What is the overall appointment process of a deacon to a parish?
There are four steps in the ordinary process: (1) pastor request, (2) deacon letter of intent, (3) deacon placement board recommendation, (4) bishop’s decree of appointment. Each of these is discussed below. 1. Pastor’s Request. The ordinary process begins with a pastor who petitions the bishop to have a deacon assigned to his parish for a specific ministry or role. Such a request may be at any time, but typically, this is done near the beginning of a new calendar year when all pastors are surveyed to determine their need for a deacon in the coming fiscal year. Pastor’s requests, know as “openings” are posted to deacons and otherwise made known to the diaconal community. 2. Deacon’s Letter of Intent and newly arrived extern deacons. About the same time that pastors are asked to submit their request for a deacon, all active deacons are surveyed annually to determine there assignment preferences: (a) a strong desire to remain in their current position for compelling reasons, (b) a strong
