• The deacon participates as an evangelizer and teacher in the Church’s mission of heralding the Word. In the Liturgy of the Word, especially in the Eucharist or other liturgies, the deacon proclaims the Gospel. He may preach by virtue of ordination and in accord with the requirements of canon law. Other forms of the deacon’s participation in the Church’s ministry of the Word include catechetical instruction; religious formation of candidates and families preparing for the reception of the sacraments; leadership roles in retreats, evangelization, and renewal programs; outreach to alienated Catholics; and counseling and spiritual direction, to the extent that he is properly trained. The deacon also strives to “transmit the word in [his] professional [life] either explicitly or merely by [his] active presence in places where public opinion is formed and ethical norms are applied.” (NDFMLPD, #33)

• During the celebration of the eucharistic liturgy, the deacon participates in specific penitential rites as designated in the Roman Missal. He properly proclaims the Gospel. He may preach the homily in accord with the provisions of canon law. He voices the needs of the people in the Universal Prayer, needs with which he should have a particular and personal familiarity from the circumstances of his ministry of charity. The deacon assists the presider and other ministers in accepting the offerings of the people—symbolic of his traditional role in receiving and distributing the resources of the community among those in need—and he helps to prepare the gifts for sacrifice. During the celebration he helps the faithful participate more fully, consciously, and actively in the eucharistic sacrifice, may extend the invitation of peace, and serves as an ordinary minister of Holy Communion. Deacons have a special responsibility for the distribution of the chalice. Finally, he dismisses the community at the end of the eucharistic Liturgy. Other liturgical roles for which the deacon is authorized include those of solemnly baptizing, witnessing marriages, bringing viaticum to the dying, and presiding over funerals and burials. The deacon can preside at the Liturgies of the Word and communion services in the absence of a priest. He may officiate at celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours and at exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. He can conduct public rites of blessing, offer prayer services for the sick and dying, and administer the Church’s sacramentals, as designated in the Book of Blessings. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the liturgical ministries of deacons are prescribed by the legislative authority of each particular Church sui iuris. (NDFMLPD, #37)

• . . . The service of charity is twofold: it is ministering to both the spiritual and physical needs of others. “This charity is both love of God and love of neighbor. . . . All around us many of our brothers and sisters live in either spiritual or material poverty or both. So many of the world’s people are oppressed by injustice and the denial of their fundamental human rights. Still others are troubled or suffer from a loss of faith in God, or are tempted to give up hope.” Today especially, “the ministry of deacons is particularly valuable, since today the spiritual and material needs of man, to which the Church is called to respond, are greatly diversified.” As Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “Charity is love received and given.” The deacon thus symbolizes in his roles the grounding of the Church’s life in the Eucharist and the mission of the Church in her loving service. The deacon’s service begins at the altar and returns there. The sacrificial love of Christ celebrated in the Eucharist nourishes him and motivates him to lay down his life on behalf of God’s People . . . The deacon, consecrated and conformed to the mission of Christ, Lord and Servant, has a particular concern for the vitality and genuineness of the exercise of diakonia in the life of the believing community. In a world hungry and thirsty for convincing signs of the compassion and liberating love of God, the deacon sacramentalizes the mission of the Church in his words and deeds, responding to the Master’s command of service and providing real-life examples of how to carry it out. (NDFMLPD, #39)

Formation is a five-year process that includes:

• Inquiry and initial discernment
• Aspirancy (initial formation and evaluation)
• Candidacy (intensive preparation for ordination)
• Ongoing formation after ordination

It integrates human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral, and liturgical formation. 

Formation typically includes:

• One weekend per month of classes and formation
• Regular prayer (including a commitment to the Liturgy of the Hours)
• Spiritual Direction
• Academic coursework (upper level undergraduate/lower level master's difficulty)
• Pastoral ministry and internships
• Formal participation in the liturgical life and sacramental formation programs of the parish 
• Annual required retreat experience

This is a serious commitment requiring balance with work, family, and parish life.

A college degree is not always required, but applicants must demonstrate:

• Intellectual ability for theological study
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• A life of active faith and service

The program provides the necessary theological and pastoral education.

No. Admission into the program does not guarantee ordination. Furthermore, no one has a right to ordination.

Each stage (inquiry, aspirancy, candidacy) involves ongoing discernment by:

• The individual
• His wife, if married, and his family 
• The Formation Team (including instructors) 
• The Policy Board/Admissions Committee
• The Pastor
• The Archbishop

Only those who are judged ready and called by the Church are ordained.