On March, 11th 2023, I was ordained as a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church along with nine other men with whom I had been sharing a five-year-long formation journey. The events of that day most certainly were a first for me, but it was also a first for the St. Joseph Parish community as well. Never before, in the 175-year history of St. Joseph Parish, has there been a parishioner ordained as a Permanent Deacon. Not that this fact makes me feel special in any way, but it does point out the relative rarity and special nature surrounding my ordination, specifically as a member of St. Joseph.
As both the parish and I are newcomers to the permanent diaconate experience, I thought I would use the occasion of my ordination to take you on my journey over the last several years. I will attempt to explain exactly what a Catholic deacon is, what he does, and what it takes to become one. I will endeavor to explain God’s call and hopefully shine some light on a journey that led me from being a protestant RCIA candidate to a Permanent Deacon. At the same time, I hope to reintroduce myself to you, born anew and indelibly marked with the Grace of Holy Orders.
The Calling
Discerning a vocation to Holy Orders takes time, prayer, reflection, patience, and attentiveness to God’s action in one’s life. It’s not enough to simply “decide” to pursue Holy Orders. One’s heart has to perceive an undeniable invitation and calling to follow Christ intimately through ordination and beyond.
I discovered the magnificent beauty of the Catholic faith after going to Mass at St. Joseph with Donette. Other than growing up thinking that I could never be Catholic, I had very little exposure to the Catholic Church. After that first Mass, I found a deep desire to know more and started to study and read everything I could about the Church. It was not long before I volunteered as a reader and a sacristan and became a very active non-Catholic member of our parish community.
Then, one evening during Mass, I heard, what I perceived to be, God’s voice telling me that He wanted me to explore becoming a deacon. Although I was enrolled in RCIA, I was not yet a confirmed Catholic and really did not understand what a deacon was; however, God’s words never left me and only intensified over the next few months. So, one evening I prayed, telling God that if He opened the doors to the diaconate, I would walk through them. Instantaneously, peace overcame me, and I felt at ease.
A divine call is an awareness that God is asking for a lifetime commitment to serve His people. Answering such a call requires years of formation and education in order to discern properly whether the calling is authentic. My five years of formation was a journey of self-discovery, a deepening of faith, and ongoing learning that helped me decide whether the calling to the diaconate that I sensed was, in fact, authentic. Formation for the diaconate is a process by which one is molded into the image of Jesus Christ the Servant. It involves academic studies, but also an exploration and deepening of one’s self-understanding and relationship with Christ and His Church.
Inquiry Phase
Formation began with an inquiry phase, which is where, along with Fr. Bennerfield’s written recommendation and sponsorship, I officially informed the diocese that I was interested in the diaconate. There was an initial four-consecutive-week process of seminars and workshops held at the chancery in Lafayette during which we learned about the diaconate, the role of deacons in the Church, and the overall formation process and expectations of the program. As the Church believes that the decision to discern the diaconate by married men is as much the responsibility of the spouse as the inquirant, both Donette and I were required to attend. These sessions were followed by a one year period of discernment and bi-weekly in-person and daily online classes where further spiritual development occurred. It was also during this period when the formal application process began. This started with a 28-page application followed by an extensive background and reference check, a panel interview, a psychological examination, and an eligibility check. This was a period during which the Church discerned me just as much as I discerned the Church. The academics of this phase included the basic teachings of the faith in both an in-person and online environment.
Aspirancy Phase
After my application to the diaconate was officially completed and approved by Bishop Deshotel, I was formally admitted to the one-year Aspirancy phase of formation where I continued the ongoing discernment process with an emphasis on spiritual readiness, intellectual capacity, and pastoral abilities. Academically, the class load increased with courses, teaching a deeper knowledge of the faith and church tradition, as well as theology and spirituality. The course load for the year of Aspirancy included:
Lector & Acolyte
During the last year of Candidacy and before I could be ordained as a deacon, I was required to receive the ministries of Lector and Acolyte and to have exercised them for a suitable period of time. Lector and Acolyte are the final two stages achieved prior to ordination. This required two additional handwritten letters from both Donette and I addressed to Bishop Deshotel requesting that I be formally instituted as a Lector, and then six months later, as an Acolyte.
Ordination
This brings us to ordination. Five years after submitting my application to Bishop Deshotel, and after five years of discernment, prayer, and academic achievement, Donette and I had one final handwritten letter to send to the Bishop. This letter was one requesting that I be ordained to the Holy Order of Permanent Deacon. Per Canon Law, prior to ordination, the candidates were required to attend a five-day pre-ordination retreat where we were provided with a peaceful and quiet place to finalize our discernment and to finalize our commitment toward a lifetime of service to Christ. It was a time of deep reflection on the previous five years and a time of deep prayer about what is to come.
Our class started out five years ago with twenty-six men discerning God’s call. In the end, only nine of us laid prostrate on that altar in St. John’s Cathedral on March 11th. Bishop Deshotel laid hands on only nine of the original twenty-six men who started that journey, many of whom I believed more worthy than I. That being said, if formation has taught me anything, it is that there is no simple answer to the question “Am I authentically called?”; however, through faith, prayer, spiritual direction, and proper discernment, we can discover God’s will.
What is a Deacon?
Some of you may be wondering what a deacon is and what my ordination means for our parish. You might be asking, what, if anything, will change? Well, first and foremost, I’m still me. I’m still a husband, father, and grandfather, and I still have a full-time secular career. The most significant change is what happened inside me. Just like the indelible marks left through the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, ordination placed an indelible mark on my soul that can never be removed. At ordination, a man’s soul undergoes an ontological change—an actual change of being. This means once ordained, a deacon, even if he retires or is no longer in active ministry, will always be ordained.
The diaconate is one of three orders within the Catholic Church, deacon, priest, and bishop, which constitute the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The bishop has the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders as a successor of the Apostles, while priests and deacons are ordained to assist the bishop in his ministry and are only given a share of his authority. Priests share in the bishop’s authority to act as Christ the Priest, whereas deacons act as Christ the Servant. There are two types of deacons: permanent and transitional. Both are identical in scope and nature but are destined for very different ministries. Transitional deacons anticipate receiving further ordination to the priesthood, while permanent deacons do not.
As a deacon, my ministry includes proclaiming the Gospel, giving homilies, teaching (catechesis), providing spiritual guidance, sacramental preparation, performing baptisms, witnessing marriages, performing funeral services outside of Mass, and many other duties as Father Bennerfield sees fit. I’ll be doing all of this as an ordained minister and authorized representative of the Catholic Church, aided by the graces of the sacrament of Holy Orders. With ordination to the diaconate, I canonically entered into the clerical state. This means that among other things, I won’t be able to remarry should Donette pass before I do. It means I am obligated, just as priests and bishops are, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day. I am also bound to obedience to the Bishop in a more profound way.
Lastly, deacons are ordained to serve the diocese, not just the parish. Just like Father Bennerfield, I serve at the pleasure of Bishop Deshotel and can be assigned to any parish in the diocese. Thankfully, my first five-year assignment will be at St. Joseph, and I could not happier that I will have the opportunity to give back to the parish that started me on this wonderful journey.
How Will You Dress the Part?
As clerics, deacons are bound by Canon Law to wear clerical clothing; however, permanent deacons are not fully bound by this due to our dual clerical and secular characteristics. Permanent deacons are not financially supported by the church, and most of us have full-time secular jobs where wearing ecclesial clothing would not be practical or possible, but you will notice my dressing differently at Mass. As a deacon, my vestment for Mass is called a dalmatic. It differs from the priest’s chasuble primarily in the fact that it has sleeves. It symbolizes my role as servant to the Bishop. Under this vestment, I will wear my usual white Alb and cincture; however, just like a priest, I will be wearing a stole. Only I’ll be wearing my stole a bit differently. Whereas a priest wears his stole over both shoulders, the deacon wears his stole over the left shoulder only.
Speaking of Mass, you will note a few differences in my role in the sanctuary as well. As a deacon, I will be proclaiming the Gospel and preaching the homily from time to time. In addition, it is also the deacon’s role to lead the prayers of the faithful, to distribute Holy Communion, and purify the vessels after Communion. Now I had already been doing some of these things as a lector and as an acolyte, so not much will change there. The difference is that, instead of doing these tasks as an extraordinary minister, I’ll be doing them as an ordinary minister who has been ordained for this purpose. You’ll also notice that I am physically closer to Father much of the time. I’ll be sitting at his right hand next to the presider’s chair and standing next to him at the altar, assisting him more closely than before, especially with the chalice.
As a deacon, I am able to perform the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament for our Adoration times. And while there are some solemn blessings reserved for priests and bishops, deacons can, in most cases, offer ordinary blessings. I am also able to bless sacramentals such as rosaries and scapulars and other artifacts brought forward by the church faithful.
So, What Do I Call You?
The norm for addressing a deacon in the Catholic Church is Deacon followed by either his first or last name. So, you can call me Deacon Shannon, Deacon Freeman, or just plain Deacon. As I’ve always been on very familiar terms with everyone, this might be awkward at first. Please, understand its purpose is to recognize, not just the deacon, but also the ministry of service that the deacon fulfills within the Church under the Church’s authority. Similar to addressing a priest as Father, addressing a deacon appropriately is a way of recognizing the sacramental grace of ordination and the sponsorship of the Catholic Church.
As a newly ordained deacon, I look forward to serving Bishop Deshotel, serving Father Bennerfield, and serving God by serving you. I ask for your prayers and patience as I transition into this new ministerial role. As my love of Christ continues to grow, so does my love for this parish and all those who prayed for me through this amazing journey. My calling may have come from God, but the support of Donette and my entire St. Joseph family is equally responsible for my being where I am.
May God bless you and keep you forever.
Your Brother In Christ,
Dcn. Shannon