GUEST Column
By Deacon Wesley Lindsay
There is a saying I have heard all my life, and it still rings true: “The Lord moves in mysterious ways.” My faith journey is a living testament to this truth. When I look back on each misstep, each wrong turn, and every encounter, both good and bad, I can now see that they all prepared me for the calling I answered more than seven years ago. At each of the three levels of my progression – discernment, formation and ordination – God has revealed more and more of Himself and His plan.
When I was much younger, I believed I was ready to understand the “real” message of the Almighty. However, Hebrews 5:12-14 compares followers of God to children who must be fed with milk because they are not yet mature enough for solid food. I thought differently about myself and craved the solid food of spiritual maturity. Be careful what you ask for – you just may get it.
Discernment
God’s hand was moving in my life, even when I had no clue. A friend and Brother Knight encouraged me to apply for the permanent diaconate. There was just one problem: the application process was already closed. However, I decided to test a core Christian tenet: faith. I submitted my application anyway, just to see what would happen. To my surprise, it was accepted despite being late! I was admitted to aspirancy.
The aspirancy period is when prospective candidates begin to learn about the ministry and duties of the permanent deacon. For married men, their wives are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings, usually held on Saturdays. This step is crucial because a wife’s active support and consent are required at each stage of her husband’s progression toward ordination. She must write a letter indicating her support for his journey. If the wife is not fully on board, the permanent diaconate is not in that man’s future.
Formation
After about nine months of aspirancy, my six brother candidates and I had to write a letter to our bishop requesting admission to candidacy. This is when our real formation began. We embarked on a Master’s degree-level religious education program directed by Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. This was our seminary of Christian education. Along the way, we completed practicums specific to our Catholic faith, such as homiletics and the sacraments of baptism and marriage.
A funny thing happened at each of these steps: I began to notice a change not only in myself but in my fellow candidates as well. This is no slight to them – from the start, they were already good, God-fearing men of service! Yet somehow, their goodness was magnified, and they became, in my opinion, even stronger in the faith.
The hardest part of formation, in my experience, was keeping an open mind. I thought I knew the Bible and the ways of the Almighty. Boy, was I mistaken! Isaiah 55:8-9 made this point abundantly clear to me. This is where Spring Hill College truly shined. All our instructors provided the help and support we needed, making the educational experience second to none. Reading a variety of Christian authors and texts was fundamental, and now I have an extensive theological library. Formation also taught me valuable time management skills – we all learned to appreciate the blessing of a 45-minute time gap!
Ordination
July 16, 2022, will forever be one of the happiest days of my life. Almost five years of preparation had led me to that moment. Another chapter had begun, filled with the promise and expectation of serving God and His people.
In the nearly three years since my ordination, my eyes have witnessed so much – some good, some bad. At this stage of my journey, I hold onto the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:12-13: “I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me.” Thanks be to God!
For more information on the permanent diaconate visit https://jacksondiocese.org/office-of-the-permanent-diaconate.
(Deacon Wesley Lindsay was ordained in 2022 and serves at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson.)