Office of the Diaconate
Located at Saint Paul Inside the Walls
205 Madison Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940

Deacon Directory

A permanent deacon is a man of faith and love. As an ordained minister of the Catholic Church, he strives to extend that faith and love by serving the sick, the lonely, the troubled and the poor by proclaiming the Word of God, and by administering His Sacraments. As the Greek word diakonos suggests, a deacon is a servant, assisting in the work of bringing God to His people and of reconciling His people to God through the proclamation of the Word, celebration of the Sacraments, and service to others. Often his most effective ministry on behalf of the Church is in the surroundings of his worldly environment.

While proclaiming by his public activity his concern for the re-ordering of human institutions, his ordained service reaffirms his commitment to the Church as the instrument of God's salvation. The deacon serves as a bond between the Church and the world, between clergy and laity, and is a concrete manifestation of the love of the Father and of Jesus for the Church and the world.

If you are called to share the truth of the Gospel everywhere you go, to take the gospel to the poor, the young, the elderly and everyone in between, then you may have a calling to the diaconate. If serving others is your calling, then you may have what it takes to be a deacon. Even if you feel called, that is not enough. The Church needs to know and confirm you are called before it can ordain you as well. At any moment, the bishop could decide that your call is not a true one, and that regardless of your personal feelings, the Church needs to ratify your vocation to the diaconate.

We have to know, to have the Church, through the bishop and his designated representatives, let you know and let us know you are indeed called. You have to know that it would be God’s will for you to be ordained. This will take discernment and a process of formation. There are a few big reasons why men feel called.

First, they are called to work with and share their life with the underprivileged. Second, they should feel the need to teach. Of the many blessings the Lord has given you, is one the ability to teach? Do you have a loud voice? Not just volume, but can you preach the Gospel boldly? Our world is falling under the frustrations of a culture that actively promotes sin. The faithful must fight this trend of secularism, materialism and relativism. Can you work your vocation (day job) and perform as a theology teacher too?

Secondly, the church needs Men. We capitalized men here for a reason. As we look through parishes, we constantly see women outnumbering men in the pews 2 to 1. It is a scary thing to think that the search for truth, and life in Christ is thought of as only a feminine thing. The church faithful need nurturing, healing, support and comforting. All traits of the feminine, true, but we need traits of masculinity equally. The church needs bold men. These men, if married, should never forget they need their wives to support them.