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Answering the Call: Diocese of Des Moines Runs Two Deacon Formation Cohorts for the First Time – Deacon Jim Houston – 08/11/2026
Deacon Jim Houston sits down with Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell — himself a graduate of diaconate formation — to talk about the vocation of the permanent deacon and what's changing in the Diocese of Des Moines.
What Deacon Jim covers:
The three-fold ministry of the deacon — Word, Liturgy, and Charity — and how it differs from the priesthood
Why the diocese is running two concurrent formation cohorts for the first time, driven by a wave of upcoming retirements among its longest-serving deacons (the diocese's first cohort was ordained in 1972)
The five-year formation process: two years of…
The skinny
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