Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington
Office of the Permanent Diaconate

Members of the Deacon Council:

Present: Deacon John Sicilia (ex officio); Deacon Eric Meisfjord, Chairman; Carol Dahl; Deacon Dave Dudinsky; Deacon Ken Dunlap
Absent: Deacon Scott Brockway
Guests: Deacon Roy Dahl; Cathy Dudinsky

The meeting began, with prayer, at approximately 10:07 a.m.

The new director of Deacon Formation:

Bishop Skylstad has appointed Father Mike Savelesky the new director of Deacon Formation for the diocese, said Deacon Sicilia. Anticipated start date for the new formation class: fall 2008. Inquiry calls continue to come in, from many areas of the diocese. There is a strong possibility that formation classes will be held at Assumption Parish, Spokane, where Father Savelesky is pastor, insofar as the present Bishop White Seminary facility will cease to exist in spring 2008.

Hosting the annual convention of the National Association of Deacon Directors (NADD) in 2010:

Deacon Sicilia has proposed that Spokane host the NADD 2010 convention. A number of Spokane deacons have expressed their willingness to assist with this effort. The ecclesial and economic impacts on the Spokane area are not insignificant. Deacon Sicilia will be organizing a “convention executive committee” to handle various aspects of the effort, should Spokane be chosen to host. Approximately 225-250 individuals would attend; assistance by a considerable portion of the Spokane deacon community would be a must. A preliminary planning meeting was held recently; the next, for those who might be interested in becoming involved, is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. at St. Charles Parish, Spokane. Contact Deacon Sicilia for more information or to offer assistance.

Continuing formation/education of deacons:

A local program has been in place for some years now, offering four continuing education/formation evening events per year. Participation by the deacon community is not significant, particularly of late. Deacon Sicilia will be speaking with Bishop Skylstad regarding possible requirements for deacons to participate in continuing education/formation opportunities. In the meantime, Deacon Meisfjord will meet with the present committee to establish three programs – January, March, and May 2008 – at which time the committee and possibly the program will be examined and possibly reformulated.

Deacon Retreats:

Deacon Sicilia broached the topic of the annual retreat: participation there is not what it might be, either. (Editor’s note: Was ever there a glorious day when the Earth was green and giants walked the land? When deacons attended continuing education/formation opportunities and retreated at least annually, if not more often? Just wondering. Parenthetically, that is.) Deacon Sicilia posed the question: Would it be helpful to host the retreats somewhere other than Immaculate Heart Retreat Center? While IHRC offers many advantages, there are disadvantages as well. The presbyters have been meeting in other venues for precisely such reasons: with IHRC so proximate to Spokane, many go home in the evening, rather than remain for the fellowship and community; IHRC is the site of many events, and can have an overly familiar feel to it; a location in another part of the diocese might encourage participation from deacons who are not proximate to Spokane. The Director of Deacons will move responsibility for the annual retreat from the Life and Ministry committee to the Continuing Formation committee, and present the question to the new formulation of that committee for consideration.

Replacement Council members:

With the death of Jeannie Toulou, wife of Deacon Alvin Toulou, a vacancy has occurred on the Deacon Council. Her absence is felt keenly. Deacon Sicilia has contacted some individuals and awaits their response to take Jeannie’s place, by appointment by Bishop Skylstad. He also would like to modify the policy to expand membership in the Council by two members.

Revision of the diocesan Policy and Procedures manual for deacons:

Deacon Roy Dahl has invested considerable time, effort, and expertise in examining and updating the diocese’s manual, particularly in light of the National Directory for Formation, Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in the United States, from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The question becomes: Where should the project go from here?

One approach would be to examine the national directory, note those areas which refer to local decisions by local ordinaries, then create a supplement/appendix of specific norms for Spokane. However, insofar as Bishop Skylstad is submitting his resignation as bishop on the occasion of his 75th birthday, approximately 17 months from now, and a new bishop might have distinct and unique requirements for the deacons of the Spokane Diocese, it was moved, seconded, and unanimously decided to table the project until such time as Spokane has a new bishop.

Other business:

| Deacon Sicilia pointed out that the current issue of Deacon Digest has a very good article on “The Role of the Deacon.”

| He also encouraged deacons to be current on their Code of Conduct updates, available on-line on the diocese’s web site.

| Deacon ID cards must be updated every year. If you would like a current ID card, please contact Deacon Meisfjord in the diocese’s Communications Office: (509) 358-7340; emeisfjord@dioceseofspokane.org

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned, with prayer, at approximately 11:25 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Deacon Eric Meisfjord
Chairman and, for the nonce, secretary
Deacon Council

Next meetings of the Deacon Council:

January 12, 2008
June 14, 2008
October 11, 2008