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Deacons
 What is a deacon?
A deacon is a man ordained by the bishop for service in liturgy, Word and charity. He assists the bishop and his priests.
The deacon is a ordinary minister of Baptism and the Eucharist. He proclaims the Gospel at Mass and preaches, and he may officiate at weddings. He can preside at Communion services, funeral services and wakes, celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Deacons frequently minister in preparing couples for marriage and for the Baptism of their children, in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and religious education programs.
The diaconate is a ministry of service and deacons can be found visiting the sick and homebound, visiting prisoners, helping and advocating for the poor, teaching and performing a wide variety of similar ministries.
 The vast majority of deacons are married and work in regular jobs in the marketplace. Some are engaged in full-time ministry in parishes or the diocese.
Formation
The Diocesan Formation Program for Deacons is a four-year process. It begins with an initial period of discernment in which a man prays about a vocation to the diaconate, meets the criteria set up by the office, discusses it with his wife and seeks the endorsement of his pastor.
Each year, in February and March, the Office of Diaconate holds Discernment Information Nights for potential candidates and their wives. Deacons and members of the staff discuss the diaconate as a ministry of service, and a public and permanent commitment to service of God’s people.
Following these evenings, the potential candidates are invited to petition for the Application Forms. Once these forms are completed, staff/home interviews are conducted in addition to psychological testing. Successful applicants are then invited to enter the Aspirant Year, where they participate in pre-formation courses one night weekly between September and May.
The process of discernment, on the part of the candidate and his wife and the Office of Deacons, continues through the entire period of formation, enhanced by annual review boards with the candidate and his wife, and in the third and fourth years with their pastor as well.
The wife of a deacon candidate is encouraged, but not required, to take part in almost every aspect of the formation program.
After acceptance into the formal three-year program of academic and spiritual formation, the candidate takes part in two years of classroom experience two nights weekly from September to May, and in the third or Intern Year, with one night of classes weekly, plus practical experience in the parish. A retreat is scheduled for aspirants and first and second year candidates and their wives, while in their third year the candidates attend a pre-ordination retreat alone.
Office of the Diaconate
The Office of the Diaconate reports to the Bishop and is responsible for the training and formation of men to the Permanent Diaconate and continues to assist all deacons following ordination.
The Office
- selects and prepares men for ordination to the diaconate for the Diocese of Trenton
- provides continuing formation for the already ordained
- publishes a newsletter, In Stephen’s Footsteps, six times yearly
- is responsible for incardination, excardination, faculties, assignments and transfers of deacons
- offers support to widows of deacons
- conducts pastoral visits to pastors and deacons and their wives
Council of Deacons
Burlington County:
Deacon Salvatore Lancieri
Deacon Leo Zito
Mercer County:
Deacon Robert Lafond
Deacon Barry Zadworny
Monmouth County:
Deacon Fernando (Fred) Sorrentino
Deacon Stephen Sansevere
Ocean County:
Deacon Anthony Martucci (President)
Deacon Jerry Purcell
Member-at-Large:
Deacon Jose Rodriguez
Contact Us:
Office of Deacons
Diocesan Pastoral Center
P.O. Box 5147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
Phone: 609-406-7408
Fax: 609-406-7417
E-mail: deacon@dioceseoftrenton.org
Director of Deacons: Rev. Mgsr. Ralph W. Stansley
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