 |
 |
The School for Diaconal Ministry, 2008 - 2009
 |
| Deacon's School class 2008-2009, from left to right, Susan Kennedy (spiritual director) Jim Matthews, Rob Rideout, Otto Anderson, Joe Mazza, Carol Goclan, Ken Clarke, Fred McGavran, and Chris Parsons |
Submit your payment for Deacon's school here.
With the growing emphasis on the ministry of the Diaconate in the Episcopal Church beginning around the mid-1980s, dioceses found they needed to provide their own education and formation programs for people accepted as Postulants. Most Postulants for the Diaconate are already fully involved in a career, with a family, or are retired. In each case, moving from their present location and attending a school at some distance is not an option. Local programs, therefore, provide the necessary preparation for the Diaconate.
Rev. Karl Ruttan
In Southern Ohio, the school - officially called the School for Diaconal Ministries - has evolved into a three-year, ten weekends per year curriculum. Faculty are almost entirely drawn from the clergy and trained laity of the diocese. The courses in the Diaconal Studies Program, while designed for and primarily catering to men and women who have been accepted for Postulancy for the Diaconate, are open and available to all people - clergy or lay, whether seeking ordination or not.
Currently, the Dean of The Anglican Academy, the Rev. Karl Ruttan (pictured left), serves as the Director of the School.
What is the Role of the Deacon?
Deacons are the ordained members of the Body of Christ who are given special charge "to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely." They are to be icons of the servant ministry of Christ both within and beyond the Church. Their task in ministry is to lead in equipping the laity for their own ministries, so that the Church may respond to the needs of the world in love and justice. The Prayer Book says that "by virtue of their order (they) do not exercise a presiding function" in worship, but they may, like lay persons, officiate at the Daily Office. In certain situations they may officiate at other services. Deacons assist the priest at the altar during the Holy Eucharist as well as at other worship.
The revived office of Diaconate is an opportunity to rediscover a lively ecclesiology in which each of the three ordained ministry orders works together to serve God's Reign as it manifests itself in the world. Bishops oversee, teach, and bear the apostolic traditions of the Church. The Bishop ministers together with the presbyters (priests), who share his function of presiding, teaching, and bearing the traditions of the institutional Church. Bishops and priests work in a collegium with each other, since the order of priest is an historical offshoot from that of bishop.
Deacons, by contrast are not designated as the tradition-bearers nor as the primary teachers of the Church, though some may have gifts to do so. Their ministry is, rather, prophetic. They are continually to present to the Church the concerns and agonies of the world, while also presenting to the world the wisdom and the faith of the Church. Theirs is a special community of servant leadership.
The discernment, training, and deployment of persons with diaconal vocation, therefore, need to be distinguished from that of priests. To discern a diaconal vocation is to find a person with a heart for the dispossessed and the poor, a strong need to deliver the Church's grace-filled ministry to those outside, and a strong impulse to keep the Church alive to the realities of secular people. Thus, deacon candidates need to learn:
a. how to tell the Church's classic story
b. how to interpret life's dilemmas in relation with the classic story
c. how to perform the practical tasks of ministry
The School for Diaconal Ministry is a program of formation for persons who are discerning their vocation to the Diaconate or other diaconal ministries, which aims to equip them with the skills and sensitivities that their vocation demands. The School concentrates on teaching the narrative of God's relations with human beings. It stresses developing skill in theological thinking and in applying such thinking practically. And it regards with utmost seriousness the process of spiritual formation through worship, community, individual prayer, and direction.
The Church needs persons who are authorized to keep it honest by keeping it in touch. Deacons are those persons. They should be the most non-clerical of clerics, never seeking honorifics or preferment, but rather seeking the face of Christ in other human beings, especially in the faces of people on the margins. The School for Diaconal Ministries seeks to evoke and equip such "deacon-heart."
Who are the Students of the School for Diaconal Ministries?
The students who come to the school come from all walks of life. Most have or have had other careers. Many have families now grown. They have varying educational backgrounds. Everybody has a story. But they all share the same love of the Lord and a desire to serve Him and His church. That is what brings them together in this very special program.
This program costs $1,500.00 plus books, per year. Contact the Anglican Academy for the latest information. The fee covers honoraria and expenses for faculty as well as room and board at the Procter Camp and Conference Center for eight two-night weekends and two one-night weekends. Submit your payment here.
One weekend a month, ten months a year for three years, the students live in community at Procter Camp and Conference Center. It is a place the students cherish. Each school Friday, they arrive from all over the diocese. They leave their cares along the road and their trades and professions at the front door. Everybody is the same in the deacon's school. They enjoy the fellowship of the group. There are times of great joy and excitement in the classes and discussions. Sometimes the time is disturbing; it is always challenging.
The Role of The Anglican Academy
The School for Diaconal Ministries is administered by the Dean of the Anglican Academy. The Dean is responsible for contracting with faculty, scheduling of all courses, communicating with students and faculty, purchasing books for the courses, setting the budget for the school, and generally overseeing all operations of the school each weekend.
School for Diaconal Ministries Schedule
2008 - 2009
September 12-13, 2008
October 3-5, 2008
October 31-November 2, 2008
December 5-7, 2008
January 16-18, 2009
February 6-8, 2009
March 6-8, 2009
April 3-5, 2009
June 5-6, 2009
Graduation is June 6, 2009