Informational meeting for permanent diaconate set for Sept. 10 in Indianapolis

The archdiocesan Office of Deacon Formation is beginning a period of inquiry and discernment for those interested in the permanent diaconate.

In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, formation for the permanent diaconate is a five-year process beginning with a year of inquiry and discernment.

The first year includes a series of monthly meetings, beginning in September and concluding in April, which are held in various locations around the archdiocese. The sessions are open to all those who wish to enter into discernment.

Serious applicants are expected to attend all the meetings. If they are married, it is asked that their wives also attend.

Formal application packets will be distributed in January of the discernment year to those who have actively participated in the discernment process. The applications will then be reviewed by a selection committee, and those who are selected to enter formation will begin the formal four-year process in August 2018.

The first inquiry session will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 at St. Lawrence Parish, 6944 E. 46th St., in Indianapolis. The topic will be the “Diaconate as Vocation,” and will also discuss necessary qualifications and the four-year formation process.

Other sessions are as follows:
 

• Oct. 15, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, 1752 Scheller Lane, in New Albany.
• Nov. 12, St. Mary-of-the-Woods Parish, 3827 North Arms Place, in St. Mary-of-the-Woods.
• Dec. 10, St. Louis Parish, 13 St. Louis Place, in Batesville.
• Jan. 14, Holy Angels Parish, 740 W. 28th St., in Indianapolis.
• Feb. 11, St. Paul Catholic Center, 1413 E. 17th St., in Bloomington.
• March 11, St. Joseph Parish, Jennings County, 1875 S. County Rd. 700 W, in North Vernon.

No preregistration is required for these sessions, and each session will begin at 2:30 p.m. and end by 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact the archdiocesan Office of Deacon Formation for additional information at 800-382-9836, ext. 1492, 317-236-1492, or e-mail Deacon Kerry Blandford, archdiocesan director of deacon formation, at kblandford@archindy.org. †