Diaconal Ordination – Class of 2025
11:00 a.m.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
120 Broad Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Diaconate Retreat & Conference

Deacon Dominic Cerrato, Ph.D., will present Grow in the Gift of Your Diaconate. He is director of both Diaconal Ministries and the Diaconate for the Diocese of Joliet, and editor of Our Sunday Visitor’s The Deacon magazine. He has taught theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Duquesne University and Holy Apostles College and Seminary. While at Franciscan University, Deacon Cerrato also established and developed the distance learning Masters in Theology program. He has nearly 30 years of experience in catechetical and pastoral ministry on the diocesan and parish levels. Ordained in 1995 as the first permanent deacon of the Diocese of Steubenville at the age of 35, Deacon Cerrato is a national speaker, author and retreat master. Dominic and his wife Judith have been married for 40 years and have seven children and many grandchildren.

Doubletree by Hilton
2100 Bush River Road
Columbia, SC 29210

Download the Full Retreat Schedule

• Friday
  • Registration starts at 3:00 p.m.
  • Introductory session at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday
  • Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
  • Sessions start at 9:00 a.m., deanery meetings, etc.
  • Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m.
  • Banquet begins at 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday
  • Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
  • Additional sessions, update of the diaconate, closing prayer
  • Mass with Bishop Fabre at 11:00 a.m.
  • Departure from hotel at noon

Day of Education
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Equipping Deacons to Understand and Deal with Grief

Our Lady of the Hills Church
120 Marydale Lane
Columbia, SC 29210
ourladyofthehillssc.org

SPEAKERS: Patrick Metts, LPC & Michael Bowman, PhD, MD

Patrick Metts is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Assistant Director of the Office of Evangelization & Discipleship for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He received a Master of Marriage and Family Studies from the John Paul II Institute in Valencia, Spain.

Michael Bowman, PhD, MD, is a retired pediatric pulmonologist and Professor Emeritus of MUSC. He is the founder of Grief & Bereavement Ministry of Christ Our King Church in Mount Pleasant and is a mentor for the Grief Ministry at St. Benedict Church.

Mr. Metts and Dr. Bowman will identify specific ways that a deacons can successfully assist members of their parish who are dealing with grief, as well as support parishioners wishing to form/enrich a Grief and Bereavement Ministry in the church. They will outline grief and bereavement ministry training and development that is available to those in the Diocese of Charleston (through the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers).

Light breakfast and lunch will be served for everyone.

Day of Prayer
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Eastern Catholic Spirituality and Prayer — Father Bartholomew Leon, OSB, Pastor of St. Rafka Maronite Catholic Church in Greer

Our Lady of the Hills Church
120 Marydale Lane
Columbia, SC 29210
ourladyofthehillssc.org

Father Bart will discuss Eastern Catholic Spirituality and Prayer.

Light breakfast and lunch will be served.

Day of Education
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sharing Our Story, a Homiletics Refresher — Deacon Rick Wagner, Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana

Our Lady of the Hills Church
120 Marydale Lane
Columbia, SC 29210
ourladyofthehillssc.org

It is important to remember that we preach beyond the ambo, commissioning the faithful as preachers of the Good News also. We act as storytellers, sharing the sacramental moments, people, and lessons of our lives. In doing so, we plant seeds of hope and encourage others to share. This homiletics refresher workshop will look at practical ways to inspire, motivate, and instruct through our preaching. No one else has lived your life or experienced Christ Jesus the same way you have. You can be a powerful witness by framing your faith story within the context of the readings of the Mass.

Deacon Rick Wagner has worked in Catholic schools and institutions for over 35 years. He has served as a high school teacher, coach, athletic director, principal, president, and vice president for mission and ministry. He has served as director of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House and of the Permanent Deacon Formation Program for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. He currently serves as president of Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Indiana.

Deacon Rick was ordained in 2012 and is assigned to St. Pius X Church in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and ministers to unsheltered homeless in downtown Indianapolis as his work of charity. He has been married to his wife Carol for 40 years, and they have four children and 10 grandchildren.

Deacon Rick has presented retreats and workshops to educators, administrators, aspirants to the diaconate, deacons and their wives. He has published two books: Remember What’s Important (2011) and Fifty Homilies from the Deacon’s Desk (2016).

Light breakfast and lunch will be served.

Diaconal Ordination – Class of 2026
11:00 a.m.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
120 Broad Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Diaconate Retreat & Conference

Dan and Stephanie Burke of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation will present. Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses. He is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com. In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church. Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one — and grateful to be Catholic.

Details TBD

Doubletree by Hilton
2100 Bush River Road
Columbia, SC 29210