A distinct order in the Church

The permanent diaconate is one of the three degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, alongside the episcopate and the presbyterate. A deacon is not a half-priest or a deacon-in-waiting. He is ordained for service. The Catechism teaches that deacons receive the imposition of hands "not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry" (CCC 1569), and that the grace of orders configures them to Christ who came "not to be served but to serve" (Mark 10:45). In the Diocese of Shrewsbury, that ancient ministry is alive, and Bishop Davies has set out the diocese's understanding of it with care.

Who can be ordained a permanent deacon

The order is open to baptised Catholic men, single or married. A married man who is ordained may continue his marriage and his family life, and his wife is ordinarily involved in his discernment and formation. A single man at ordination accepts celibacy as part of the gift. Most candidates are mature men with experience of life, work, and parish service. The diocese is not looking for clerics in waiting. It is looking for men whose lives already speak of Christ and who are ready to be ordained for a new and public service of His Church.

The threefold ministry

Bishop Davies' description of what a deacon does is the clearest place to start.

"The permanent deacon, who may be single or married, dedicates his life to serving others. His ministry of service focuses on three areas: assisting at the altar in the celebration of the sacraments; preaching the Word of God and leading people in prayer; and reaching out in loving service to the practical and spiritual needs of others, especially of the poor and those outside the normal confines of the Church."

Three areas, traditionally named: the altar, the Word, and charity. The deacon serves at the altar in the Eucharist, proclaims the Gospel and may preach, baptises, witnesses marriages, presides at funerals outside Mass, leads liturgies of the Word, takes Holy Communion to the sick. He preaches into the lives of the people he knows. And he is, in a particular way, the Church's hand reaching out to the poor and to those at the edges.

Where deacons serve in Shrewsbury

Bishop Davies has been clear about how the diaconate is actually lived in this diocese.

"Most permanent deacons, in practice, serve the greater part of their time within their home parish. But there are many who work as chaplains in schools, prisons, hospitals, etc. Others are in full-time employment where their work is itself 'diaconal': teachers, social workers, nurses, doctors, etc."

The picture is varied. A deacon in the Diocese of Shrewsbury might preach at the family Mass on a Sunday, lead a baptism preparation evening on a Tuesday, visit the local hospital chaplaincy on a Wednesday, and be at his ordinary work as a teacher or social worker the rest of the week. The whole life is the ministry. The ordination does not extract him from the world; it sends him back into it differently.

The five-year formation pattern

The path to ordination is long because it should be. Diocesan formation for the permanent diaconate follows the pattern recommended by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: a year of enquiry and discernment, followed by approximately four years of formation in theology, spirituality, pastoral practice, and human formation. Wives of married candidates are involved throughout. The Bishop only ordains men whom the diocese, the parish, and the family can together affirm.

The Vocations Pastoral Letter and the place of the deacon

In his April 2026 Pastoral Letter for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Bishop Davies named the diaconate alongside the priesthood, marriage, religious life, and the lay vocation. He called the whole diocese to consider the call.

"Today, I want to join Pope Leo in inviting all considering their calling to take these steps to discover their vocation, whether this will be found in Christian Marriage; the Consecrated Life of Sisters or Brothers; the Catholic Priesthood; the service of the Diaconate; or the greatness of the lay vocation lived in the midst of the world."

The diaconate is one of the great vocations of the Church, and this diocese needs deacons. Bishop Davies has appointed Fr Philip Atkinson, Parish Priest of Saint Peter's, Hazel Grove, as Director for the Permanent Diaconate. Enquiries are welcomed through the same office that handles all priestly and diaconal vocations.

How to know if it might be you

A man considering the diaconate often notices a pattern in his life before he can name it: he keeps being drawn to serve, his faith is the centre of his marriage and his work, he reads the Scriptures with hunger, he finds himself helping at the parish without being asked. He may already be a catechist, a Eucharistic minister, a lector, a sacristan, a person whom the priest leans on. The question worth asking is whether the Lord wants this service to be made sacramental.

• Pray. Bring the question to Mass and to adoration. Ask the Lord plainly.
• Talk to your wife if you are married. The diaconate is a vocation that the two of you live together. Her sense of it matters.
• Speak to your parish priest. He will know the diocesan process and will support you in approaching the Director.
• Read the Bishop's letter. The 2026 Pastoral Letter for Vocations is available on the diocesan website. It is short and clear and worth reading slowly.

Your next step

Write to Fr Philip Atkinson, Director for the Permanent Diaconate, at vocationsdirector@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. Tell him your name, your parish, your situation in life, and one paragraph on why the diaconate has surfaced in your prayer. Ask whether you might meet for a first conversation. He will reply.