Ongoing formation and education are essential for permanent deacons in today’s Catholic Church. Every parish community faces constant change: merging parishes, shifting demographics, fewer young adults involved in parish life, community issues affecting those in the pews, and many more.
How can your diocese’s permanent deacons be ready to navigate the changes and help those to whom they minister?
Saint Meinrad’s Permanent Deacon Formation Program offers a range of workshop and retreat topics to help deacons grow in their ministry. Our excellent faculty can offer sessions that range in length from several hours to a full weekend.
To get started, review the list of topics and then contact us about scheduling a formation session in your diocese.
*Topics with an asterisk can be expanded into a full weekend of formation.
The Gospel of Matthew*
The Gospel of Mark*
The Gospel of Luke*
The Gospel of John*
Book of Revelation*
Book of Psalms*
Book of the Prophet Isaiah*
Finding Meaning in Scripture*
Pauline Letters*
Women in Scripture*
The Beatitudes
Catholic Social Teaching
What It Means to be Pro-Life
Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Gaudium et Spes: Pastoral Constitution on the Modern World
Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
Humanae Vitae: Encyclical on Family Life
Evangelium Vitae: Encyclical on Bioethics
Dignity of the Human Person
Theology of the Body*
The Four Parts of the Catechism
Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel*
The Holy Trinity*
Healing and Reconciliation*
Moral Relativism
Seeking and Offering Forgiveness
Understanding the Liturgical Season
Blessings of the Eucharist
Current topics in Moral Theology*
Understanding the Catholic Mass
Ecumenism
The Deacon as Servant
Building a Relationship with Your Pastor
The Relationship between Bishop and Deacon
Involving Your Wife in Your Ministry
The Deacon is a Cleric
The Creed
Deepening Your Prayer Life*
Spirituality of Deacons*
The Rule of St. Benedict*
Universal Call to Holiness
Our Call to Conversion
Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life
Praying with Images
Introduction to Icons
Benedictine Spirituality*
Holding onto Faith in Tough Times*
Finding Peace in the Chaos of Ministry*
The Role of Mary in the Church*
St. Pope John Paul II
Saints as Role Models*
General Discussion on Evangelization
Evangelii Gaudium: Apostolic Exhortation on Evangelization
Using Social Media to Evangelize
God Needs Storytellers: Proclaiming the Gospel Every Day*
Understanding Spiritual Direction
Pastoral Skills*
Theological Reflection
Homiletics Refresher Course*
Pastoral Care and Counseling*
Wedding Preparation
Specific Ministries: Prison Ministry; Hospitals / Nursing Homes; Homeless Population / Shelters
Meeting the Needs of Elderly Parishioners
Supporting Survivors of Trauma
Supporting Caregivers
Supporting Those Battling Depression
Encouraging Vocations
Religious Orders
In addition, any Saint Meinrad course the permanent deacons took during their formation can be offered as a “refresher” course to your ordained deacons.
If you don’t see a topic you would like to offer your diocese, let us know and we will do our best to meet your needs.
Please contact us for specific costs of the one-day workshop and weekend workshop or retreat. We can also offer a complete ongoing formation program for dioceses through an annual or multi-year subscription.
In addition, the diocese is responsible for the presenter’s travel expenses, room and board.
812-357-6791