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How the Diaconate Began in the
Diocese of Kansas City ~ StJoseph

In June of 1967, Pope Paul VIbegan the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate suggested by theSecond Vatican Council in the "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, "(Chapter III, paragraph 29) and the "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity," (Chapter II, paragraph 16).  This he did with the promulgation of the apostolic letter, The "Sacred Order of the Diaconate," which allowed the restoration of this Order in countries that wished it.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops requested the restoration of the Order, ". . . both to complete the hierarchy of sacred orders and to enrich and strengthen the various diaconal ministries "at work in the United States with the sacramental grace of the Diaconate."   Pope Paul approved the U.S. request in late August of 1968.  In November of 1968, the Bishops' Committee on the Permanent Diaconate came into existence.  Shortly thereafter, programs began developing in various dioceses.

The Diocese ofKansas City ~ St. Joseph was among the second group of dioceses to initiate a Permanent Diaconate Program.  In the summer of 1970 Bishop Helmsing assigned Monsignor Ernest J. (Bud) Fiedler as Diocesan Director.  In restoring the Diaconate the bishop wanted nothing of a "clerical cast", of a man looking for some sort of special dignity, nor did he want to associate with the Diaconate any image of "rank" or "award."  "The idea", he observed, "is to restore the sacrament, and the details will just have to be worked out as time goes on."

Worked out, they were.  In conjunction with Rockhurst University, Fathers Carl Starkloff, SJ, and Walter Nesbitt, SJ, a two-year academic program was designed that followed the cycle of Sunday readings from the revised Lectionary for Mass and relied on an inductive, process method of learning. The course was taught at Rockhurst University.  The first class of seven men began their studies in the fall of 1971 and were ordained by Bishop Helmsing at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 11,1973.  By that first ordination night, a second class of eight candidates already had completed the first year of their training.

The summer of 1973 saw Monsignor Fiedler called to Washington, D.C. to succeed Father William Philbin as the second Executive Secretary of the Bishops' Committee on the Permanent Diaconate. Bishop Helmsing appointed Father Patrick Rush to succeed Monsignor Fiedler as Diocesan Director.

The Diaconate program has continued to expand.  While candidates from the urban area continued to be trained at Rockhurst University, a rural program was established in 1974 with the cooperation of Conception Seminary College to serve the needs of the northern half of the diocese.  An advisory board was established and new programs in the areas of ministerial training, spiritual development and continuing education were initiated.  The screening process was significantly refined, while wives and whole families were encouraged to participate.

In 1977, the Permanent Deacons' Council was started with provisions for quarterly meetings.  Also that year the formation program was expanded to a three year design.  In 1978, the administrative staff of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate was reorganized.

With Father Rush as director, three deacons were assigned by Bishop Sullivan as associate directors: Deacon Ross Beaudoin, Associate Director for Academic Formation; Deacon Lou Falcon, Associate Director for Administration; Deacon Donald Madden, Associate Director for Family Life and Social Affairs.

With the establishment of the Center for Pastoral Ministry, the Diaconate formation program took a newturn.  In 1979, the class offerings were reorganized in order to allow for a maximum of individualized learning while taking advantage of the best teaching resources available in the diocese. Although still accredited through Rockhurst University and Conception Seminary College, a significant amount of the academic programming was offered through the Center for Pastoral Ministry.  This fulfilled a goal of closer integration of programs formative of the laity for ministry and programs formative of deacon candidates for ministry.

With the exception of the extreme southern end of the diocese, deacons are present in virtually every part of our diocesan Church. Assigned by the Bishop to ministries either parochial or extra-parochial, the steadily growing number of deacons minister to the needs of the Church in cooperation with their bishop, to whom they have a special relationship by virtue of ordination, and in assistance to the priests in the diocese.  With the encouragement and often active involvement of their wives and families, they undertake effective apostolates to youth, divorced, elderly, sick, minorities, imprisoned, alcoholic, etc. , while proclaiming the Gospel through the situation of their lay life style in the world of work, of neighborhood and community, of family life.

From 1973 through1984 there were annual ordinations of deacons in the diocese. After 1984 the formation program was put on hold, and there was no director for the office.

In 1988, the office of the Diaconate was reorganized, and a part time director was appointed.  In 1997, the decision was made to re-establish the formation program for deacons. The first group of eight were ordained in June, 2001 with subsequent classes ordained in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2009.  An ongoing Deacon Formation program continues in the diocese. Currently there is one class (class 18) of nine candidates in formation.  These nine have completed formation weekends along with the 1st class of Candidates in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas . They were instructed by St. Mienrad School of Theology. God willing, they will be ordained June 4, 2011.  In January of 2010, Bishop Finn accepted seventeen men into aspirancy, a period of discernment and formation prior to becoming candidates in the program. This group, class 19 recently started their academic program at Conception Abbey Seminary in Conception, Missouri .

There are currently 63 Deacons in the Diocese of Kansas City ~ St. Joseph.