Scottish Catholic Observer

At the request of Fr Jim Grant, vocations director for the permanent diaconate in Motherwell Diocese, the Sancta Familia media group, based at his Holy Family Parish in Mossend, produced a promotional video in an attempt to provoke interest.

Titled Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Lives, the film features interviews with five of Motherwell’s deacons showing them at work or home and peaking by showing them fulfilling their diaconal roles at Mass.

The video also features some of the diaconal students in formation during one of their study weekends at St Mary’s Monastery, Kinnoul, and includes interviews with the three students as they relax during a game of billiards.

Although the 20 minute video can be viewed in its entirety on the Motherwell diocesan website, the intention is to release short instalments of the documentary featuring a different deacon each week on the Sancta Familia’s Facebook page.

Fr Grant hopes that apart from sharing information about the life of a deacon, the video will ‘whet the appetite’ of any men who are looking for a way to serve their parishes and who may feel called to the permanent diaconate.

Over the next few weeks, a number of Motherwell deacons are going out to speak about the permanent diaconate in various parishes of the diocese and they hope to speak after Mass to any men interested in finding out more about the ministry.

At the beginning of June, Motherwell Diocese will host two separate ‘Enquiry Nights’ where men seeking further information can come along, with no fear of committing themselves, and explore further the ministry of the diaconate and the formation process involved in becoming a permanent deacon.