Making a Permanent Deacon: Theorising Recruitment, Selection, Formation, and Deployment in the Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool

Abstract

The restoration of the permanent diaconate was one of the major changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council. Despite considerable scholarly attention to this Roman Catholic sacred order, no empirically-based study has yet aimed to theorise the process of becoming a permanent deacon. This paper addresses that gap by introducing a substantive theory, which elucidates the dominant behavioural patterns underlying the recruitment, selection, formation, and deployment of suitable candidates from the perspective of decision-makers. Employing classic grounded theory methodology in its entirety, this study draws upon interview, focus group, and textual data collected from the Liverpool Archdiocese in the United Kingdom. The article presents the resulting theory and its components, including the concepts of awakening sense of calling, assessing potentiality, enabling actuality, and facilitating discernment. While the study’s focus is specific to the context of the Liverpool Archdiocese, its insights hold broad relevance for decision-makers involved in Catholic dioceses worldwide.