Seminar by Deacon Bill Ditewig (US): The Diaconate’s Future in Australia

Event Details

Renowned authority on the vocation of deacons, Deacon Bill Ditewig, a former US naval officer and academic, will be speaking at the Bede Heather Centre in Blacktown for a special session for deacons on 15 March 2025. 

Bill is a deacon, an author and comes with great credentials in leadership roles in the diaconate. He has served as Executive Director of the Secretariat for the Diaconate at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and has held many other academic and pastoral leadership roles. 

As the diaconate has flourished more in the USA than any other part of the world, Bill is well placed to guide us in Australia and what we can learn from their success and also how they have overcome the challenges faced in growing this vocation. 

With a wealth of experience and insight, Deacon Bill will share valuable perspectives on the diaconate, drawing from his extensive work in the United States and offering reflections that may help shape the future of diaconal ministry in Australia. 

This event presents a unique opportunity to explore key issues affecting the role of deacons in the Church.  

It will be a chance to engage with important topics and learn from Deacon Bill’s experience, helping to inform and inspire the path forward for the diaconate. 

Topics covered will include: 

• Insights and lessons from the US diaconate – what we can learn in Australia 

• Deacons in the workplace – how it has played out in terms of the vision of Vatican II and what can be done now to foster this aim 

• Deacons as Pastoral Directors (with responsibility for leading Parishes) – how it has worked in the US and what its scope for the future might be  

• Servant Leadership in a Synodal Church. 

This event is open to anyone interested in the role of deacons in the Church—whether you’re in formation, already serving as a deacon, or simply curious about the future of the diaconate. Wives and seminarians are also invited. 

Lunch will be provided. 

Bookings are essential, and the event is free to those in the Diocese of Parramatta only.

Please register and pay via this website. 

Deacon Bill Ditewig

Presenter

Deacon Bill Ditewig is a US deacon, an author and comes with great credentials in leadership roles in the diaconate. He has served as Executive Director of the Secretariat for the Diaconate at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and has held many other academic and pastoral leadership roles.