihood, the bishop will follow the recommendation of those in charge of the formation program.
 
Ministries and Candidacy
At a time determined by the respective formation programs the candidates will be recommended for the ministries of Reader and Acolyte, as well as for the formal declaration of Candidacy for Orders.  When recommendations for these important steps are received by the Deacon Formation Council, they will be reviewed by the Council and forwarded to the Bishop with the Council's own recommendation for approval or disapproval.  It is the Bishop of Pueblo who calls the candidates  to Ministries and Candidacy.  The liturgies for these steps are usually celebrated at the place of formation, but may, in some instances, be celebrated in the candidates' home parishes.
 
Ordination
At the completion of the formation period, a final evaluation of the candidate's suitability for ordination will be made to the bishop.  This evaluation will look at his faith and theological development, his moral and spiritual maturity, his fidelity to marriage (or celibacy), and his ability to minister.  A positive evaluation will lead to a recommendation by those in charge of the formation program, as well as the Deacon Formation Council, that the candidate be called to the Order of Deacon.
Before a candidate can be ordained, the following documents must be submitted:
  • a declaration that the course of studies has been completed;
  • baptismal, confirmation, and, for married candidate, marriage certificates;
  • a declaration that the ministries of lector and acolyte have been received and exercised, that interstices have been observed, and that a profession of faith has been made and signed;
  • a handwritten declaration by the candidate of his free and lifelong commitment to the ecclesiastical ministry, and of his petition to receive the order of deacon;
  • a written statement of consent from the wife of a married candidate.
All other canonical requirements, possible irregularities, and impediments must be considered unless legitimately modified or dispensed by law or competent authority, as well as other requirements, such as dimissorial letters, which may apply in particular cases.
 
 

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