Diaconate Office

Office of Deacons
The Office of Permanent Deacons serves the Bishop by assisting those discerning a call to the diaconate and by overseeing the formation, ministry, life, and continuing education of Permanent Deacons.


What is a Deacon?
Permanent Deacons are men who have been ordained to serve the Church through Word, Charity and Liturgy. Unlike Transitional Deacons, who are ordained Deacons on their path to priesthood, Permanent Deacons are ordained to serve permanently in that role.  

The role of the Deacon is to be a helper of the bishop and priests and to proclaim by his life the Church’s call to serve the needs of the laity. Deacons serve the diocese in a wide variety of settings, and have enriched the Diocese by offering their lives in service in more than 80 parishes, hospitals, correctional facilities, nursing homes, outreach ministries to the homeless and other charitable ministries.

Deacons may be married or single. Once ordained, a deacon may not marry or remarry.  Deacons typically serve a parish and an established diocesan ministry about 10 hours per week in unpaid ministry. Deacons may also be hired into positions in the Church as needs dictate. 

The Diocese of Providence re-established the diaconate with the ordination of the first class of Permanent Deacons in June of 1976. Between 1976 and 2020, the Diocese has ordained more than 160 men to the Permanent Diaconate. 


What is the road to becoming a Deacon?
The Diaconate is a vocation in the Church. God calls men to become Deacons. One must undergo a process of discernment to determine if God is calling him to this ministry. The Diaconate Office assists men discerning if they are being called to formation through a five year program of academic instruction, spiritual development, human development and practical pastoral experience.Upon completion, each man is ordained to minister as a deacon in parishes and other ministerial situations, proclaiming The Gospel, and sometimes preaching  on the Sacred writings, serving the poor and assisting in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy, and other rites of the Church.

Candidates for the Diaconate come from all backgrounds – from prior seminary experience to the world of the totally secular. The Program will be coordinated by the Diocesan Diaconate Office and will include academic training. Native English speakers receive their training through the Theology Department at Providence College and native Spanish speakers, while they must be bilingual in English, receive their training in Spanish online through the Josephinum Diaconal Institute. While a college degree is not necessary to enter the program, the viable candidate must be able to master materials presented at the collegiate or graduate school level. [Click here to learn more about the Deacon Formation Program in the Diocese of Providence.]