BRAINTREE -- Deacon Tom O'Shea describes himself as having been bit by the deacon bug.

Twenty years ago, when he had a chance encounter with a couple of deacons, he felt the stirring of a vocation within him.

"I started to feel called to explore the diaconate more, and that little bug that I got, I couldn't get it out of my head," he told The Pilot on Sept. 18.

Deacon O'Shea was ordained a deacon in 2012 and is currently assigned to Ave Maria Parish in Lynnfield. He also works in the Archdiocese of Boston Office of the Permanent Diaconate, which is beginning its 2024 Diaconate Inquirer Program this October. The program is meant to attract men to the four-year Permanent Diaconate Formation Program that all deacons in the archdiocese are required to attend.

"This whole program is to promote vocations," Deacon O'Shea said.

The Inquirer Program consists of three sessions. The first session, describing what a deacon is, will take place in over a dozen parishes throughout the archdiocese in the month of October. Each session will be led by a deacon in that parish, so aspiring deacons can get to know them. Aspiring deacons can choose to attend the session that is close to them.

"What I love about being a deacon is the dimension of service," Deacon O'Shea said.

He said that there are three pillars to the diaconate -- proclaiming the Gospel, celebrating the sacraments of marriage and baptism, and to "bring Christ" into the world.

"We're called to go out to serve the people in the community who might be marginalized for whatever reason," he said. "Maybe they're in a nursing home, maybe they're unhoused, maybe they just don't come to church."

Aspiring deacons' wives are also encouraged to attend the October session, to learn about their role in diaconal ministry.

"It means a lot of different things," Deacon O'Shea said. "Some women are very involved in their husbands' ministry, even as co-ministers. Others see their role as supporting their husbands."

Deacon O'Shea himself is married and has two children and a grandchild.

"It's really our first and number one sacrament," he said of marriage. "All of us became married men before we became deacons."

He said that it is important for deacons to have children in school, playing sports, and participating in society, because they serve as an anchor to the community that deacons serve.

"We're more in the world," he said. "We work, we all have jobs. We're evangelizing, even if we're not intentionally evangelizing."

The second session, which will take place in November, will expand on what canon law requires of deacons. The third session in December will help aspiring deacons discern their vocation. Both sessions will have one in-person meeting at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center in Braintree. All three sessions also have online options, which Deacon O'Shea said is helpful to younger aspiring deacons with families, and those who live near the borders of the archdiocese.

"It used to be that pastors would tell their men who are interested in the diaconate and their wives to wait until their kids are out of high school," he said. "Now, we have men whose wives are giving birth during formation."

Registration is not required for any of the sessions. For more information, those interested can visit bostondiaconate.com and click on the "News" tab or call the Permanent Diaconate Office at 617-746-5843.

If you are interested in becoming an ordained deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston, you and your wife are invited to take part in the upcoming 2024 Inquirer Program. The program consists of the following three sessions:

Session I: Who is the Deacon and am I Called to be a Deacon? (Choose one of the following options.)

-- Saturday, Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph's Church, 556 Washington Street, Quincy

-- Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 439 West Street, Brockton

-- Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., St. Michael's Church, 196 Main Street, North Andover

-- Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., St. Mary's Parish Center, 33 North Road, Chelmsford

-- Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., Blessed Sacrament Parish Community Room, 10 Diamond Street, Walpole

-- Sunday, Oct. 20 at 12:30 p.m., St. Mary of the Assumption, 3 Linden Place, Brookline (Lower church parish hall)

-- Monday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., All Saints Parish, 120 Bellevue Avenue, Haverhill

-- Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., Sts. Martha and Mary Church (Downstairs Hall), 354 Bedford Street, Lakeville

-- Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m., St. Maria Goretti Church (Basement Hall), 112 Chestnut Street, Lynnfield

-- Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., Arlington Catholic High School Library, 18 Medford Street, Arlington (Down several steps to the right of the main school entrance)

-- Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m., St. Ann Church, 243 Neponset Ave., Dorchester

-- Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., St. Zepherin's Parish Center, 99 Main Street, Wayland

-- Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., St. Michael's Parish Center, 23 Manning Street, Hudson (enter door by playground)

Inquirers are encouraged to attend one of the in-person sessions, but an online session is also available on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. Please email deacon_vocations@rcab.org to receive the Zoom link.

Session II: Canonical Questions for Applicants. (Choose one session.) Wives are not required to attend this session. This session will be held online. Please call the Permanent Diaconate Office at 617-746-5843 for details.

-- Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7-8:30 p.m., Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree

-- Thursday, Nov. 21, 7-8:30 p.m. Online option for those who cannot make Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting. (Email deacon_vocations@rcab.org to receive the Zoom link.)

Session III: Discernment Morning of Prayer, Application Process

Saturday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (lunch provided), Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree

Session II: Canonical Questions for Applicants. (Choose one session.) Wives are not required to attend this session. This session will be held online. Please call the Permanent Diaconate Office at 617-746-5843 for details.

-- Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7-8:30 p.m., Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree

-- Thursday, Nov. 21, 7-8:30 p.m. Online (Email deacon_vocations@rcab.org to receive the Zoom link.)

Session III: Discernment Morning of Prayer, Application Process

Saturday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (lunch provided), Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree.