One of the greatest privileges of serving the Church is seeing people responding to Christ’s simple invitation: “Follow me.” Every year, through the Northern Diaconal Formation Partnership (NDFP), we accompany men from across the North of England and Wales as they discern and prepare for ordained ministry as permanent deacons. Our recently published Annual Report ( https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:58bbc4d9-c858-485a-95b8-8552820de85f ) offers an encouraging picture of a ministry that continues to flourish and serve the Church with hope.
For the Diocese of Hallam, the past year has been especially significant. We rejoiced in the ordination of Ken Agwuh in 2025. Peter Holland has completed his final year of formation and will be ordained at St. Maries Cathedral at 11.00am on Saturday 7 November 2026 by Bishop Marcus. Please come and join in celebrating with Peter.
We have two further students currently in formation. Peter’s reflections capture something of what NDFP is all about. Looking back over four years of formation, he speaks of excellent theological teaching, strong friendships, deepened prayer, and the confidence that comes from being formed as part of a supportive community.
The Northern Diaconal Formation Partnership exists to serve eight dioceses, including Hallam, Leeds and Middlesbrough, by providing the integrated formation required for the permanent diaconate. Formation is much more than academic study. Candidates are formed spiritually, pastorally and liturgically through parish placements, spiritual direction, regional formation days and regular residential weekends at Hinsley Hall in Leeds. It is in these gatherings that a genuine fraternity develops, preparing men not simply to undertake ministry but to become ministers in the service of Christ and his Church.
Our Trustees undertook a strategic review during the year and reached a clear conclusion: formation cannot be reduced to online learning or academic content alone. The relationships built through gathering together, praying together and learning together remain at the heart of forming future deacons. This shared life reflects the Church’s growing emphasis on synodality—walking together in faith and mission—and ensures that formation remains rooted in the pastoral realities of our local dioceses.
Our formation programme draws upon local clergy, theologians and lay specialists for teaching while remaining firmly centred on the Church’s mission of service. Particular emphasis is placed on Catholic Social Teaching, pastoral theology and serving those on the margins—reflecting the distinctive vocation of the permanent deacon as a servant of the Word, the Liturgy and Charity.
As Chair of NDFP, I remain deeply grateful to the bishops, trustees, tutors, diocesan directors, pastoral mentors, spiritual directors and administrators who make this work possible. Above all, I thank those who generously offer themselves in response to God’s call.
Please keep our current students and newly ordained deacons in your prayers. If you are a Catholic man aged between 30 and 60, active in your parish community, with a heart for service, and may be sensing a call to the permanent diaconate, have courage and speak with your parish priest or myself (astrike@hallam-diocese.com). The Church continues to need faithful servant leaders who will proclaim the Gospel, serve at the altar and bring Christ’s love into the everyday places where people live and work. Tony Strike.
