On Sept. 12 and13, approximately 80 people gathered on the campus of Saint John’s University to participate in the Nolan Lecture, named for Benedictine Father Kieran Nolan from Saint John’s Abbey. Father Nolan was instrumental in the beginnings of the permanent diaconate in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The event, hosted by a Lilly Endowment grant, “Sustained Encuentro: Accompanying One Another Along the Way,” was born from a collaboration between the Diocese of St. Cloud and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary.
“As director of Sustained Encuentro grant, I have enjoyed working with Deacon Rick (Scheierl, deacon moderator for the Diocese of St. Cloud) to explore how the grant can support diaconal formation,” said Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, assistant professor of Theology at the SOT.
The Nolan Lecture was designed to meet this need.
“It’s an opportunity for intellectual formation, of course, and we also hoped to create an opportunity for deacons, spouses, those in formation and those discerning and exploring the diaconate to connect, enjoy prayer and fellowship and gain a sense of the community that exists around this vocation,” Zsupan-Jerome said.
Gary Stang, a diaconal candidate from St. Boniface Parish in Cold Spring, came to experience all of it.
“The biggest reason I came was to be around more people who share my faith, but to learn more, too. There has been great speakers who have provided a deeper meaning of what the diaconate is and what deacons can accomplish if we work together,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight from the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, an expert on the permanent diaconate and author of “Understanding the Diaconate: Historical, Theological and Sociological Foundations,” presented on “Understanding the Diaconate after Vatican II: More than 50 Years of Popes and Praxis.”
“I appreciated that Archbishop McKnight emphasized how important the deacons are for the Church,” Stang said. “Sometimes we’re left on the back burner and a bit and under appreciated. He affirmed that we have an important role in evangelization.”
Participants also heard from Antonio Ramirez de León from the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, Texas, Deacon Frank Agnoli from the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, and a panel of diaconal spouses including Maggie Wehseler and Debbie Koop from the Diocese of St. Cloud and Anisabel Palma from the Diocese of New Ulm.
Zsupan-Jerome anticpates the Nolan Lecture will continue in the future.
“We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the event and are making plans to extend it as a regional and national locus that gathers deacons, spouses and the broader Church in intellectual formation, prayer and fellowship,” she said.
Deacon Julio Tena Sorio, who serves at St. Andrew’s Parish in Elk River, looks forward to the potential opportunity.
“Learning never ends. We received ordination, but we never stop learning about our faith,” he said.
Other resources exploring the topic of the diaconate include:
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- Podcast: Understanding the Diaconate: A Conversation with Archbishop Shawn McKnight
- Visiting from the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Shawn McKnight, author of Understanding the Diaconate: Historical, Theological, and Sociological Foundations, published by The Catholic University of America Press, shares his connection to Central Minnesota and his expertise of the permanent diaconate with host Amber Walling.
- Podcast:Exploring Diaconate Formation
- Dr. Deepan Rajaratnam, director of ministerial formation at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, and Deacon Richard Scheierl, deacon moderator for the Diocese of Saint Cloud, discuss the formation process, including human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral formation, for those discerning the diaconate in the Diocese of Saint Cloud.
- Article: Deacon Scheierl: Deacons are vital presence of Christ the servant in the Church and world
- There are currently 65 permanent deacons serving in the diocese and 17 men in formation. Deacons are currently ministering in parishes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, jails, and in other outreach areas such as homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
- Podcast: Understanding the Diaconate: A Conversation with Archbishop Shawn McKnight