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The Diaconate
Transitional and Permanent
What is a deacon and what is the difference between a transitional deacon and a permanent deacon?
Transitional deacons are seminary students in the process of becoming ordained priests. They serve as deacons for one year and are then ordained by the bishop as priests.
Transitional Deacons are seminarians who are ordained as deacons, usually in their final year before priestly ordination; they are referred to as ‘transitional deacons.’
Permanent deacons are ordained to the Catholic Church and have no intentions of becoming a priest. Deacons may be married or single.
Permanent deacons are mature men, aged over 35, married or celibate, who by virtue of their ordination are members of the clergy. The word ‘Deacon’ means servant. Their ministry is one of service to the Church, and with the Church to the world, with a special concern for the poor and marginalised. The majority are in secular employment or retired. A few are paid by the Church or employed as chaplains in hospitals and prisons.
To find out more about the Permanent deaconate contact Fr John Harvey
Vocations Story
Good Shepherd Sunday
Deacon Paschal Uche - Message for Good Shepherd Sunday
Saint of the Day
- St. Paul Miki and Companions
St. Paul Miki and Companions Feast date: Feb 06 On Feb. 6, the Catholic Church honors the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, a group of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries who suffered death for their faith in the year 1597. During the 16th century, the Catholic faith reached Japan by the efforts of the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier […]
- Feb. 6 Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs, Memorial
Today is the Memorial of St. Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit, and his twenty-five companions (d. 1597), who were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. They were the first martyrs of East Asia to be canonized. They were killed simultaneously by being raised on crosses and then stabbed with spears. Their executioners were astounded upon seeing their joy at being associated to the Passion of Christ.