This year’s long-awaited ordination of three new permanent deacons in the Diocesan family will take place on Sunday 1 November.

All are welcome to join the ceremony virtually as it will be live streamed from St Chad’s Cathedral at 3pm.

We are blessed to welcome John Garvey, Dirk Hermans and Dominic Kerr to the diaconate following their years of study.

The word deacon derives from the Greek diakonia, meaning "service," thereby indicating that a deacon is called, like Christ, to be a servant. The Order of Deacons has three essential functions: the proclamation of the Gospel, the service of the liturgy, and the administration of charitable works.

The celebration of the Sacrament of Ordination of a Deacon is similar in form to that of a priest – by prayer and the laying on of hands, as described from the earliest days of the Church – but the beautiful Prayer of Consecration emphasises the essential nature of the diaconate, a call to service.

There are currently 76 deacons in service across the Archdiocese and 17 retired, with a further 14 in formation.

Archbishop Bernard Longley will celebrate the ordination ceremony, which will be a much smaller gathering than usual due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Fr Harry Curtis, Director for the Permanent Diaconate, said: “It is always a joy to be able to celebrate an ordination, and all the more so this year when John, Dirk and Dominic have had a much longer wait than they had expected because of the pandemic. 

“May God bless them with many years of joyful and faithful service.”

The three ordinands are already providing support in our parishes:

John Garvey at St Nicholas, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield; Dirk Hermans at St Edward, Selly Park and Dominic Kerr at St Catherine of Siena, Birmingham.

Please pray for our new Permanent Deacons.

Watch the St Chad's Cathedral live stream

Picture, left to right: Dirk Hermans, Dominic Kerr and John Garvey.