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To: Pastors
From: Wilton D. Gregory, Archbishop of Atlanta
I am writing to you to request that you submit to me the names of men in your parish whom you believe might be worthy applicants for formation to the Permanent Diaconate. Please feel free to consult with your parish clergy and members of the laity in your efforts to identify men who might have the potential to serve the Church in this vocation. I would also ask that you personally speak with the men that you will be recommending to me to assess their current level of service in your parish and community, as well as their interest in the Diaconate. Recommendations for prospective candidates can be submitted at any time.
In speaking with the men about the Permanent Diaconate, please advise them that the selection process is a rigorous one, and that not all who are nominated enter formation, and that not all that enter formation are called to ordination.
Please pay particular attention to the attached Guidelines for Admission to Formation. These guidelines outline the various requirements that must be met by the men in order to apply for admission to the Aspirancy year of formation.
The men who you nominate and their wives will be invited to attend the all-day Information/Inquiry Sessions on Saturday, September 21, 2019 and Saturday, October 5, 2019. Following those sessions, men who feel called to the Diaconate may submit applications for admission to the next Aspirancy class.
Please submit to the Office of the Permanent Diaconate the names of any men you would like for me to consider right away. You may send submissions to psimmons@archatl.com.
Please feel free to contact Mrs. Penny Simmons, Associate Co-Director of Formation at 404-931-1848, or Deacon José Espinosa, Associate Co-Director of Formation at 404-906-7163, if you have any questions about the attached Guidelines for Admission or any other aspect of formation for the Permanent Diaconate.