[Commission on Ministry] The Commission on Ministry (COM) serves the diocese by guiding individuals as they discern how they may be called to further lay or ordained ministry. In fulfilling this responsibility, COM advises the bishop in determining current and future needs for ministry in the diocese, and works closely with the Office for Formation and Transition Ministry.
This is a holy and deeply challenging ministry in an ever-shifting landscape. Recently, in an effort to provide transparency and update the documentation of the discernment process, COM published an extensive set of pages on the diocesan website. The information can be found here, or visit the diocesan home page, click on the dropdown menu on the right and select “Leadership: Are You Called.”
The new pages include detailed descriptions of each step of the discernment process, as well as essential resources on discernment and vocation in general, whether the call is to lay or ordained ministry. There is also a section of ministry interview videos from deacons and the bishop; additional interviews with laypersons, priests and members of religious orders will be included. In the interviews, ministers describe what ministry life is like in each of these orders, from the practical to the inspirational. The videos are designed to help discerners and discernment committee members understand how the ministry of each order is lived out in the diocese.
The web pages represent nearly eight months of work. Additional information will be added in future months as the COM completes interview videos and adds forms required in the discernment process and other content.
It is a sacred and humbling honor for the COM to walk alongside individuals as their gifts, their callings, and their places in the diocese are discerned. The commission hopes that these new web pages will inspire and inform individuals embarking upon this journey of discernment.