My Brothers,
As you are approaching the end of
your pre-ordination formation, now is a time to reflect on your
experiences of the past several years. As we
all know, the call to a vocation to the Permanent Diaconate is
something that is taken very seriously both by you, your family and
the Church.
As part of your ongoing discernment,
I would like you to take some time in the next few weeks and give
some serious thought to where you are in this process. In five
pages or less, I would like you to write a reflection taking into
consideration the following areas of interest:
-
How would you describe your
initial call to this vocation
-
How has your perception of that
call developed in the past five years
-
Describe your formation
experience
-
How have you changed/grown since
you began formation
-
Spiritually
-
Intellectually
-
Emotionally
-
How much of this is from the
actual formation program as compared to your own efforts at
enrichment and grown
-
How has your family
reacted/adjusted to these changes
-
Describe in personal terms what it means to be a
deacon
-
Who is the deacon in the Catholic
Church
-
Where do you see yourself serving
the
church
-
What is the view of your pastor
and parish regarding your ordination and ministry
-
In what areas do you feel you
require additional formation/assistance
Please submit your reflection
electronically to my office no later than September 1, 2008.
Know that you in my prayers,
Deacon Dennis
Dorner