An ancient order, restored

From the earliest days of the Church there have been deacons. Acts of the Apostles tells the story directly: the apostles needed help so that they could give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, and so seven men of good repute were chosen, set before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 6:1-6). The first martyr, St Stephen, was a deacon. So was St Lawrence. The diaconate is older than most of what we now think of as parish life.

The Second Vatican Council restored the Permanent Diaconate as a stable order of ministry. Lumen Gentium 29 is precise about what a deacon is and is not: he is ordained, in the Bishop's hands, not to the priesthood but to a ministry of service. The Catechism at paragraphs 1569 to 1571 sets it out plainly. The deacon is configured to Christ the servant, who came "not to be served but to serve" (Mark 10:45). In the Diocese of Shrewsbury, that ancient ministry is alive, and Bishop Davies has set out the diocese's understanding of it with care.

The threefold ministry

Bishop Davies' own description of what a deacon does is the clearest place to start.

"The permanent deacon, who may be single or married, dedicates his life to serving others. His ministry of service focuses on three areas: assisting at the altar in the celebration of the sacraments; preaching the Word of God and leading people in prayer; and reaching out in loving service to the practical and spiritual needs of others, especially of the poor and those outside the normal confines of the Church."

Three areas, traditionally named as liturgy, word, and charity:

• Liturgy. He assists the priest at the altar, proclaims the Gospel, preaches the homily where invited, and may administer Holy Communion. He can baptise, witness marriages, and lead funeral rites outside Mass.
• Word. He preaches, teaches, catechises, and forms the faithful. Many deacons are first names in adult catechesis and OCIA in their parishes.
• Charity. This is the heart of the diaconate. The deacon is the Church's servant to the poor, the sick, the lonely, the imprisoned. The vestment of the deacon, the dalmatic, is the garment of service.

Who can apply

This is where the diaconate differs sharply from the priesthood. The Permanent Diaconate is open to single men and to married men. A married man's wife must give her free and full consent before he can be ordained, and she is ordinarily involved throughout his discernment and formation. After ordination, a deacon does not marry, but he continues in his marriage as before, and his family life is part of his witness.

Candidates are typically mature men, often with a settled trade or profession, with experience of life, work, and parish service. The diocese is looking for men whose lives already speak of Christ and who are ready to be ordained for a new and public service of his Church.

Where deacons serve in Shrewsbury

Bishop Davies has been clear about how the diaconate is actually lived in this diocese.

"Most permanent deacons, in practice, serve the greater part of their time within their home parish. But there are many who work as chaplains in schools, prisons, hospitals, etc. Others are in full-time employment where their work is itself 'diaconal': teachers, social workers, nurses, doctors, etc."

The picture is varied. A deacon in the Diocese of Shrewsbury might preach at the family Mass on a Sunday, lead a baptism preparation evening on a Tuesday, visit the local hospital chaplaincy on a Wednesday, and be at his ordinary work as a teacher or social worker the rest of the week. The whole life is the ministry. The ordination does not extract him from the world; it sends him back into it differently.

The formation pattern

The path to ordination is long because it should be. Diocesan formation for the permanent diaconate follows the pattern recommended by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: a year of enquiry and discernment, followed by approximately four years of formation in theology, spirituality, pastoral practice, and human formation. Wives of married candidates are involved throughout. The Bishop only ordains men whom the diocese, the parish, and the family can together affirm.

The diaconate and the vocation to service

In his April 2026 Pastoral Letter for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Bishop Davies named the diaconate alongside the priesthood, marriage, religious life, and the lay vocation.

"Today, I want to join Pope Leo in inviting all considering their calling to take these steps to discover their vocation, whether this will be found in Christian Marriage; the Consecrated Life of Sisters or Brothers; the Catholic Priesthood; the service of the Diaconate; or the greatness of the lay vocation lived in the midst of the world."

The diaconate is its own order, with its own grace, its own dignity, and its own irreplaceable place in the Church, quite distinct from the priesthood and in no way a stepping stone toward it. The 12 men currently in priestly formation in Shrewsbury are answering one call. The men preparing for the diaconate are answering another. Both are needed. Both are gifts of the Spirit.

How to know if it might be you

A man considering the diaconate often notices a pattern in his life before he can name it: he keeps being drawn to serve, his faith is the centre of his marriage and his work, he reads the Scriptures with hunger, he finds himself helping at the parish without being asked. He may already be a catechist, a Eucharistic minister, a lector, a sacristan, a person whom the priest leans on. The question worth asking is whether the Lord wants this service to be made sacramental.

If you are wondering whether the diaconate fits you, look honestly at your life now.

1. Are you already a man of regular prayer? Do you go to daily Mass when you can? Are you a frequent penitent?
2. Do people already come to you for help? Do you find your hands and your time being asked for in the parish?
3. If you are married, does your wife see this in you, and would she walk it with you?
4. Is your work and family life such that several years of evening and weekend formation could be sustained?
5. Do you read scripture and find yourself wanting to teach what you have read?

None of these is a test. They are signs that the Lord may have already started the work in you.

Your next step

Three concrete things you can do this month.

• Contact the Director for the Permanent Diaconate using the details below. Give your name, your parish, your situation in life, and one paragraph on why the diaconate has surfaced in your prayer. Mention that your interest is in the diaconate so the message is routed correctly. Ask whether you might meet for a first conversation.
• Tell your parish priest. He has known you for years and his judgement matters in the formation process.
• If you are not already attending daily Mass, start. If St Joseph's Stockport is within reach, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed there from 7am to 9pm for those who want a place of extended prayer.