July 24, 2026

Inquiry sessions for permanent diaconate set to start on Sept. 13 in Indianapolis

Criterion staff report

The archdiocesan Office of Deacon Formation is beginning a period of inquiry and discernment for those interested in the permanent diaconate.

In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, formation for the permanent diaconate is a five-year process that begins after the period of inquiry and discernment.

Men who believe that God might be calling them to the diaconate are invited to take part in a series of monthly meetings from September through December and also in March 2027.

Applications to be considered for the formation of a new cohort of deacon aspirants will be given in January 2027 to men who have attended all the previous inquiry and discernment sessions and continue to believe that God might be calling them to the diaconate.

The applications will then be reviewed by a selection committee, and those who are selected to enter formation will begin the formal five-year process in August 2027.

The inquiry and discernment sessions will begin at 2:30 p.m. and conclude by 4:30 p.m. No preregistration is required for these sessions.

The following are the dates and locations of the sessions:

  • Sept. 13, St. Lawrence Parish, 6944 E. 46th St., in Indianapolis.
  • Oct. 4, St. John Paul II School, 105 St. Paul St., in Sellersburg.
  • Nov. 15, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 2322 N. 13 1/2 St., in Terre Haute.
  • Dec. 13, St. Louis Parish, 13 St. Louis Place, in Batesville.
  • March 14, St. Bartholomew Parish, 1306 27th St., in Columbus.

The Church’s Code of Canon Law sets 35 as the minimum age at which a man can be ordained as a permanent deacon. Additionally, the archdiocese also requires men to be no older than 65 at the time of their ordination.

For more information, e-mail Deacon John Jacobi, archdiocesan associate director of deacon formation, at jjacobi@archindy.org or call him at 812-946-0873. †

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