52 men accepted as candidates for permanent diaconate
On Jan. 26, 52 men were accepted as candidates for the permanent diaconate at the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders during evening prayer at St. John the Evangelist Church in Bergenfield.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, presided over the ceremony in front of a congregation of more than 750 people, including sponsoring pastors, family members, friends, and parishioners from St. John the Evangelist. These candidates have publicly presented themselves as committed to the transformative journey to serve the Church. They represent four formation cohorts for the Archdiocese, with 19 preparing for ordination in 2025 and the others preparing for ordination in 2028. The cohorts are engaged in formation programs delivered in English or Spanish to prepare for ministry to the populace they serve.
“The Archdiocese of Newark embraced the ministry of the permanent deacon immediately following its restoration by Vatican Council II, and this ministry has been a great blessing to the Church of Newark ever since,” said Monsignor Joseph Chapel, director of the archdiocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate. “It is very gratifying to see the Holy Spirit call forth so many men in these recent years. We pray for those who will be ordained this May together with those who will continue their formation to be ordained in just a few more years.”
Cardinal Tobin expressed gratitude to everyone present in brief comments delivered in both English and Spanish, invoking the inspiring words of the Gospel of Matthew: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). He expressed his gratitude to all who pray for vocations and thanked the 52 candidates and their families for their profound commitment to serve the Church.
John R. Schmunk is one of the 19 candidates who will be ordained a permanent deacon in 2025. After taking this “impactful” step on his vocation journey, Schmunk said he is excited for what’s next.
“We are within just a few short months of ordination, and as we get closer and closer, the enormous blessing of receiving Holy Orders becomes more and more real,” Schmunk said. “It is both overwhelming and tremendously humbling. Very shortly, we will be given the opportunity to serve our Lord in a very real and tangible way. I am looking forward to beginning this new chapter and hope that I will always be able to honor Christ and his mission through dedicated and loving service to his Church.”
The terms “deacon” and “diaconate” are rooted in the Greek word “diakonia,” which means “ministry” or “service.” This highlights the deacon’s deep calling to serve others. Canon law permits married men to become deacons; however, if they are not married or become widowed, they must take a vow of celibacy.
Candidacy is a sacred time of ongoing discernment for the candidate, his wife (if married), and the Church, focusing on the growth of the candidate in the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions. Readiness for ordination is assessed annually by both the candidate and formation personnel to evaluate the candidate’s understanding of the diaconal vocation, including its rights and obligations, growth in spiritual life, competence in necessary diaconal knowledge and skills, practical experience in pastoral ministry, and demonstrations of maturity. If the candidate is married, the readiness of his wife is also thoughtfully considered. According to the Code of Canon Law, the candidacy stage of diaconal formation must last a minimum of three years.
In the Archdiocese of Newark, the formation of permanent deacons is directed by the Office of Permanent Diaconate Formation, which provides the application and selection process of men proposed by their pastors. It also oversees the formation program itself over the course of four-to-five years, consisting in spiritual, human, pastoral, and academic formation. The spiritual, human and pastoral dimensions occur through monthly formation sessions on Saturdays together with retreats and other activities. The academic formation is provided by the Center for Diaconal Studies at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST).
The Center for Diaconal Formation was established in 2010 to provide graduate-level formation, either in-person or online, in English or Spanish, for those answering the call to the permanent diaconate. The program of study aligns with the noble standards outlined in the “National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (Second Edition, 2021)”. It covers vital subjects such as Sacred Scripture, theology of God, Christian anthropology, Christology, ecclesiology, worship, liturgy, sacraments, moral theology, and canon law.
According to a report published by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), ICSST’s Center for Diaconal Formation ranked first for enrollment in permanent diaconate formation programs nationwide for the 2023-24 academic year.
For more information on the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Newark, visit www.rcan.org/permanent-diaconate/.
This article was written by Michael Burt, senior director of seminary advancement at Immaculate Conception Seminary.
Featured image: On January 26, 2025, 52 men were accepted as candidates for the permanent diaconate at the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders during evening prayer at St. John the Evangelist Church in Bergenfield. (Photo courtesy of Immaculate Conception Seminary)
