Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary was proud to celebrate our longstanding history educating men for the permanent diaconate with an inaugural lecture named after Benedictine monk Fr. Kieran Nolan, OSB. The event, the Nolan Lecture, took place on September 12-13th. The Archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, Most Rev. W. Shawn McKnight offered the Keynote Address.
Formation for the permanent diaconate at Saint John’s is rooted in the initial work of the United States Catholic Bishops on diaconal formation that they began in the late 1960s. Father Kieran Nolan, OSB of Saint John’s Abbey was a consultant for the United States bishops at that time on diaconal formation, and in 1969 brought back to Saint Johns the initiative to begin a formation program here. He served as the program’s first director. The Nolan Lecture for the Theology of the Permanent Diaconate honored this historic legacy of diaconal formation and invited participants to a two-day symposium in to pray, learn, reflect, and enjoy fellowship.
Reflecting on the event, Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, PhD shared, “diaconal candidates and their formation is a distinct and generative aspect of our student body and curriculum. We were honored to welcome Archbishop McKnight whose book Understanding the Diaconate (CUA, 2018) offers a rich historical approach to understanding this vocational path. Our full program also explored emerging pastoral questions, including Hispanic ministry and preaching. Our plenary panel of diaconal wives offered opportunities to reflect on the lived experience of deacons and their families and – we pray, help inspire the Church to understand the role of the deacon more clearly. We are grateful for our close collaboration with the Diocese of Saint Cloud in the formation of deacons, including this event.”
This lecture was hosted by Sustained Encuentro: Accompanying One Another Along the Way, funded by Lilly Endowment, Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.