Priests are a witness to the person of Jesus Christ. This is a challenge to many people, including priests, who must demonstrate this commitment publicly, especially in difficult times. It is hard to answer this question exactly, because the focus of a priest’s life is to serve whomever God brings into his life. This requires a certain openness to the unexpected. As representatives of Christ, priests are called to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments, care for the souls of the faithful, teach the faith, pray, serve the poor. Priests in our diocese serve in parishes, hospitals, prisons, college campuses and the military, to name a few. One thing is for sure, it’s never boring and often unpredictable!

Interested in learning more about the priesthood? Talk with Fr. Mitch (Fr.Mitchell.Zygadlo@dor.org) or reach out to Fr. Matthew Jones (Fr.Matthew.Jones@dor.org) or Fr. Peter VanLieshout (Fr.Peter.Vanlieshout@dor.org), co-directors of Priesthood Vocation Awareness at the Diocese of Rochester.

The deacon is a man of faith, who is called from the community that already recognizes his dedication to service. He makes a lifetime commitment to serving the People of God by proclaiming the Word, assisting and presiding at liturgies, and ministering in the areas of charity and social justice. A deacon gives witness to his availability to the community by addressing present and emerging needs of the Church.

The Diocese is inviting interested men of strong and active faith, who can demonstrate a record of service in the communities in which they live, work and worship, who may wish to explore a possible call to ordained ministry as a permanent deacon, to first speak with their pastor for an initial conversation. They may also contact Deacon Edward Giblin, Director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate, at edward.giblin@dor.org, for additional information.

A potential candidate must:

• be at least 35 years of age & no older than 62 years of age at the time of ordination after a five (5) year period of formation
• be in good health
• be emotionally mature
• have stable relationships
• and if married, must have the wholehearted support of his wife and family to enter the phase of inquiry